Mr. Speaker. literally thousands of Cambodians. many of them Khmer Rouge civilians and soldiers. weak from hunger and malaria. crossed into Thailand on October 10 after the Heng Samrin government shelled the border area. The condition of these refugees is the result of the war in Cambodia and the continuing refusal of the Heng Samrin government to accept massive aid. if the aid is also sent to starving civilians under the control of their rival forces. These shameful conditionswith women and children literally starving to deathshould remind the Congress of the need to authorize funds for humanitarian assistance without delay. No civilized nation should quarrel with provisions for the immediate aid of as many of the desperately needy as is humanly possible. It seems to me that it is more important right now to provide at least some help quickly than it is to wait for the development of the ultimate wellbalanced relief program before we offer our assistance. This complicated situation is exacerbated by the fact that an estimated 360.000 Cambodians may soon cross the border into Thailand. adding to the thousands of Cambodian refugees already in Thai camps. I would like to introduce two articles which appeared in the October 11. 1979. Washington Post and the Baltimore Sun which further illustrates the present deplorable state of affairs.
Keywords matched
refugees