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(along the Thai frontier) was not benefiting from most relief programmes. The main requirement was to encourage the international agencies to get food across the Thai/Cambodian border, and to get Thailand ready for the onset of further waves of refugees. Kriangsak was under considerable attack and his domestic position was critical. If he fell on the issue, the political and strategic consequences would be bad for the West; the next Thai leader could be more conciliatory towards the Vietnamese.
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8. Mr Blaker noted that the ICRC had claimed to be providing relief to both zones in Cambodia. Mr Holbrooke replied that in principle this was so, but that implementation was another matter. There was a need for a relief agencies' presence over the border and for representatives of the international community to be in the region. He had suggested to the US Ambassador in Bangkok that the matter should be discussed with friendly colleagues there, with the aim of getting observers into Thailand in the next days or weeks. 9. Mr Cortazzi suggested that the ICRC could be approached in Geneva and that an approach might be made to Dr Waldheim. Americans evidently wished for a British initiative; the approach to Dr Waldheim could be as a follow-up to the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary's earlier messages to him, and could draw attention to the need for relief supplies to be available in the frontier region. Mr Holbrooke said that the response to Kriangsak's request for a fact-finding mission, namely the despatch of Perez de Cuellar, had been inadequate. There was a need for a more substant- ive presence if the Vietnamese were to be dissuaded from invading; also, the Thais must get refugees away from the frontier. 10. He added in response to a question from Mr Blaker that the ICRC and UNICEF claimed that they were indeed working in the frontier region but that they did not want publicity, particularly as they did not want to invite Heng Samrin's criticism. ICRC and UNICEF had divided up with UNHCR responsibility for bringing relief to the region. The division had been arbitrary and there was a grey area between the two groups of agencies. Mr Cortazzi asked whether the World Food Programme (WFP) might be involved. Mr Holbrooke considered that WFP's representative in Bangkok, Nobbe, was the most effective operator there. The UN effort would benefit from having a single co-ordinator, as had been the case in
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