REFUGEES IN SOUTH-EAST ASIA: RED CROSS ANXIOUS TO HELP
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he endless stream of people entering fhailand from Cambodia from the early days of May to the beginning of June gave rise to grave humanitarian problems and required emergency measures to be taken. The 45,000 Cambodian civilians at the Thai border were almost totally destitute and in urgent need of food and medical aid.
The ICRC, with the co-operation of the Thai Red Cross, set up a relief programme to assist these refugees. From 14 May to 8 June, 170 tons of rice, milk powder, dried fish and other foodstuffs, one ton of soap, 200 tents, 6,000 mattresses, 23,400 sets of cooking ustensils, 8,000 articles of cloth- ing and various items of medical supplies were distributed, and an ICRC medical team was at work every day caring for the sick.
At the same time, in response to an appeal for financial aid, a number of governments and National Societies remitted more than
1.3 million Swiss francs to enable the ICRC to extend its activities in Thailand.
However, on 8 June, after the Thai Government had, announced its decision to send refugees back into Cambodia, the ICRC had to suspend its relief programme. Despite its appeals to the Government, almost all the refugees had to quit Thai territory and return to Cambodia.
On 28 June, confronted with this tragic situation, the Red Cross appealed once again to the international community, demanding that swift measures should be taken to save human lives the lives of the refugees, victims of the conflict in Cambodia, and of those of the "boat people" who were being prevented from landing. The Red Cross repeat- ed that it was ready to act immediately, nationally and internationally, until larger- scale measures could be organized by the international community.
With regard to the conflict in Cambodia, the Red Cross once again urgently requested that, as a first step in a programme provid- ing aid for all the victims of the conflict, it be authorized to gave assistance to the forty thousand persons forcibly removed from Thailand back into Cambodia. It requested the Thai Government to open its borders to refugees and allow the Red Cross to continue to give relief to those refugees already in Thailand and also to new arrivals.
Concerning the "boat people", the Red Cross demanded that the provisions of the 1910 Brussels Convention, obliging vessels to pick up persons in distress at sea and land them
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at a port, be observed. Governments should stop forcing refugees reaching land to put to sea again, and a genuine effort must be made by the countries of final destination to accept immediately a larger number of refugees, to lighten the burden of those countries giving temporary asylum.
A BUDGET OF 2.7 MILLION AND A COMPUTER
In view of the deterioration of the situation of the refugees in South-East Asia, the ICRC Central Tracing Agency (CTA) has taken steps to speed up the work process and to ensure greater co-ordination between headquarters, the field and other humanitarian organiza-
tions. A
For this purpose, a budget of 2,7 million Swiss francs for the CTA has been drawn up for the continuation and expansion of its work between now and June 1980. A computer system will be introduced to accelerate and systematize the handling of data, and the staff in Geneva will be increased from 12 to 25.
In the field, to strengthen the co-operation already existing between the Red Cross and the HCR, a co-ordination bureau is to be opened, which will provide a link between the agency offices of the National Societies and improve the gathering of information used in tracing missing persons and in the reuniting of families.
Round table on refugees: Nicolas Vecsey, Deputy Director of the ICRC Central Tracing Agency, and Claude Wenger, jurist, took part in a round table on refugees, organized in Florence by the International Institute of Humanitarian Law, San Remo. The two topics under discussion were the right of asylum and the re-uniting of families.
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CHINA VIET NAM: END OF OPERATIONS TO REPATRIATE PRISONERS
The fifth and last repatriation operation of Chinese and Vietnamese prisoners was carried out on 22 June under the auspices of the National Red Cross Societies of the two countries and in the presence of ICRC dele- gates. The operation involved 354 Vietnamese and 55 Chinese prisoners.
Between 21 May and 22 June, a total of 1,636 Vietnamese and 238 Chinese prisoners return- ed home under the auspices of the Red Cross.
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