U.S. to Take In Refugees, Shultz Vows

Secretary of State George P. Shultz, responding to complaints that the West is losing its compassion for Indochinese refugees, today told Southeast Asian foreign ministers that the United States will take in “substantial numbers” of the displaced persons.

“It’s become clear to all of us that the refugee problem in this part of the world is an enduring one, and we must realize that solving it will be a long-term process,” Shultz told a of the six-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The ASEAN countries--Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore and the Philippines--have shown an increasing reluctance to provide initial haven for the refugees, 144,000 of whom are still in temporary camps.

Thailand, for example, plans to close its main refugee processing center and has been accused by U.S. officials of pushing asylum-seeking Laotians back across the border.

Increased Resistance Charged

The countries have responded that the United States and other Western nations have increased their resistance to resettling the refugees.

The issue has become more important in recent weeks with the increase in the number of Vietnamese fleeing in boats. Last month, the United Nations reported the arrival of 1,326 “boat people” in Thailand alone, the highest monthly total since June, 1981.

Shultz’s remarks were designed to dispel impressions the United States no longer wants to resettle refugees. He also brought with him a letter from four U.S. senators affirming congressional willingness to maintain refugee programs.

The letter was signed by Sens. Claiborne Pell (D-R.I.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), Mark O. Hatfield (R-Ore.) and Alan K. Simpson (R-Wyo.).

32,000 Annual Ceiling

“We will continue to resettle refugees in substantial numbers,” Shultz said.

Under an annual ceiling set by Congress, the United States can resettle 32,000 refugees who reach Thailand and other “first-asylum countries.”

The United States is also committed to taking 8,500 directly from Vietnam under a departure program arranged with the Hanoi government, but Vietnam has suspended the program. Shultz urged the ASEAN countries to pressure Hanoi to get it going again.

The foreign ministers of Canada, Australia, Japan and New Zealand, speaking after Shultz, asserted they were trying to help alleviate the refugee burden.