(D)
INSTEAD OF BEING STOPPED BY THE VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIE DEPARTURES ARE BEING FACILITATED IN RETURN FOR PAYMENTS CERTAINLY TO MIDDLE MEN AND PROBABLY TO OFFICIALS AND A SEA TRANSPORT RACKET HAS DEVELOPED, AS WELL AS A STEADY STREAM OF DEPARTURES
BY SMALL BOAT..
3. SINCE THERE ARE BETWEEN ONE AND A HALF AND TWO AND A HALF MILLION ETHNIC CHINESE IN VIETNAM, AND MANY ETHNIC VIETNAMESE ALSO WISH TO LEAVE, THE NUMBERS INVOLVED COULD BE VERY GREAT. THE COUNTRIES ON THE PERIMETER OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA, SUCH AS THAILAND, MALAYSIA, THE PHILIPPINES AND HONG KONG, ARE ALREADY SATURATED WITH REFUGEES, AND THEIR TOLERANCE IS EXHAUSTED.
4. IF TRAGEDY ON A MAJOR SCALE AND TOTAL DISREGARD FOR THE NORMAL LAWS OF HUMANITY AT SEA ARE TO BE PREVENTED, IT MUST BE RECOGNISED THAT THERE IS A NEW SITUATION REQUIRING A NEW APPROACH WHOSE ELEMENTS I SUGGEST SHOULD BE:-
(THE DECLARATION OF MUCH LARGER QUOTAS FOR RESETTLEMENT BY POTENTIAL HOST COUNTRIES, IF NECESSARY SPREAD OVER A PERIOD OF TIME, AND MEANWHILE
(B) THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A HOLDING CAMP IN THE AREA, AS HAS BEEN SUGGESTED BY SOME ASEAN COUNTRIES:
(C)
ARRANGEMENTS FOR ORDERLY DEPARTURE BY THE VIETNAMESE
GOVERNMENT.
5. (B) IS ESSENTIAL BECAUSE IT IS NOT REALISTIC TO EXPECT COUNTRIES TO ABSORB SUFFICIENTLY FAST THE NUMBERS ALREADY AWAITING RESETTLEMENT, LET ALONE THE MUCH LARGER NUMBERS NOW EXPECTED TO LEAVE VIETNAM. IF THERE IS NOT SOMEWHERE THEY CAN BE SENT, THE COUNTRIES ON THE PERIPHERY OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA WILL ADOPT PROGRESSIVELY MARSH METHODS TO DRIVE THEM AWAY WITH
RESULTANT TRAGEDY.
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