Speech #1000051924

Mr. President. next week will be a very important week for those of us who believe the U.S Government should recommit itself immediately to a generous and humane refugee program in Southeast Asia. Secretary Shultz will be meeting with ASEAN Foreign Ministers to discuss many issues. foremost of which in my view is the hardening of attitudes of firstasylum and resettlement countries toward the regions 400.000 refugees. The timing of this conference coincides with last weekends shelling of site II. a huge camp of Cambodian and Vietnamese refugees living along the ThaiCambodian border. which resulted in yet more deaths and injuries to civilians. And despite the continued great needs of the Southeast Asian refugees. rumors are circulating that ASEAN countries will declare all refugees in the region "displace persons" and end the special protections which have been provided in the past. I have every reason to believe that the United States will not tolerate such an indiscriminate categorization of such diverse populations of people. nor permit the abandonment of thousands of people to whom the United States has a moral obligation. Mr. President. the United States can exercise new and creative leadership by committing to Thailand and the other firstasylum countries a willingness to help share in the burden of Southeast Asia refugee camps by maintaining current appropriations and current resettlement levels for the rest of this decade. This is really the foundation of S. 814. the Indochinese Refugee Resettlement and Protection Act. which enjoys the cosponsorship of 18 Senators and the enthusiastic support of countless organizations and citizens throughout America. And the word on the bill is just getting out so I anticipate even broader support in the coming months. I ask that an editorial which appeared two Saturdays ago in the Minneapolis Star and Tribune entitled "To help Thailand help refugees." which states the problem and the solution in terms I wholeheartedly endorse. be printed in the RECORD.