CAMF VISIT (3)
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28TH OCTOBER to 31ST OCTOBER 1995
Phanat Nikhom
Firstly, I was most grateful for the assistance given by the American Refugee Committee in arranging accommodation and local transport to the camy daily and to 1.0.1.. for return transport to Lengkok.
I spoke to the camp Commandant who was very attentive. He was of the opinion that somethin should be done for some of the more difficult cases, including the Vietnamese 'descrters'.
When speakin. to inny' Rogers, the UICH field officer, I was told that of the 71 unaccompanied minors in the camp, 61 would be re-settled and the other 10 were the Vietnamese referred to above. I spoke to three of these young men (employed in the canteen) they are quite despondant They say they have
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and see no hopeful solution to their predicament. written to their families but receive no reply!
The camp population was down to 9,200 during my visit, some 270 left for the United States of America while I was there.
Miss Rogers said there were times when there was a definite need for an extra social worker and perhaps Ockenden might help fund one?
He has,
While in the camp, the name of Doug Hulcher frequently came up. of his own initiative, set up a programme to trace 'misplaced children or families' with some success, both in Ban Vinai and Fhanat Nikhom, mostly with Hilltribes.
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I met this young man on 31st Cctober and spent some hours with him: viciting families and checking individual cases 1 was inpr:cs:d by is sine: zit cnl obvicua dev
He is very well thought of by the agencies although accusionally crossur ti veth of FCR who are parko pa sensitive 30 m inob 1.6% som tänk he does fim. fick that ancor. 201
It would seen that there is adequate coverage by munerous organisations of educational and dicul nerds in teir camp.
I commendations:-
(a) That we consider the possibility of either supporting r Hulcher with financial support in what he is currently doing, or
(b) Consider offering a programme to UNHCR to set up a social programme in the camp, thus taking the load from UNHCR themselves (who took over the activity when CRS withdrew) - possibly to include the activities of
r Hulcher.