II.
MEETING ON REFUGEES AND DISPLACED PERSONS
IN SOUTH-EAST ASIA
A/34/627
English Page 5
9.
The Meeting took place on 20 and 21 July 1979. Sixty-five Governments attended, several other Governments attended as observers and interested intergovernmental organizations and groupings of non-governmental organizations were also represented.
10. In his opening statement, the Secretary-General emphasized that the purpose of the Meeting should be to seek concrete ways of alleviating a crisis, the results of which would literally involve the life or death of thousands upon thousands of human beings. He said that the spectre of men, women and children cast on the waters to drift and drown and of others on land abandoned to famine and despair had been a deeply moving experience. He recalled that, during the previous four years, over a million persons had left their countries in Indo-China. Half of this total sought asylum in the neighbouring countries and, despite the best efforts of all concerned, only 200,000 had been processed for resettlement outside the area. Over 350,000 refugees remained in the ASEAN countries and Hong Kong and there had been a steady increase in the number of new refugees arriving in those countries. It was, therefore, essential that the rest of the world should act in a decisive way to ease this tremendous burden imposed upon those countries. Such action, he said, would enable those States to adhere to the principle of first asylum and to contribute within the limit of their possibilities to an over-all action that would lead to desirable solutions for the refugees.
11. The Secretary-General stressed that in dealing with this issue, everyone should be aware of the fact that the refugee problem had political roots. He felt, however, that finding adequate solutions to the humanitarian aspects of the question would surely also help contribute to the creation of an atmosphere in which other aspects of the problem were more likely to be resolved. In the meanwhile, the Secretary-General said that he hoped that, as a result of the Meeting, there would not only be a significant increase in commitments for resettlement opportunities and in contibutions of funds, but that specific suggestions would also be made as to how the programme of action could most quickly and successfully be translated into reality.
12. The Secretary-General emphasized the need for everyone concerned to realize the interrelationship of obligations and responsibilities on the part of the countries of origin, those of first asylum and those of final settlement. The countries of origin had an obligation to respect the right of emigration and family reunification, while avoiding any action leading to the departure of their people under conditions which put their lives in jeopardy. These countries also had the responsibility of co-operating fully with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the other countries concerned to ensure an orderly outflow with the prospect of a safe journey. Since the countries of first asylum were developing countries confronted with serious economic and social constraints, it was essential that countries outside the area assumed the principal responsibility for resettlement. The Secretary-General emphasized that, while the countries of initial arrival were expected to respect fully
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