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INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES
Murungan 29 (x
STATEMENT BY MINISTER FOR IMMIGRATION
PLEASE PASS URGENTLY TO MR PARKINSON. FOLLOWING IS TEXT OF
STATEMENT BY MINISTER FOR IMMIGRATION AND ETHNIC AFFAIRS: ON 28/11/78
"THE AUSTRALIAN MINISTER FOR IMMIGRATION AND ETHNIC AFFAIRS, MR MICHAEL MACKELLAR, SAID TODAY THAT HE WOULD LEAD AN AUSTRALIAN DELEGATION TO GENEVA TO DISCUSS THE INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE TO THE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE FROM INDO-CHINA.
THE MEETING ON 11/12 DECEMBER IS BEING ORGANISED BY THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES, MR POUL HARTLING. REPRESENTATIVES OF OVER FORTY GOVERNMENTS AND FIVE MAJOR INTERNATIONA NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS INVOLVED IN PROVIDING ASSISTANCE FOR PERSONS LEAVING INDO-CHINA WILL ATTEND.
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THE MEETING WILL FOCUS ON THE NEED FOR GREATER EFFORTS BY THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.
MR MACKELLAR SAID REFUGEES WERE NOW ARRIVING IN MALAYSIA ALONE AT A RATE OF SOME 5,000 PER WEEK. THERE WERE NOW OVER 40,000 REFUGEES IN CAMPS ON THE EAST COAST OF MALAYSIA, AS AGAINST 16,000 IN MID-OCTOBER.
THE PROBLEM OF FINDING RESETTLEMENT PLACES FOR THE REFUGEES CHALLENGED THE CONSCIENCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.
UNDER THE PRESENT PROGRAM, 800 REFUGEES FLY INTO AUSTRALIA EVERY · MONTH.
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AUSTRALIA HAS ALREADY ACCEPTED FOR RESETTLEMENT SOME 15,000 REFUGEES, AND WILL HAVE TAKEN MORE THAN 20,000 BY THE MIDDLE OF 1979. AS A PROPORTION OF AUSTRALIAN POPULATION, THIS INTAKE OF OVER 9,000 PER YEAR REPRESENTS AN EFFORT LARGER THAN THAT OF ANY OTHER REFUGEE-RECEIVING COUNTRY.
UNDER EXISTING PROGRAMS, THE UNITED STATES PLANS TO TAKE UP TO 40,000 REFUGEES IN THE YEAR ENDING 1 MAY 1979. THE FRENCH PROGRAM IS BASED ON 12,000 A YEAR. THE CANADIAN PROGRAM THIS YEAR WILL RUN AT ABOUT 3,000 - 4,000.
BY.COMPARISON, THERE WERE MANY COUNTRIES, PARTICULARLY THOSE IN EUROPE, WHO WERE TAKING NO PEOPLE FROM INDO-CHINA OR ONLY VERY SMALL GROUPS. THE MINISTER SAID HE HOPED THAT THESE COUNTRIES COULD SEE THEIR WAY TO ACCEPT SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER NUMBERS. AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THE GENEVA DISCUSSIONS.
THIS WOULD BE