The International Conference on Indochinese Refugees and Its Aftermath. Refugee Policy Group Issue Brief / Michael Knowles.

A conference on Indochinese refugees, attended by representatives of Southeast Asian countries of first asylum and Western resettlement countries, has developed a Comprehensive Plan of Action (CPA) prescribing new measures to address continuing emigration from Vietnam and Laos. The CPA calls for the following measures: (1) controls on departures from Vietnam; (2) an expanded Orderly Departure Program for legal exit from Vietnam; (3) guarantees for safe arrival and humane treatment of asylum seekers by neighboring countries; (4) a regional refugee status determination process; (5) continued resettlement abroad for those accorded refugee status; and (6) the return of nonrefugees to their countries of origin. The first asylum countries protested the economic and security burdens imposed by immigration, and emphasized that all asylum seekers should be resettled outside the region or returned to their countries of origin. Vietnam asserted that warfare and economic isolation have destroyed the country's economy, affirmed the right for their citizens to emigrate, and opposed involuntary return. The Western resettlement countries emphasized the need to preserve first asylum in the region and to regularize timely legal departure, but protested involuntary return. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) from Europe, North America, and Australia called for protection of the rights of refugees while working to improve conditions in Vietnam. The following implementation issues require further attention: (1) safe arrival; (2) refugee status determination; (3) safe return; and (4) orderly departure. (FMW)

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