From: doky@uda.dgcd.doc.ca (Hien Doky)
Subject: [Thanks] Letter to UNHCR is sent 02/10/92
Originator: daemon@media-lab.media.mit.edu
Reply-To: doky@uda.dgcd.doc.ca
Organization: SCV Relay
Date: Sat, 3 Oct 1992 14:34:46 GMT


October 02, 1992


Madame Sadako Ogata
United Nations 
High Commissioner for Refugees
Case Postale 2500
CH-1211, Geneva 2 Depot
Switzerland
Fax: 41-22-731-9546


Dear Madame Ogata:

As a group of professionals in the United States, Canada and Australia, 
we are deeply concerned about the policy of the office of the United 
Nations High Commissioners for Refugees towards Vietnamese boat people 
in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.  This policy has caused much suffering 
and even death to many of the asylum seekers whose desire is only a 
decent life free from persecution.

On August 27, 1992, a boat person, Mr. Trinh Anh Huy, in Galang, 
Indonesia, immolated himself in front of the UNHCR's office after 
being denied refugee status. This is not the first suicide and, 
we are afraid, not the last. In August of last year, another 
boat person, Ms. Trinh Kim Huong, in Galang also burned herself to 
death after receiving a negative decision from the UNHCR. Within the 
past few days, three suicide attempts in Indonesia have been reported. 
Similar suicides and suicide attempts have been reported in Malaysia 
and Hong Kong in the past year. The screening conducted by the UNHCR 
(as in Indonesia) or monitored by the UNHCR (as in Hong Kong) has been 
consistently denounced as flawed by human rights organizations like 
Amnesty International, Asia Watch, and Lawyers Committee for Human Rights.

In Galang, the distress of facing unfair screening is aggravated by 
the UNHCR's starvation policy which denies boat people of the minimum 
food ration to survive in an attempt to coerce them to go back to 
Vietnam. The food rations given to boat people in Galang are well 
below the minimum recommended by the UNHCR/WFP and the WHO. The food 
rations in Thailand are even lower. Cuts have been reported in Sungei 
Besi Camp, Malaysia, as well.

We call upon your good office to stop immediately the policy of the 
UNHCR's branch offices to use food as weapon against boat people.  
We also urge you to investigate the screening procedure being conducted 
or monitored by the UNHCR. 

Your prompt action on these two issues will show that the UNHCR is 
living up to her name as the protector of asylum seekers.

Respectfully,


Cosigned:

Becherer, Max, IL, USA
Box, Virginia, IL, USA
Brown, J. William III, IL, USA
Bui, Kim Khanh, MA, USA
Buoton, Kristen, IL, USA
Chu, Chris, CO, USA
Dang, Xuan-Hung Anh, NY, USA
Dao, Loan, NY, USA
Dinh, Minh Tri, NY, USA
Do, Minh Phu, USA
Do, T. Mike, MD, USA
Duong, Hai Peter, PA, USA
Ha, Tam Di, NY, USA
Ho, Quang Vy, NY, USA
Ho, Thanh Huong, ONT, CANADA
Ho, Thudy, NY, USA
Hoang, Alain, NY, USA
Hoang, De Dinh, NY, USA
Hoang, Hung, CO, USA
Hoang, Linh, NY, USA
Hoang, N. M. Dan, NY, USA
Huynh, Hong Loc, NY, USA
Lam, Diem Hong, TN, USA
Lam, Truong Hy, CA, USA
Le, Anh Tam, Victoria, AUSTRALIA
Le, Carol, NY, USA
Le, Huu Thinh, CA, USA
Le, John, IL, USA
Le, Leroy Q. H., UT, USA
Le, Minh-Trang, FL, USA
Le, Ngoc Long, NY, USA
Le, Thanh Hoa, NY, USA
Le, Thi Hien, NY, USA
Luong, Q. Chinh, NY, USA
Luu, Vu Truong, IL, USA
Ly, Hong Phong, NY, USA
Nelson, Jule, IL, USA
Nguyen, Anne Thuy, NY, USA
Nguyen, Binh Teresa, NY, USA
Nguyen, D. Adam, NY, USA
Nguyen, Dang Tien, TX, USA
Nguyen, De Tham, CO, USA
Nguyen-Duy, Luong, CA, USA
Nguyen, H. Danny, TX, USA
Nguyen, John, MO, USA
Nguyen, H. Lien, CA, USA
Nguyen, Hong, CO, USA
Nguyen, Hoang, CA, USA
Nguyen, Hoang Tri, NY, USA
Nguyen Khac Dinh, NY, USA
Nguyen, N. Chuong, NY, USA
Nguyen, Ngoc Giac, IL, USA
Nguyen, O. Thuy, NY, USA
Nguyen, Quang Dinh, CA, USA
Nguyen, Q. Thinh, WA, USA
Nguyen, T. Toan, NY, USA
Nguyen, Thanh Binh, IL, USA
Nguyen, Tan Luat, NY, USA
Nguyen, Thuy-Tram, ONT, CANADA
Nguyen, Tien Thanh, NY, USA
Nguyen, Trung Thinh, NY, USA
Nguyen, Xuyen Lam, Victoria, AUSTRALIA
Pham, Cuong, CA, USA
Pham, H. Long, NY, USA
Pham, Ngoc Lam, VA, USA
Pham, Ngoc Son, MD, USA
Phan, H. Thao, NY, USA
Phan, Thanh Tam, NY, USA
Pippa, Nancy, IL, USA
To, M. David, CA, USA
Tran, A. Long, CA, USA
Tran, L. Chuyen, TX, USA
Tran, N. Christina, CA, USA
Tran, Thu, OH, USA
Tran, Tu Luong, NY, USA
Tran, Vincent H., CA, USA
Trinh, Donna, VA, USA
Truong, Minh Tri, ONT, CANADA
Truong, Quoc Dat, NJ, USA
Vo, Dang Minh, NY, USA
Vo, Nghi, PA, USA
Vo, Thanh Lam, NY, USA
Vo, Anh Tuan, NY, USA
Vu, Duc, TX, USA
Vu, Paul, CA, USA



cc:   Werner Blatter, UNHCR/Geneva, Bureau for Asia and Oceania
      Leonardo Franco, UNHCR/Geneva, International Protection
      Rene van Rooyen, UNHCR/USA 
      Chefeke Dessalegn, UNHCR/Canada
      Per Johannessen, UNHCR/Australia
      David Jamieson, UNHCR/Indonesia
      Daniel Conway, UNHCR/Thailand
      Dr. Shamsul Bari, UNHCR/Malaysia
      Claire Hamlisch, UNHCR/Philippines
      Robert van Leeuwen, UNHCR/Hong Kong
      Hon. David Kilgour, MP/Canada
      Hon. Barbara McDougall, Secretary of State for 
      External Affairs/Canada
      Hon. Frank Wisner, US Undersecretary of State/USA

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