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077175
MDTTAN 7935
COAST.
3=
THE THAI ACTION APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN PROMPTED BY THEIR CON- CERN AT THE ALMOST THREEFOLD INCREASE (TO OVER 12,000) IN NUMBERS OF VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE WHO ARRIVED IN THAILAND DURING 1987, AND AT THE SIGNS THAT THIS INCREASED ARRIVAL RATE WAS CONTINUING. THE ROYAL THAI NAVY HAVE DEPLOYED SEVEN BOATS, AND THE THAI MARINE POLICE TWO BOATS, IN A LINE ACROSS FROM KLONG YAI TO ONE OF THE ISLANDS OFF THE COAST OF EASTERN THAILAND, KOH KHUUT. THESE BOATS ARE INTERCEPTING THOSE VESSELS COMING FROM KOMPONG SOM BRINGING WOULD-BE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES, TURNING THEM BACK AND IN SOME CASES TOWING THEM TO THE LIMIT OF THAI TERRITORIAL WATERS AND THEN RELEASING THEM. ACCORDING TO THE THAIS THIS POLICY HAS LED TO THE, MOSTLY, CAMBODIAN SMUGGLERS ADOPTING NEW TACTICS OF DROPPING THEIR HUMAN CARGOES ON THE MANY SMALL ISLANDS OFF THE THAI COAST. THE VIETNAMESE ARE OFTEN LEFT WITHOUT WATER AND FOOD, AND MANY HAVE DROWNED TRYING TO REACH THE SHORE. ALLOWING ALSO FOR THE DEATHS THAT HAVE ALSO RESULTED AT SEA FROM THIS ''PUSH- BACK POLICY (WHERE, FOR EXAMPLE, REFUGEE BOATS HAVE CAPSIZED), THE AMERICANS BELIEVE THEY HAVE FIRM PROOF OF OVER 100 FATALITIES.
4. MOST OF THOSE VIETNAMESE WHO REACH THE THAI COAST ARE BEING HELD BY THE THAIS IN TEMPORARY SHELTERS PRIOR TO BEING TRANSFERRED TO THE ''VIETNAMESE PLATFORM'' IN THE ENCAMPMENT FOR DISPLACED KHMERS AT SITE 2. HERE THEY WILL HAVE ONLY ''DISPLACED PERSON' AND NOT REFUGEE STATUS. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE, HOWEVER, THAT THE NEW THAI POLICY HAS NOTICEABLY AFFECTED THE DEPARTURE RATE FROM CAMBODIA, NOR THAT THOSE TURNED BACK BY THE THAIS ARE SEEKING TO THEN MAKE THEIR WAY ACROSS THE GULF OF THAILAND TO THE SOUTH COAST ARRIVAL AREA AROUND SONGKHLAA. VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE ARRIVING IN SONGKHLAA CONTINUE TO BE TREATED BY THE THAIS AS REFUGEES, AND THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF ANY CHANGE IN ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE SOUTH COAST ARRIVALS.
5.
THE DRAMATIC INCREASE IN EAST COAST ARRIVALS REFLECTS THE RELATIVE EASE AND SAFETY OF THIS ROUTE FOR VIETNAMESE EMIGRANTS, MANY OF WHOM ARE AS THE THAIS DESCRIBE THEM, SIMPLY ECONOMIC MIGRANTS. IT HAS BEEN STRAIGHTFORWARD FOR THEM TO TRAVEL OVERLAND TO PHNOM PENH FROM VIETNAM, AND THEN BY ROAD TO KOMPONG SOM. IT IS A SHORT (THREE OR FOUR HOUR) BOAT RIDE FROM THIS CAMBODIAN PORT TO THE EAST COAST OF THAILAND. WITH VIETNAM'S COMMITMENT TO WITHDRAW FROM CAMBODIA IN 1990, IT MAY BE THAT THIS HAS ENCOURAGED THOSE WANTING TO LEAVE TO DO SO WITHIN THIS QUOTE WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY UNQUOTE. LOCAL NEWSPAPER REPORTS SPECULATE THAT
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