TNAG-0654-FCO40-803-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-1977 — Page 140

Prof. Yoshiaki lisaka,

Chairman

Mr. Willie Tay Khim San,

Treasurer

Dr. Homer A. Jack,

World Conference on Religion and Peace

Rev Yasuo Katsuyama,

Asian Conference on Religion and Peace

Rev. Yasuyoshi Sakata,

Japanese Committee of WCRP

Mr Mehervan Singh,

Inter-Religious Organization, Singapore

THE BOAT PEOPLE:

A Rescue Project of the World Conference on Religion and Peace and the Asian Conference on Religion and Peace

c/o Tay Khim San

17-L Nallur Road

Singapore 16

Tel. No. 41 4577

15th July, 1977.

INDOCHINESE REFUGEES

The Residue

On 5th April 1977 a statment entitled 'Predicament and Appeal' was issued. On 22nd April at Geneva a meeting was held under the aupices of UNHCR. Representatives of ten friendly governments involved in the Indochina refugee problem listened to firsthand statements from Dr. Homer A. Jack and Mr. Mehervan Singh. They evinced enthusiasm in solving the problem of WCRP/ACRP from humanitarian perspective.

With the co-operation of UNHCR and the Malaysian Red Crescent Society the balance of 195 persons on the m.v. Roland were landed on. 30th April. Some of them have since been dispatched to permanent homes. The rest are maintained from charity funds with WCRP/ACRP.

Processing of 250 persons on board m.t. Leap Dal commenced in June. Arrangements are completed through UNHCR to dispatch 160 to permanent homes as under:

Australia France

52 65

Austria 19 Germany 19

Canada U.S.A.

4

1.

The German Government granted US$41,000 for transportation of the Leap Dal refugees to final destinations, while Australia paid for those going there.

WCRP hope that 30 more will soon be accepted by Belgium, Japan, Netherlands, Switzerland, United Kingdom or U.S.A. That will leave a residue of about 60 men, women and children. By now these unfortunate

ople have been on board the dilapidated floating 'prison' for more than six months. It is a sad state of affairs that in the third quarter of the 20th Century, there still exists a prison ship. While in the 18th Century British prisoners took shelter from the elements in the hulls of the prison ships, the present prisoners remain on the steel deck to endure tropical heat, rain and wind storms.

Japan: 2-6 Wada, Suginami-ku, Tokyo 166.

India: 221 Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg, New Delhi 11001.

Germany: Bismarckstr. 25, 5300 Bonn.

U.S.A.: 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, N.Y. 10017.