218 Vietnamese Refugees Rescued by French Ships
Two French ships sent to the South China Sea to rescue Vietnamese “boat people” have picked up 218 refugees, who have been promised new homes in France and Canada.
A Frenchman aboard the research vessel Georges Charcot said in a telephone call that 218 refugees were picked up about 100 miles off the Vietnamese coast between Saturday and Monday. “They knelt down on deck and prayed after coming on board,” he said.
The Georges Charcot and the French navy frigate Victor Schoelcher were sent to the area under a mission organized by the Paris-based charity Medecins du Monde (Doctors of the World).
France offered in advance to take 300 people picked up by the ships, and Canada said it would accept 50.
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