TNAG-0890-FCO40-1100-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 266

ICEME

CIME

INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMITTEE FOR EUROPEAN MIGRATION

COMITÉ INTERGOUVERNEMENTAL POUR LES MIGRATIONS EUROPÉENNES

COMITE INTERGUBERNAMENTAL PARA LAS MIGRACIONES EUROPEAS

TELEPHONE 34 22 00

Cable Address: Promigrant Geneva Telex: 22155 / 22183

(New PHONE 98 84 00)

AIDE MEMOIRE

CH

16, avenue J.-Trembley Postal box 100 - 1211 GENEVA 19 SWITZERLAND

The Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM), which was founded in Brussels in December 1951, has moved and assisted in the resettlement of over 2.4 million persons of whom 1.4 million were refugees.

Since 1975, ICEM has assisted in the processing for resettle- ment and arranged transportation for 136,800 refugees from the Indochina area, of whom 50,729 have been so-called "boat people". These efforts continue and the Indochinese refugees are currently being moved out of temporary asylum countries at the rate of 7 to 8,000 per month. In 1979, ICEM will move at least 70,000 such refugees to countries of permanent resettlement. ICEM works in close co-operation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) which promotes and safeguards the rights of refugees and as circumstances require, provides material assistance to refugees, usually in the form of care and maintenance, while seeking permanent solutions to their problems.

ICEM arranges for the processing of refugees in the areas of first asylum, notably Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Macao and Hong Kong. Such processing involves preparation and interpretation of documents, obtaining of exit permits and/or transit visas, and arrangements for medi- cal examinations including x-rays, blood tests, etc., in accord- ance with the requirements of countries of immigration. Low-cost transport is also arranged by ICEM and co-ordinated with reception activities in the countries of permanent resettlement. Trans- port of refugees is for the most part financed through a loan system funded by Member Governments, although a number of Govern- ments prefer transport costs to be given on a grant basis.

From April 1975 through April 1979, ICEM has moved Indo- chinese refugees from the following areas:

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