Return of Kampucheans to start today
NZPA-Reuter Bangkok The Thai Foreign Minister (Air Chief Marshal Siddhi Savetsila) said yesterday that the voluntary repatriation of Kampucheans from a camp in eastern Thailand would begin today, a day later than originally scheduled. The United Nations High Cornmissioner for Refugees’ office in Bangkok on Sunday sought postponement of the controversial programme, which was due to start yesterday. It cited “technical reasons” for the request. The programme to allow Kampuchean volunteers to return to their ravaged homeland has been bitterly cricised in Hanoi and by the Vietnamese-backed Government in Phnom Penh.
Air Marshal Siddhi yesterday met the U.N.H.C.R. regional co-ordinator, Mr Zia Rizvi, who returned to Thai-
land from visits to Vietnam and Laos on Sunday. Air Marshal Siddhi said after the meeting that repatriation would begin from the large camp at Khao-i-Dang, about 12km from the ThaiKampuchea border, where 135,000 Kampuchean refugees stay.
' He said that according to a U.N.H.C.R. regulation, any repatriation had to be proceeded by the posting of an official notice at the camp at least two days in advance. The notice was posted at Khao-i-Dai)g on Sunday, he said. Air Marshal Siddhi said that voluntary repatriation would also start from Sa Kaeo camp; about 45km from the border, tomorrow. Another Thai spokesman said several thousand volunteers were expected to leave the two camps.
Sa Kaeo has aroused most concern among diplomats and relief sources in Thailand because of the possible dangers of coercion. The camp has a history of influence exerted by cadres loyal to the ousted Khmer Rouge regime whose guerrillas -are fighting Vietnamese - led Government troops in Kampuchea. The Phnom Penh Government has criticised the repatriation as an extremely serious expression of Thailand’s "hostile attitude” towards Kampuchea and referred to reports that Khmer Rouge guerrillas in Sa Kaeo were being sent back to Kampuchea.
U.N.H.C.R. officials’ main function in the repatriation will be questioning would-be volunteers to ensure they are going back of their own free will.
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Press, 17 June 1980, Page 8
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330Return of Kampucheans to start today Press, 17 June 1980, Page 8
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