Plea to admit more refugees

Press, 2 December 1978, Page 23

Plea to admit more refugees

PA Wellington A call for New Zealand to take more refugees from a vrider range of countries has been made at a meeting in Wellington.

The meeting, organised by the Overseas Development Committee, W’as attended by a wide range of individuals and representatives of voluntary organisations and by a group of Cambodian refugees. The Cambodians displayed placards outside the' building beforehand calling for more acceptances of their compatriots in South-East Asian refugee camps. During the meeting they said there was a need to think in terms of all the people in the camps, including Laotians and Cambodians, and not only the Vietnamese “boat people”

who received most publicity. The meeting endorsed the principle of refugee settlement as far as possible through voluntary initiatives, but urged the Government to hack these efforts through the provision of services and the "promotion of a climate of hospitality to these new settiers.” The chairman of the Overseas Development Committee, Dr Patricia Burns, said after the meeting it was better to have a regular flow of refugees throughout the year rather then one "grand slam.” "Il is more practicable, as there is a lot to be done and limited resources can be stretched," she said.

The Minister of Immi» gration (Mr Gill) was unable to attend the meeting.