TNAG-1276-FCO40-1626-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 139

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FOR EXAMPLE, THE BOAT PEOPLE OUTFLOW OF ETHNIC CHINESE FROM VIETNAM COUNTRIES. CONTINUES TO GENERATE HOSTILITY IN EASTERN MALAYSIA.

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES, ALSO, EXCITE HOSTILITIES WHICH ARE NOT MERELY POLITICAL IN NATURE.

ALL FIRST REFUGE COUNTRIES IN SOUTH EAST ASIA ARE DENSELY, IF NOT OVER, POPULATED, ALL HAVE BEEN THROUGH PERIODS OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL UPHEAVAL, AND THEY ARE NOT STRANGERS TO ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCES.

SO, THE POSSIBILITY OF THESE TENSIONS AND HOSTILITIES POSING PROBLEMS FOR RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES, INCLUDING AUSTRALIA, IN THE EVENT OF FUTURE OUTFLOWS, CANNOT BE IGNORED.

IT IS FOR THESE REASONS THAT THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT IS CONCERNED TO HANDLE THE INDO-CHINESE REFUGEE SITUATION WITH CARE AND BALANCE,

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OVER THE LAST SEVEN AND A HALF YEARS, THE INDO-CHINESE REFUGEE EXODUS HAS SIGNIFICANTLY DECLINED. SO ALSO HAVE RESETTLEMENT PROGRAMS BY THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. AS A CONSEQUENCE, FIRST › REFUGEE CAMP NUMBERS IN ASIAN COUNTRIES HAVE MARGINALLY INCREASED:

THERE HAS BEEN A SHIFT IN EMPHASIS TOWARDS PROGRAMS FOR CAMBODIANS IN THAILAND RATHER THAN BOAT PEOPLE RESETTLEMENT: AND THERE HAS BEEN INCREASED BOAT PEOPLE OUTFLOW OF SINGLE UNDER-25 YEAR OLD MALE ETHNIC VIETNAMESE. QUITE A FEW MIGHT HAVE BEEN ELIGIBLE UNDER ORDERLY MIGRATION ARRANGEMENTS.

THE INDO-CHINESE OUTFLOW IS THE PRODUCT OF A BROADER REGIONAL SITUATION THAT IS CHARACTERISED BY TENSION AND SUSPICION BETWEEN CONTENDING COUNTRIES. WE SHOULD REMAIN SUPPORTIVE OF THE COUNTRIES OF FIRST REFUGE IN THE PROBLEMS THEY ARE FACING, AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO CONTINUE THE IMPORTANT STABILISING ROLE THEY ARE PLAYING. MEANWHILE VIETNAM HAS BEEN MAKING A SUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT TO REDUCE THE OUTFLOW OF ITS PEOPLE AND THIS HAS EASED THE OVERALL REFUGEE SITUATION CONSIDERABLY. WE SHOULD RECOGNISE THIS FACT, AND DO WHAT WE CAN TO INFLUENCE THE VIETNAMESE TO CONTINUE DOWN THIS PATH. THE PROMOTION OF ORDERLY DEPARTURES IS HELPING IN THIS REGARD. WE ARE ALSO HOPEFUL THAT SOME CHILDREN NOW IN THE CAMPS MIGHT BE REUNITED WITH THEIR PARENTS IN VIETNAM AS. A SPECIAL HUMANITARIAN MEASURE.

AT THE SAME TIME ALL COUNTRIES OF THE REGION SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED TO RECOGNISE THAT THIS SERIOUS REGIONAL PROBLEM WILL REQUIRE THEIR EFFORT AND COMMITMENT TO RESOLVE.

U.N. SUPERVISED CAMPS, UNDER THE PROTECTION OF U.N.H.C.R., LOOKING AFTER DISPLACED INDO-CHINESE WHO HAVE NOT BEEN RESETTLED. THE PLIGHT OF THE 200,000 CAMBODIANS ON THE THAI/CAMBODIAN BORDER, WHO ARE NEITHER REFUGEES NOR SEEKING RESETTLEMENT, IS A MOST DISTRESSING SITUATION.

CLEARLY, ALTHOUGH THERE HAS BEEN A DRAMATIC DECREASE IN BOAT PEOPLE OUTFLOW, THIS YEAR THERE IS LIKELY TO BEN AN OUTFLOW OF 32,000 TO 35,000 PEOPLE FROM VIĘTNAM.

RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES HAVE TAKEN SOME ACTION TO DISCOURAGE EXPECTATION THAT ALL INDO-CHINESE LEAVING WILL BE RESETTLED AS REFUGEES. THESE ACTIONS INCLUDE AMONG OTHER THINGS, A`SLOW-DOWN IN RESETTLEMENT PROCESSING, INCREASINGLY SELECTIVE REFUGEE AND

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