Moscow denounces fuss over refugees

Press, 17 July 1979, Page 8

Moscow denounces fuss over refugees

NZPA-Reuter Moscow

The Soviet Union has said that the South-East Asian refugee crisis is the result of political and ideological sabotage against Vietnam plotted jointly by “imperialism” and China.

A clearly authoritative a. tide in the Communist Party daily, “Pravda,” also alleged that the plan was aimed at dissuading other countries in the area from establishing friendly ties with the pro-Moscow Govei.m its of Kampuchea and Laos. The tone of the article suggested that the Kremlin intended to maintain full public backing for Hanoi’s stand that the problem can be solved only by more c eful organisation of the departure of emigrants from Vietnam. But it also declared that many of the “boa. people” were Peking agents being infiltrated into other SouthEast Asian countries in order to control local Chinese communities and spread “slander” about life in Vietnam, Laos, and Kampuchea. The article appeared aimed at setting out the So-

viet position in advance of the special United Nations conference on the refugees to be held in Geneva this Friday and Saturday, though Moscow is not expected to send a delegation. “Pravda” said that any effort to turn the conference, due to be attended by Minis-terial-level representatives from 60 countries, into a political trial of Vietnam would be doomed to failure.

The present world-wide discussion of the refugee problem, the Kremlin organ said, was “an artifically-in-stigated campaign . J . of political and ideological sabotage that has been conceived and is being implemented by the forces of imperialism jointly with China.” The main aim was to slander the Communist countries, above all Vietnam, as well as people’s power in Laos and Kampuchea, the article added. “At the same time, it is obvious that the rnaster-

■ ids of the campaign, pretending that they are seriously concerned over the fact that the problem of the refugees is fraught with ‘destabilisation’ in South-East

Asia, are actually seeking to complicate the situation in t region,” “Pravda” said.

The same forces were preventing the development of opportunities for co-oper-ation in the area presented by the proclamation by Vietnam, Laos, and Kampuchea of policies of peace and good-neighbourliness, the article declared.

In Manila, Philippine military sources have said that six Vietnamese refugees committed suicide and seven c aers died of hunger while crossing the South China Sea in a boat with 26 others.

The sources quoted Tam Chan, a leader of the group, which arrived at Olongapo near the American Subic Bay naval base west of Manila at the week-end as saying that the six had given u, hope of reaching the shore alive as they watched their companions die of lack of food.

This brought to more than 60 the number of refugees reported to have died in the last week. This includes a boatload of 50, mainly children, believed to have drowned in a storm while on their way to join some 5300 others in the Philippines.