3
ww
In
admission and temporary asylum in essentially identical terms. Conclusion No. 15 (XXX), the Executive Committee considered that States
should be guided, inter alia, by the consideration that "it is the humanitari: obligation of all coastal States to allow vessels in distress to seek haven in their waters and to grant asylum or at least temporary
The Executive refuge, to persons on board wishing to seek asylum. Committee went on to note that "in cases of large-scale influx, persons
This seeking asylum should always receive at least temporary refuge.'
14
latter consideration was reaffirmed by the Executive Committee in its Conclusion No. 19 (XXXI). In its Conclusion No. 22 (XXXII), the Executive
Committee stated that "in situations of large-scale influx, asylum-seekers should be admitted to the State in which they first seek refuge and if that State is unable to admit them on a durable basis, it should always admit them at least on a temporary basis
9.
The principles concerning the treatment of refugees which were adopted by the Asian-African Legal Consultative Committee in 1966 contained a non-rejection principle which is subject to the two exceptions of overriding reasons of national security and safeguarding the population. As an alternative to rejection in these two situations, article III (4) holds that a State "should grant provisional asylum under such conditions as it may deem appropriate, to enable the person thus
The Declaration adopted by endangered to seek asylum in another country."
the Round Table of Asian experts on the International Protection of Refugees and Displaced Persons in Manila in 1980, stressed the fundamental importance of the principles relating to asylum and appealed to Asian States to base their practices on these principles.
10.
Although the Conclusions, Principles and Recommendations referred to in the previous four paragraphs are not binding upon States, they nevertheless contain a clear indication of the minimum content of the standards for the treatment of refugees which States believe should be applied and which have remained widespread endorsement through State
practice in recent years.
11.
The meeting on refugees and displaced persons in South-East Asia which was held in Geneva in 1979 was convened by the United Nations Secretary-General to deal with the problem posed by the arrival in South-East Asian countries of massive numbers of asylum-seekers.
In his