TNAG-1529-FCO40-2093-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-general-1986 — Page 76

DSF. 11C

POLICY EVALUATION: AID TO INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES in Thailand

Background

1.

Since the Communist take-overs in Vietnam, Cambodia and

Laos in 1975, some 1.7m Indo-Chinese have fled those

countries

•

The exodus reached its peak in 1978, when

200,000 refugees arrived in Thailand alone.

2.

In response to the crisis, a conference was held in

Geneva in 1979 at which the international community resolved

that there should be a world-wide sharing of the burden,

covering both resettlement and support within the region.

At that conference, the UK pledged £5 million, together

with resettlement places for 10,000 Indo-Chinese refugees.

Besides the UK's general commitment to the principles

affirmed at the conference, British interests were directly

involved through the burdenplaced on Hong Kong as a country

bunderpl

of first asylum for Vietnamese

witter & Hers,

fleeing by boat.

Since

1979, the UK has kept up its efforts to help solve the

problem of Indo-Chinese refugees through:

a)

financial support for international and voluntary

organisations (total aid to date £12.9 million);

X. from Patent

b) help with the resettlement of refugees (20,000 up to 1986

integrated into,

with a further 14,500 Hong Kong); and

c)

maintaining pressure in search of an overall solution

to the Indo-China problem, caused by Vietnam's oppressive

policies and the illegal occupation of Cambodia.

3.

Thailand has borne the brunt of the flood of refugees,

with over 600,000 arrivals since 1975.

Thailand is also

/the