satisfactory resolution of the refugee situation will be an
important factor in improving regional relationships.
If however, the ASEAN countries see the resolution of the
above issues as the primary responsibility of the international
community, then perhaps consideration should be given to an
alternative arrangement by which the UNHCR would take on the
authority for status determination and protection for asylum
seekers in the region. Such an alternative, though, would
detract from efforts to gain the full participation of both ASEAN
and Vietnam in achieving solutions to what is very much a
regional, as well as international, problem.
While taking into account the historical difficulties and
the potential pitfalls inherent in such an undertaking, immediate
efforts to establish a standard refugee status determination
process in the region should be seen as essential. The objective
in this is not only to deter the mass exodus of non-refugee
migrants but more importantly, to safeguard asylum and
protection rights for bona fide refugees who will still be in
desperate need of such protection for the foreseeable future.
Such a process, if fairly administered, would permit a more
rational framework for handling refugee matters in Southeast
Asia, in a manner consistent with international refugee
protection and human rights instruments in effect in other parts
of the world.
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