STANDING CONFERENCE OF BRITISH ORGANISATIONS FOR AID TO REFUGEES
ASIA COMMITTEE
Item 4b) Meeting on Wednesday 15 September 1976
WORK OF VOLUNTARY AGENCIES IN THAILAND.
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BRITISH RED CROSS SOCIETY not itself directly involved but has sent the following report on International Red Cross Assistance in Indo Chinese in Thailand:-
"One of the main humanitarian problems in Thailand continues to be the welfare of some 70,000 refugees in about 24 coups throughout the country. This is, of course, the responsibility of the authorities, with the financial assistance of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, but inevitably the Thai Red Cross is called upon to give assistance, especially in the field of medical aid. There are also certain aspects which involve the Central Tracing Agency and we are trying, where possible, to reunite separated families. Our small delegation thus remains deeply involved and two delegates are more or less constantly 'on the road' visiting camps in rotation, supporting the Thai Red Cross, giving urgent medical and other aid where necessary and identifying longer term needs and problems and reporting them to the appropriate authorities."
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CHRISTIAN AID has made a grant of £30,000 to the Churches programme in Thailand and it is possible that another grant may be made for 1977.
A member of Christian Aid staff may be going to Thailand in the autumn.
OXFAM
A copy of the World Council of Churches project is attached.
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The following is an extract from a letter from Bernard Llewellyn, Field Director for the Far East
"Thailand was virtually excluded as a country for Oxfam assistance until the recent influx of refugees. We have helped with emergency flood relief, mainly through the Catholic Council of Thailand for Development. This link with CCTD resulted in our first contribution to the Meo refugee programme being made through that organisation. Later help for the refugee programme has been channelled through the UNHCR. We made £15,000 available in April this year for the general support of their programme within Thailand (additional funds were made available for the work in Laos).
Two other agencies not concerned primarily with refugees who receive Oxfam funds are:-
1) The McCormick Hospital in Chaingmai where Oxfam, with ODH support, has furnished and equipped an extension to the family planning clinic. We hope to do some additional work in this area through this hospital.
2) Through the Human Development Centre in Bangkok we have helped with some emergency slum rchousing for some deprived families in the port of Bangkok.
As was reported earlier, the latest proposal is a nutrition clinic to be attached to the Health Centre in the new Meo camp in the Fua area. This is to follow up the clinic work of Dr. Maddox of the YMCA who oversaw a great deal of the medical work in the former camp at Fua. We have still a few reservations on this programme and I am waiting for Dr. Maddox's confirmation that he is prepared to go shend with the modified proposals we have made. I am expecting, however, that we shall be involved through the YMCA in this latest contribution to the welfare of refugees."
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