M***URU diuen Mä paljaan kasana
27th June 1979
His Excellency General Kriangsak Chomanen, The Prime Minister's Office,
Bangkok, Thailand.
I know how very busy you are and what an immense amount of reading your work involves but I thought you might possibly be interested to have a copy of a book written by my elder son, William, about Cambodia. This was published in the United States a few weeks ago and has received extremely favourable reviews and been the subject of a great deal of discussion there. It is to be published in this country in a few vogks timo.
In sending it may I mention with what close interest and sympathy wo in the United Kingdom have, been following developments in regard to the refugee problem with which Thailand is confronted. There is,
I believe, an increasing realisation both in the United Kingdom and in other countries that it is entirely impossible for Thailand or Malaysia to absorb and assimilate the very large number of refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia who have managed to enter your country. On the other hand conditions in Cambodia are, we believe, now more torrible than they have ever been. There appears to be virtually no food in the country; large numbers are dying from starvation end great brutalities are being imposed on the population. In these circumstances sending the retugees back to Cambodia will da mary cas involve certain death.
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Both in the United Kingdom and in other responsible countries there is, I believe, a growing acceptance of the fact that we ourselves must do much more to receive considerable numbers of the refugees and so relieve Thailand of the present intolerable burden. There is reason to hope that in the next few weeks the Government of this and other countries will respond to the growing force of public humanitarian opinion in the matter and make arrangements to take ove a much larger number of refugees than has hitherto been accepted. May I respectfully express the hope, which I know is shared by a gre many - friends of Thailand here, that it may prove possible for your Government to state that it will defer any drastic action forcing th refugees back into Cambodia for a few more weeks whilst the matter is being negotiated with other possible host countries. Clearly the United Kingdom and other such countries have a duty in the matter an
for my part...