TNAG-0894-FCO40-1104-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 184

4.

The acceptance of refugees from VIETNAM through the official channel by third countries should in no way affect the existing resettlement programme and commitments for Vietnamese boat people already in ASEAN countries of first transit and in HONG KONG.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON VIETNAMESE "BOAT PEOPLE"

14.

MALAYSIA welcomes an international conference on the problem

of the Vietnamese boat people. The problem has reached desperate proportions, and, together with the rest of the ASEAN nations, MALAYSIA

has sounded alarms, but both world attention and rescue efforts have been minimal and inadequate.

15.

The conference must include VIETNAM, being the source of the

problem, the UNHCR, transit countries and recipient countries who are

principally the developed countries where the refugees want to go to and

those other countries that are able to receive them. MALAYSIA does not

want to see the conference be used for or turn itself into a forum for

countries to throw mud at one another instead of tackling directly the

desperate problem of the illegal immigrants and refugees.

SPECIAL FUND

16.

The UNHCR together with donor countries should provide a

programme of action and a special fund for countries that are willing to

resettle refugees in their countries but are unable to do so for lack

of financial and other material resources.

MALAYSIA AND THE PROBLEM OF RESIDUES

17.

Compl

The solution to the problem is not a pledge to increase the

intake but that the selection of people should not be based on immigration

regulations but that these people should be treated as refugees and the

pledge required is that there should be no refugee left unwanted in

MALAYSIA. The crux of the matter is the avoidance of the problem of the

residues.

18.

Since 1975 MALAYSIA has provided for the UNHCR four processing centres and one transit centre. Should the UNHCR and the free world feel

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