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problems there can be no final answer to the miseries which
have befallen so many people in South-East Asia. In this
Committee, however, we are concerned first and foremost with
the humanitarian aspects. The first necessity is to provide food
for the hungry, medical care for the sick and shelter for the
refugees. Some progress has already been achieved so far as the
refugee situation is concerned. The Secretary-General indicated
in his introduction on Monday, that the issue of orderly depart-
ure from Vietnam may be coming under control. We hope that this
situation will be maintained. We have noted that efforts directed
towards establishing the regularity of movement of refugees and
accelerating its rate are being actively pursued with a number of
governments of receiving countries as well as with the Government
of Vietnam. We are concerned, however, that despite recent improve-
ments in regard to departure from the places of first asylum, it
may require more than two years, in the view of the Secretary-General,
to get through the backlog of cases. Further efforts are required
to deal with the severe difficulties faced by places of first
asylum in the larger region, including Hong Kong.
In Kampuchea, there is a human tragedy which is continuing
despite the efforts of the international community to bring it to
an end. A number of international agencies have taken practical,
on-the-spot action to relieve distress; and the work of UNICEF, WFP,
and ICRC among others deserves our fullest support.
As of today, the European Community and its Member States have
contributed or pledged more than 66 million dollars for relief