4
It is accepted international practice for masters to land such people at the ships' next port of call, and, in the case of refugees, UNHCR would then take responsibility for their maintenance and eventual
relocation.
However, many of the countries bordering the South China
whose Sea now feel themselves to be saturated with Indo-Chinese refugees and their departure to countries of permanent settlement is taking an increasingly long time. Several of these countries are now refusing to allow these refugees to disembark without an absolute assurance that a third country will take them off their hands if they have not been resettled within a strictly limited period. In some recent instances this has meant that refugees, usually including small children, have had to undergo long voyages on board ships before they reach a country
which is prepared to grant them temporary refuge. The vessels concerned do not normally have facilities for the carriage of passengers, their day-to-day maintenance, or the medical attention which is often needed,
and the presence of children on modern merchant vessels presents considerable control and safety problems.
4 Even worse,
Unfortunately, faced with the prospect of possible refusal of entry
at ports in the area, there have been reports that some ships have not heeded distress signals and have passed by those in need of rescue. On 3 October, UNHCR and the Inter-governmental Maritime Consultative Organisation issued a joint appeal to the International Chamber of
Shipping asking that shipowners instruct their ships masters to ensure that the provisions of international instruments regarding rescue at
sea are faithfully observed. It should be stressed that there has been
no suggestion that British vessels have been involved in any such breaches, but the General Council of British Shipping has expressed the serious concern of its members over the operational burden placed upon them by the present situation.
Proposal
The impasse which has now developed could be eased if Governments were
prepared to give an undertaking in suitable cases which would assure the
potential countries of temporary refuge that any such small boat refugees landed from ships sailing under their flags would remain on their