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16
NO. 179
revitalized international initiative.
The Ray Panel attached
"the greatest significance" to the preservation of first
asylum.
Today I want to reaffirm to the nations of Southeast
Asia the importance we attach to their continuing to offer safe
first asylum for Indochinese refugees. In cooperation with
other donors, we will continue to do all we can to provide both
resettlement opportunities and financial support for assistance
needs in Southeast Asia, as recommended by the Ray Panel. We
are considering some processing of refugees from among those
who have been in camps the longest, and believe these
initiatives can be undertaken within the proposed admissions
ceiling.
Orderly Departure Program
In October 1984, I presented to this committee on behalf of
President Reagan two significant humanitarian initiatives aimed
at reaching special populations in Vietnam through the UNHCR
Orderly Departure Program. I want to take this opportunity to
reaffirm, as I did last year, our commitment to accept all
Amerasian children from Vietnam. We are equally committed to
resettling present and former political prisoners from
Vietnam's so-called re-education camps, and their close family
members.
The President is proposing a 8,500 ceiling for refugees
leaving Vietnam directly under the ODP, the same as last year.
This does not include the several thousand Vietnamese who we
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Private notes are available after approval.