A concurrent resolution commending humanitarian treatment of Southeast Asian refugees and urging further measures to ensure humanitarian treatment of the refugees.

(Measure passed House, amended)

Commends: (1) the Governments of Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia for their history of humanitarian treatment of refugees; (2) the Government of Hong Kong for agreeing to set up a screening process to identify internationally acceptable refugees jointly with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees; and (3) the President for his decision in FY 1988 to increase the overall number of refugees to be admitted to the United States and for proposing for FY 1989 an admission policy which reflects the special issues involved in refugee policy in Southeast Asia.

Urges the Government of Thailand to reinstitute its former policy of first asylum and officially end its policy of interdiction of arriving refugee boats. Urges the United States and other western nations to maintain their policies of resettlement. Urges the Government of Hong Kong and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to maintain their policies of first asylum. Urges the Department of State to continue working with ASEAN and other governments to meet security concerns while responding to the humanitarian needs of Southeast Asian refugees. Urges the President and the Department of State to admit the full number of Southeast Asian refugees that is fixed each year.

Urges the Government of Vietnam to: (1) issue exit permits to Vietnamese who have letters of introduction from the United States or are former reeducation camp members and expand the Orderly Departure Program to stem the movement of refugees out of Vietnam; and (2) cease its occupation of Cambodia.

Urges the governments of Indochinese countries to cease their policies of repression.

Urges the United States to participate with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and ASEAN in preparing an international conference on Indochinese refugees which seeks to adopt a program to deal with the Vietnamese boat people.