NATIONS UNIES
LE HAUT COMMISSAIRE
POUR LES REFUGIES
UNITED NATIONS
THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES
:
で
Engene,
Palais des Nations CH-1211 Genève 10 Suisse
Original to HE
20
22 July 1983
opies distrubul
ducti $14
I know that you share with me our deep concern at the serious refugee situation with which we continue to be faced in South East Asia. Although the response of the international community to the problem of Indo-Chinese refugees has been unprecedented, there remain almost 200,000 refugees in the region for whan durable solutions are increasingly difficult to find. direct result, the situation of these persons has became extremely precari ous to the extent that their well-being and in many cases their physical safety and even their very lives are in daily jeopardy.
As a
With this situation in view we have in the course of the past several weeks put together some facts and proposals for approaching the problem which I wanted to share with you. The attached paper attempts to summarise the present position and to make same suggestions for an integrated overall approach to providing solutions for Indo-Chinese in South East Asia.
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In
My Office can, of course, only undertake a catalytic role in this process as the solution to the refugee problem in South East Asia is in the hands of goverments, both those in the region as well as supporting governments. this regard the United States Goverment continues to have a vital role to play. I would very much hope that we can count on your full participation in developing and ultimately promoting the implementation of some of the ideas outlined in the enclosed paper.
While more than one million Indo-Chinese refugees have been resettled in third countries, we both know third country resettlement cannot provide a total solution to this problem. We are suggesting that strenuous efforts must be made by all parties to promote the conditions and the will necessary to enable the voluntary return home of appropriate cases. I am encouraged by the constant support given by your Goverment to our efforts to promote voluntary repatriation and I am sure that we can count on increased efforts by all goverments to facilitate this solution. There are some indi cati ons that voluntary repatriation to the countries of Indo-China may be more possible now than in previous years and our renewed joint efforts at this time are therefore essential.
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The Honourable H. Eugene Douglas
United States Coordinator for Refugee Affairs
Department of State
Washington, D.C. 20520
United Staes of America
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