Inc.. an interdenominational Christian missionary and relief agency. first contacted me last week with reports from their personnel in Vientiane. I have since been in contact with that group and with officials in the State Department and AID in order to verify the seriousness of the situation. AID has estimated a total of 200.000 refugees in Laos. and has confirmed the need for high protein foodstuffs. Both AID officials in Laos and the Laotian Government have underscored the need of receiving these goods. The precarious fate of thousands of Laotians should arouse our concern and disturb our conscience as a nation and as individuals. I remind Senators that the entire population of this country in Southeast Asia is only 2.825.000 people. In other words. almost 8 percent of the total population is now in a refugee status. AID has been supplying rice and other minimal food requirements to these refugees where possible. However. these meager supplies do not seem to be fully adequate to meet the needs of thousands of homeless and hungry Laotians. At this time it appears that AID does not have the financial reserves to furnish transportation costs to ship large amounts of liquid nutrients and foodstuffs obtained by World Vision for Laotian relief. There are available for transportation to Vientiane over 1 million cases of liquid and powdered nutrients. In addition there are large guarantees of other needed foods. vitamins. and medical supplies. All these items will be greatly needed during the next 2 to 3 months for these refugees and for hospitals and dispensaries in Laos. But all this is useless unless we obtain -the funds to transport the supplies to Laos. It is inconceivable to me that a government that can spend millions of dollars to destroy life in Southeast Asia would be unable to provide sufficient funds to alleviate human suffering in the same area.
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refugee refugees