31/05/88
11:42
UK MISSION GENEVA
NO. 342
P003/011
2
While the unabated outflow of asylum seekers from Viet Nam is a cause for legitimate concern, there is, thus, no ground for despair and abandon. The ASEAN (and Hong Kong) have been parties to a humanitarian undertaking of rare historical parallel. To-day their generosity, forbearance and participation is still needed to bring this sad chapter to an acceptable close.
II. Refugee movement within the ASEAN Region
6.
The East and South East Asia has been the threatre of one of the most
dramatic movement of asylum seekers from the Indochinese countries over the
past 13 years. Well over 1.6 million have irregularly crossed the boundries
of Viet Nam, Laos and Kampuchea in search of asylum ±/. Of this number
1,173,453 have crossed the frontiers of the ASEAN member states (and
Hong Kong). 280,000 obtained local settlement possibilities in People's Republic of China and some 130,000 (Vietnamese) were evacuated during the early stages following the fall of Saigon in April 1975.
The following table summarizes the arrivals and departures record as well
as the present caseload in each country of first asylum indicating the origin
of the refugees. It covers the period from 1975 to the end of the first
quarter of 1988.
ARRIVAL
DEPARTURE
PRESENT
Vietnamese
Laotian Khmer
Vietnamese | Laotian
Khmer Vietnamese Laotian
Khmer
Brunei
137
Mong Kong
112,890
137 109,904
9,756
Indonesia
100,359
99,430
1,903
Malaysia
226,027
217,412
10.241
Philippines
39,937
37,979
2,828
Singapore Thailand
30,066
30,027
92
98,872 337,023 228,142 85,931 251,528
215.823
14,675
22,813
83,173
TOTAL
1,173,453
1,048,171
145,481
*/ The figure does not include some 300,000 displaced Khmer presently at evacuation sites along the Thai-Kampuchean border por some 135,000 Vietnamese who departed through the orderly departure programme.
figure reflect the increment due to birth rate.
}
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.