3
China
debate was dominated by tensions between China, occupying their seat for the first time, and the Vietnamese observer delegation, led by their Ambassador from Paris (see Geneva telno ^7^). was moderately restrained in warning that between one and three million people were waiting to leave Vietnam, and that recent boat cases and a continuing flow of refugees into China were a signal for further waves. China had received over 250,000 refugees from Vietnam and had spent $450 million on resettling them. Vietnam responded with a bitter attack on China, but they undertook to co-operate with UNHCR whilst demanding that Western countries greatly expand the scheme for Orderly Departures. Australia said that they had made it clear repeatedly that there would be a strong reaction if Vietnam failed to live up to its undertakings. In this context the decisions of the Committee (Geneva telno 486) are important, but the wording of the report should also be noted:
"Speakers emphasised that the momentum resulting from
the July meeting must be maintained to ensure the urgent action required by the gravity of the situation and to avoid a new wave of refugees. They further- more expressed the wish that the Government of Vietnam fulfil all the obligations which it undertook at the July meeting and in co-operation with the High Commissioner carry out the seven-point Memorandum of Understanding concerning Orderly Departures".
Ambassador Clark (US Refugee Co-ordinator) made an important policy statement on Indo Chinese refugees. He said that the US would absorb another 168,000 in the next twelve months at a rate of 14,000 per month and that in 1980 the US would provide 30% of the costs of the Indo Chinese programme as well as 30% of the costs of refugee processing centres. The US would do all it could to expand the scheme for Orderly Departure but this implied that more UNHCR staff and US visa offers would be required in Vietnam. Clark drew attention to the unwillingness of some governments to guarantee resettlement of refugees rescued by ships registered under their flag. The US supported the proposal for a pool of resettlement places for such people (they are to allocate 500 places). There was some discussion as to whether the pool was solely for flags of convenience but it was finally agreed that the report should emphasise the need for UNHCR to ensure that those rescued at sea whom it was not possible to resettle in the country whose flag the rescue vessel was flying, be promptly disembarked and resettled.
During the session the Director of Assistance announced a new programme to assist Kampuchean refugees in Thailand ($1.45m) and said that discussion between Laos and Thailand over the repatriațion of Lao refugees would take place. Vietnam asked for assistance to help the 35,000 Kampuchean refugees in Vietnam.
A Chinese proposal to deal with "root causes", which was clearly aimed at Vietnam, was adopted without dissention. It "expressed the wish that the root causes of these situations, which fall outside the competence of the Office of the, High Commissioner for Refugees, should he taken up at the earliest opportunity by the appropriate
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