ine FrAsidenc 13 proposing an 8, 300 gelaing for ietnam directly under the ODP, the sam✨ last
1986, the
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ODP nas encountered serious setbacks. On January Vietnamese government unilateral y suspended interviewing a Cases. We've had three working Level meetings with the Vietnamese under UNHCR auspices, the most recent one Just last month to try to resolve the problem. Our proposed unallocated admissions reserve
vuld give us the flexibility to handie additional addmissions should
manage to get ODP operating at full steam.
Vietnam's suspension of interviewing for the ODP has resulted most immediately in a halt to the departure of Amerasian children and their mothers from Vietnam. Although over 8,500 Amerasian children and their immediate relatives have come to the US under this program, the majority of the children remain in Vietnam. At the working-level meeting last month in Hanoi, the Vietnamese produced a long-promised list of Amerasian children and their families numbering some 2,600 people. We hope the discussions we have had will lead to the early resumption of the Amerasian departures from Vietnam.
No aspect of the refugee program has caused us greater disappointment than the estimated 67,000 of the so-called "re-education camps" political prisoners who continue to languish in prisons in Vietnam. Many are imprisoned because of their past association with US policies and programs in the region. On behalf of the United States, I reaffirmed to Vietnam President Reagan's offer of two years ago--release the political prisoners and we will take them.
prisoners
In light of the Cuban release of a number of long-held political
in 1986, and consistent with our deep concern for the welfare of these idividuals, the President authorized processing in Havana of long-term Cuban political prisoners and former prisoners. I'm pleased to confirm that over 100 Cuban political prisoners and their families arrived in the United States yesterday.
FEDERAL NEWS SERVICE 202-347-1400
NEWS FOR THE NEWS MEDIA
SHULTZ TESTIMONY-9/16/86
6-2
As political turmoil continues to trouble many countries in Latin America, the administration plans to consider refugee applicants for whom temporary asylum or settlement in the region are not available. To achieve this goal we have proposed an increase ceiling of 4,000, and will expand the current refugee processing priorities used by the region.
In Africa, there are some 35 African countries offering asylum to refugee feeling from at least 17 African countries. Many countries both generate and receive refugees, તુ situation complicated by natural disasters and by the economic crises afflicting many of these developing countries, I might say that the welcome rains in Africa have also seemed to have brought a coming of a potential locust plaque that has all the earmarks of being the worst im some 60 years. So there's just no end of problems that plague that troubled
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