76-07-B6
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South Vietnamese Boat People
TranscriptThey call them The Boat People. No one is sure just how many of them there are, but estimates run into the thousands. Who are they? They're the refugees who are escaping from South Vietnam in a steady and increasing stream. A few weeks ago, I commented on one of my broadcasts about reports which had begun to filter out of Vietnam about the tens of thousands of South Vietnamese consigned to concentration camps by the victorious North Vietnamese, and how some were risking great odds to escape into the South China Sea in frail little boats. Now, a recent news report out of Bangkok confirms the refugee flow and tells about a religious organization which is going about the humanitarian task of rescuing The Boat People. The rescue mission is being undertaken by the World Conference on Religion and Peace and paid for initially by a grant from its chapter in Japan. The grant of $60,000 has made it possible for the group to charter a boat and keep it loaded with fuel, food and life rafts as it cruises back and forth across the three main refugee routes, one each to Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Packed as many as 100 to a boat, the Vietnamese have braved rough seas. An uncounted number have been lost, but many are getting through. An official of the WCRP has said that last September about 350 reached Thailand alone. The number increased to 447 in October and zoomed to more than 6,000 in November. "They are still arriving faster than we can keep track of them," the official said. The World Council on Religion and Peace, which is an international nonsectarian group, is ready to add a larger rescue boat to its "fleet" of one. Thailand and Malaysia and Singapore have been taking most of the refugees so far. The WCRP says it plans to appeal to these nations, as well as to Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia, Japan and the United States to take in more. Our government has announced that it would take in about 2,000 Boat People during this year. France is taking quite a few too, but the two Western nations together will barely absorb the number of refugees who are already in temporary camps in Asia. The WCRP's rescue mission has some diplomats and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees squirming, for its volunteer effort is putting the spotlight on how very little is being done "officially" to help these victims of the Communist overrun of South Vietnam. Meanwhile, talk continues of bringing Communist Vietnam into membership in the United Nations, forgetting, as if by magic, Hanoi's disregard for the human rights of the vanquished. Since enough hot air is generated in the UN General Assembly on most days to float a fleet of dirigibles, you would think all these statesmen might find a little time to show some compassion for several thousand homeless refugees who seek one precious thing: their freedom. But don't hold your breath. This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening. |
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