2.
During 1984 there were some 50,000 new arrivals in the region, with the rate of Lao arrivals in particular being twice the rate of their departure for resettlement. Arrivals in 1985 have continued at a comparable level, while resettlement quotas have again been reduced. With the more rapid decline in resettlement opportunities, no substantial impact is being made by resettlement on the existing caseload. This has led to the development of a particularly difficult problem for both Vietnamese and other refugees, viz, that of persons who have spent prolonged periods in camps and who clearly do not qualify under current resettlement criteria. This build-up of long-stayers in camps is likely to become acute in the course of 1985 unless resettlement criteria are reviewed and other avenues are explored. While resettlement countries are understandably anxious to phase out what has been an extended commitment to Indo-Chinese refugees, many Indo-Chinese remain in South-East Ala who have valid links with third countries or who have no other [realisti 101 ion available to them. More flexible criteria are urgently
needed if this group is to be properly catered for.
" At the same time it remains clear that third country resettlement is not the preferred solution for many groups of refugees at present in camps in the region. It therefore remains crucial that other solutions, which are to some extent mutually dependent, should be pursued simultaneously. UNHCR has continued to discuss with countries of origin and with concerned third countries the need for other options to be made available if the problem is to be resolved. In particular, all efforts must continue to be made with Governments concerned in order to create the conditions necessary to allow voluntary repatriation to become a viable alternative for appropriate cases. Progress in this area has, regrettably, continued to be extremely limited. is clear that UNHCR's efforts in this area, as in many others, will not produce the desired results in the absence of concrete support from major Governments. We shall, however, continue to pursue these efforts and shall keep Governments informed. Once substantial influxes have decreased, it will also be necessary that larger self-sufficiency projects be considered for appropriate cases. Until such time as all three solutions are actively available, as needed, the resolution of the Indo-Chinese refugee problem as it now exists cannot be envisaged.
Two major concerns in South-East Asia in the past year have been the increased arrival of Lao asylum seekers in Thailand and the continued arrival of "boat people" throughout the region. Some 2,000 Lao have on average arrived each month in Thailand since January 1984, while more than 24,000 people arrived by boat in South-East Asia in the course of last year. These influxes have largely accounted for the limited reduction in the overall number of refugees in the region awaiting solutions.
It
While large numbers of Kampucheans have also entered Thailand in recent months, they have not become the responsibility of UNHCR. This influx has, however, considerably worsened the security situation in the area, including for Kampuchean refugees in the UNHCR holding centre. This has occurred as a result of attempts by some new arrivals to seek asylum in the UNHCR centre and of attacks by armed groups. Various measures to improve the security situation of the Kampuchean refugees have been agreed with the authorities and are being implemented.
Of all these groups, it is clear that numerically the largest refugee problem facing the international community in South-East Asia is that of refugees from the Lao People's Democratic Republic. The absence of substantive solutions for this group coupled with the increased influx in the past year has considerably exacerbated this problem.