12
continuing conditions which force them to flee. While it
normally might be argued that the domestic policies of the
Vietnamese Government are an internal matter, it seems clear
that the consequences of these policies in terms of lives
lost and burdens unilaterally imposed on Vietnam's neighbors
are of legitimate concern to all nations. We wish to
see free emigration from Vietnam but under conditions that are
not so desperate that people flee knowing half of them may die
in the attempt.
·
I should now like to address those other aspects of the
present situation in the region on which the Subcommittee has
invited my comments. These include the Soviet presence in
Vietnam, Vietnamese-Chinese relations, the situation in Kampuchea,
and the effect of recent events on Thailand.
!
In preparing my remarks on these subjects, I was struck
by the role that deep-seated ethnic and historical antagonisms
have had in the current situation. In virtually every case,
the current conflicts reflect centuries of rivalry and hatred,
which communist "internationalism" has been unable to put to
rest. Indeed, the introduction of Soviet power and Moscow's
rivalry with Beijing into the. region have made this most recent
round of Indochina conflicts much more difficult to resolve.
Developments in Vietnam over the last 12 months have
resulted in the expansion of Soviet influence.
After a lengthy
T