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their own Chinese community during the attempted coup d'etat in 1965,
are especially reluctant to receive them.
6.
The Indonesian Government has set aside a Refugee. Processing
Centre on Galang Island (South of Singapore), and are in touch with
the UNHCR on its feasibility. The Centre will have a capacity of
only 10,000 and will be for people already allotted resettlement
places outside South East Asia. It will not, therefore, deal with
the major problem; the Indonesians may, indeed, intend to decant
into it refugees who have already landed on their shores and whom
they wish to be rid of.
7. The Philippines' policy is to turn away refugee boats before
these can land, but refugees who succeed in landing have so far
been allowed to remain.
8. The policy may now be under review, as the Philippines do not
seem to be more accommodating than their ASEAN neighbours,
thereby running the risk of being a "soft option" for refugee
boats.
9.
I
The Singaporeans have always had a hard attitude towards refugees,
whose boats have been turned away (after having been replenished).
Some refugees have got ashore, but the Singapore authorities have
only been willing to allow refugees to land from foreign ships, when
the country of ownership has agreed to give a written guarantee
(in cooperation with the UNHCR) that the refugees will be maintained
and will be removed within 90 days.
10.
Thailand has over 125,000 Laotian refugees, who are maintained
by the UNHCR, and has a Vietnamese refugee colony dating from
1954. The UNHCR is also responsible for 15,000 Cambodians.
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/11.
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