Speaker. this resolution. which has already been adopted by the Senate. has been introduced in the House by a number of our colleagues. chief of whom is the gentleman from Massachusetts . my very good friend and distinguished Member whom I know will want to address himself to this issue very shortly. Mr. Speaker. the resolution. as the title indicates. deals with the current and continuing refugee crisis in Southeast Asia. Almost 15 years after the end of the war in Vietnam. refugees continue to pour out of that country seeking refuge and asylum in other countries of Southeast Asia. At a time when man. of the countries in the region are beginning to grow tired of their responsibility as nations of first asylum. the fate of these desperate men. women. and children who are fleeing from Vietnam In search of freedom abroad very much hangs In the balance. As a result of this very sad situation the countries of the world have agreed to hold a refugee conference in Geneva next week in order to deal in a collective fashion with this crisis. Mr. Speaker. this resolution which we have before us today expresse- the very strong sense of the Congress that the nations of Southeast Asia should continue to maintain the principle of first asylum. thereby permitting those people who are able to escape from Vietnam to at least find safe haven on their shores. This is no small matter. The truth of the matter is that thousands of the refugees fleeing from Vietnam have been killed on the high seas. some. the victims of natural causes such as typhoons. but many others. the victims of human malice. The work of the pirates operating in the Gulf of Thailand and other waters in the region who have murdered. kidnaped. and raped literally thousands and thousands of refugees constitutes one of the saddest chapters in the tragic history of refugees throughout the course of our times. It is. therefore. Mr.
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refugee refugees