Helsingin Sanomat
12 September, 1982
VIETNAMESE REFUGDES I FINLAND
Finland has given a new home to some 250 refugees, more than one-hundred of them are Vietnamese..
Finland is admitting another one-hundred refugees from Vietnam shortly. They are disabled Vietnamese and their family members.
Finns are embarrassed about the small numbers of refugees admitted so far but are anxious to polish their image by taking disabled 'refwer who need greater attention and care, refugees that the big and wealthy m tions do not care about.
Finland's still undeveloped refugee policy is flavoured by humanitarian concern for people in distress. Great nations with hundreds of thousands of refugees follow a utilitarian principle: from refugee camps, they skim off the cream, selecting healthy, young and well-educated individuals for productive work.
To timetable exista yot for admitting the next group of Vietnamese refugees. Housing poses the single largest problem. The newcomers will be settled in the Helsinki region, an area plagued by housing shortage.
Refugees settled in the Helsinki area earlier also suffer from u shortage of decent housing.
Funds needed for the new group of refugees are expected to be included in the Government's supplementary budget proposal.
The agency responsible for the settlement and initial care of refugees
is the Social Affairs and Health Ministry.
It is hoped that the new group of refugees will supplement those already in
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