THE PRESS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1978. Refugees in New Zealand

Press, 20 October 1978, Page 8

THE PRESS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1978. Refugees in New Zealand

At first glance, New Zealand's contribution to the resettlement of Vietnamese refugees, as reported in an article on this page, looks meagre: 416 refugees of the global total of 35.007. The United States, Australia, and New Zealand—erstwhile allies of the unfortunate South Vietnam—had accepted 30.000 of the 35.000 refugees resettled by the end of September this year.

These three countries all have a special obligation towards refugees from Vietnam. If the 30,000 refugees had been shared among the three countries in proportion to population, the United States quota would have been 27,600. Australia’s 2000, and New Zealand’s 400, instead of the actual numbers of 19,867, 9784, and 416. New Zealand is pulling its weight.

The 2238 Vietnamese resettled in France will swell the ranks of South Vietnamese who made up the earlier

exodus during Vietnam's struggle for independence from France. No Asian countries have formally settled any of the latest refugees from Vietnam, although the 25,000 “boat people” still seeking refuge are temporarily harboured in the waters of at least six Asian countries. The question might well be asked whether such sternly anticommunist regimes as those of the Philippines and Indonesia could have been more welcoming to the Vietnam refugees from communism. The United States, it may be assumed, will be using its influence with the Indonesians and Filipinos to offer permanent refuge, instead of a grudging staging-post, to some of the 25,000 homeless Vietnamese. New Zealand, for its part, might offer to take several hundred more. If that appears to be awkward in a time of high unemployment, New Zealand might offer aid for their settlement elsewhere.