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ANNEX E
The following is the text of the High Commissioner's plans brought to the attention of governments on 28 July:
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"Note on Persons leaving the Indochinese Peninsula on small boats
1. During recent months, groups of Indochinese displaced persons having left their homes, set to sea on small boats. Many of them have been rescued at sea by ships in the region. Often the persons thus rescued have been given permission to disembark at the next port of call only if assurances were given that resettle- ment opportunities would be immediately available for them.
2. In other cases, small groups who have tried to reach a port in their own boats have been obliged to remain aboard, even within sight of shore, until a country has decided to admit them, either temporarily or for permanent settlement. This has often involved severe hardship to those on board who have been in dire need of assistance, particularly when children, old persons or pregnant women were involved.
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The problems faced by these persons could be overcome by the combined effort of traditional immigration countries and others capable of absorbing them if sufficient places are made available for them to settle permanently. Considerable efforts have already been made to find countries of durable resettlement for such persons, and to facilitate their local integration in countries of first asylum. However further efforts are needed.
4. The High Commissioner brought this problem to the attention of Permanent Representatives in Geneva of States members of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme at a meeting on 25 June 1976, when he suggested that some countries might consider the possibility of granting small quotas for such special cases. The High Commissioner referred to the possibility of a scheme along the lines of the "Ten or More Plan" in which many countries presently participate to facilitate the resettlement of handicapped refugees. Such a scheme is planned for a period of, say, one year.
5. The suggestions made by the High Commissioner were welcomed by Representatives, who were assured that UNHCR would look into the status of all persons proposed for resettlement in order to ensure that the scheme was not abused. It is hoped that governments of countries capable of admitting such persons might therefore be willing to provide a special admission quota in an international effort to resolve this problem. It is recalled that the total number of such arrivals so far is estimated to be some 900 persons at various ports in South East Asia. While some of the countries in the region have been generous in allowing these persons to disembark temporarily, others are beginning to follow an increas- ingly restrictive policy. It is clear, however, that the countries of the region are not in a position to fully absorb this additional caseload.
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