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refugees.
He threatened a toughening of Thai attitudes towards those refugees left
He modified his position somewhat under questioning from Volag representatives, confirming he saw a continued role for volunteer organisations, but continued to maintain that from the end of this year arrivals would not be eligible for resettlement.
Ominous in 1987, a year he described as the "Year of Final Solution".
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Comment
5. There were no major surprises from this year's Annual Conference. What did emerge was the increasingly strengthening feeling that something must be done to take account of the changing nature of the displaced persons arriving in Thailand. The fall off in resettlement rates has served to focus Thai thinking on the refugee problem, and has led the Thais to think also in terms of stopping the influx in addition, of course, to renewed calls for continued commitment to resettlement by third countries. It is clear that much more thought will be given to reducing resettlement to only those who justify them, by the Thais and international organi- sations (eg UNHCR), urged on by resettlement countries.
6.
I enclose copies of the major speeches/statements from the Conference.
Yours
David Wyatt
CC:
K Woodhouse Esq
HONG KONG (w/o enc)
UKMIS GENEVA
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PL Bean
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