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GEWING AN OPEN TEXTURED TRADING ENVIRONMENT THEN IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THESE REMAINING ANOMALOUS AREAS, SMALL, MARGINAL THOUGH THEY MAY BE, BE SYSTEMATICALLY AND SUCCESSIVELY CLEARED UP AND THIS WAS JUST AN EXAMPLE OF ONE ISSUE THAT HAPPENS TO BE CURRENT AT THE MOMENT. I DONT INVEST IT WITH ANY LARGER SIGNIFICANCE THAN THAT.
QUESTION
IS THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT PREPARED TO PROVIDE MONEY TO VIETNAM TO EXPEDITE THE REPATRIATION OF REFUGEES?
SENATOR EVANS
ALL I CAN SAY ABOUT THAT IS THAT WE ARE PREPARED TO PARTICIPATE ACTIVELY IN THE COURSE OF PREPARATORY EVENTS AND ULTIMATELY, HOPEFULLY AT THE CONFERENCE NEXT YEAR IN WHICH THE ISSUE OF REPATRIATION WILL OBVIOUSLY HAVE TO BE ONE OF THE MAJOR ONES ADDRESSED. THERE ARE THREE OR FOUR ELEMENTS IN ANY COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTION TO THE INDOCHINESE REFUGEE PROBLEMS AND IN ONE ELEMENT IS OBVIOUSLY REPATRIATION, ANOTHER ELEMENT IS STOPPING DEPARTURES AT SOURCE WITH SOME KIND OF MORE COMPREHENSIVE ORDERLY DEPARTURE PROGRAM. A THIRD ELEMENT IS OBVIOUSLY TRYING TO FIND SOME SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM OF NOT THE RECENT DEPARTURE OF PEOPLE BUT THE LONG STAYERS WHO CREATE A SET OF INTRACTABLE PROBLEMS OF THEIR OWN. THOSE PROBLEMS ARE OF VARYING DEGREES OF CAPABILITY OF SOLUTION. I THINK IT IS TOO EARLY YET TO SAY WHAT THE PARTICULAR STRATEGY WILL BE THAT WILL EMERGE TO SOLVING ANY ONE OF THEM BUT AUSTRALIA AS A COUNTRY WHICH HAS PER HEAD ACCEPTED MORE INDOCHINESE REFUGEES THAN ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN THE WORLD OBVIOUSLY HAS A MAJOR INTEREST IN THE SATISFACTORY RESOLUTION OF THIS MATTER.
QUESTION -- INDISTINCT
IN REFUGEES)
SENATOR EVANS
(HAS AUSTRALIA BEEN TOO LIBERAL IN ALLOWING
I DONT BELIEVE SO. WE ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY CONCERNED, HOWEVER, THAT THE MORE RECENT DEPARTEES, IF THATS THE RIGHT WORD,. FROM VIETNAM HAVE BEEN ARGUABLY PEOPLE MOTIVATED MORE BY ECONOMIC CONCERNS THAN BEING POLITICAL REFUGEES IN THE TRADITIONALLY ACCEPTED UNHCR SENSE. I THINK WE SHARE THAT CONCERN WITH OTHER COUNTRIES. OBVIOUSLY ALSO WE HAVE TO HAVE SOME REGARD TO PEOPLE'S CAPACITY TO INTEGRATE EFFECTIVELY INTO THE AUSTRALIAN ENVIRONMENT. GIVEN THAT WE HAVE ACCEPTED OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS A HUNDRED THOUSAND VIETNAMESE REFUGEES, AND GIVEN AS I HAVE JUST SAID, THAT THAT ACCEPTANCE RATE CONSTITUTES PER HEAD, BY FAR THE LARGEST ABSORPTION UNDERTAKEN BY ANY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD, I DONT THINK IT WOULD BE IN THE SLIGHTEST BIT FAIR TO SUGGEST THAT AUSTRALIA IS BEING IN ANY WAY EXCESSIVELY PICKY IN THE KINDS OF REFUGEES ITS BEEN PREPARED TO ACCEPT.
QUESTION - INDISTINCT (ABOUT IMPOSITION OF DEATH PENALTY ON TWO BUDDHIST MONKS IN VIETNAM)
SENATOR EVANS
YES WE HAVE EXPRESSED THAT CONCERN.
I RAISED AN EARLY CONCERN IN
RELATION TO THOSE PEOPLE WITH THE VIETNAMESE VICE FOREIGN MINISTER