TNAG-0975-FCO40-1194-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-in-other--1980 — Page 46

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compensation claims registered by the British and Indian Governments (UNHCR extracted $4.8 million out of Amin), the emergency departure of 2,500 Chileans (1973/74).and resettlement of 15,000 in Latin America, and return of refugees to the former Portuguese African Colonies (1975). In the case of Angola, the Secretary-General appointed UNHCR to co-ordinate the UN programme of humanitarian assistance for 1 million refugees.

Recent Developments:

Rhodesia/Zimbabwe

9. In 1978/79 UNHCR had to deal with the assistance and repatriation of 187,000 Muslim refugees from Burma who had sought

asylum in Bangladesh. In 1979/80 UNHCR have provided assistance to refugees in the Horn of Africa and to 900,000 Afghan refugees

in Pakistan. UNHCR did not become involved in the exodus of the

120,000 Cuban refugees, mainly to the US. But it was no doubt largely this which led the US Deputy Secretary of State on

23 July to ask the Organisation of American States to consider the long and short term solutions to the "global issue of refugees" In the past 12 months the worldwide total of refugees and dis- placed persons has grown by 21 million.

10 At our request, UNHCR organised the repatriation of refugees to Rhodesia, bringing home some 35,000 in time for the elections. But it was a sensitive operation dogged by political difficulties, false hopes and allegations of mistreatment. On the whole UNHCR managed things well and we are greatly indebted to it. In fact, UNHCR was keen from the start to take on the Rhodesia/Zimbabwe

repatriation, partly to offset criticism from the Africans for

concentrating too much of its time and resources on Indo-China. In 1979 three times as much money went to Asia as to Africa with less than a third of the latter's refugee population.

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Although UNHCR is called upon to work outside its mandate (there has always been talk of reviewing the mandate but this would probably create more problems than it solved) donor governmonės are concerned to ensure that it does not get involved in pure development activities. Mr Mugabe's request in March to the Secretary-General that UNHCR should take on the first phase of

rehabilitation in Zimbabwe demonstrates that it is often the first

organisation to which a government will turn to fill the gap until /other

CONTINUNATAT