CONFIDENTIAL
O LAND REFUGEES
6. On 19 October General Kriangasak announced that in future
civilian refugees would be allowed into Thailand from Cambodia
and could stay until it was possible to return. This marks a clear change from the earlier policy of forced repatriation, but has been foreshadowed by preparations to accommodate up to 200,000 in new and expanded camps. This may be some 400,000 potential Cambodian refugees in the border area.
CAMBODIA:
7.
PAMINE RELIEF
Conditions are appalling. The Vietnamese, who control the Heng Samrin 'government' based in Phnom Penh delayed agreement that the ICRC/UNICEF were seeking on conditions to allow a massive and properly supervised relief operation to begin. Agreement has now apparently been reached - although the Heng Samrin 'government' have twice denied this. ICRC/UNICEF arrangements are going forward, and on 13 October an RAF Hercules began daily relief flights for them
into Phnom Penh.
8. On 19 October ICRC and UNICEF appealed for US$111 million for their relief programme in the first six months. In addition to the Hercules (now available until mid-November at a cost of £200,000) we have agreed to provide £1 million worth of rice; subject to Parliamentary approval, we shall also provide a further US$5 million for use by the relief agencies (probably not before April 1980).
9. The EEC will be providing 4 million EUA (about £2.5 million) for distribution through the relief agencies (our contribution is between 17 and 18 per cent) and 5,000 tonnes of rice from Community aid reserves. At the informal Foreign Ministers meeting on 20/21 October at Ashford Castle, the Nine agreed to study urgently further humanitarian goves.
ISLAND PROCESSING CENTRES (SPECIAL PROCESSING CENTRES)
10.
UNHCR are financing Processing Centres on Galang Island (Indonesia near Singapore) and Tara (off Palawan, Philippines)
CONFIDENTIAL
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