Boat People

“Briton Hopes U.S. Stops Opposing Forced Return of Boat People” (Part A, Jan. 17) possibly didn’t disturb many of your readers, but I for one am very disturbed at the prospects of our government condoning forced repatriation.

Forced repatriation should be opposed on humanitarian and moral grounds as neither the welfare nor safety of asylum seekers who return to Vietnam can be guaranteed.

Legally, forced repatriation should be opposed as it relies on a screening policy which fails to adequately determine who is or is not a political refugee. (The Hong Kong government made it very clear that at least 90% of the Vietnamese who arrived after the cutoff date were not political refugees).

As a former refugee worker and the wife of a Vietnamese man, I beg the government here to look closely at the present refugee situation in Southeast Asia. We must oppose any mean, futile gestures which result in the suffering of people. The Bush Administration should make moves to improve relations with Vietnam which will relieve the situation that forces people to flee.

ANN NGUYEN

Inglewood