UN General Assembly
1981

132. I should also like to take this opportunity to express my deep sympathy to Thailand, which is bearing a heavy burden imposed by the influx of Indochinese refugees, including those from Kampuchea. The Government of Japan pays high tribute to the efforts of the United Nations in providing relief assistance to the Indochinese refugees and in expediting their voluntary return to their homelands, and further earnestly hopes that the Organization will play an even more effective role in the future. Japan has been actively extending relief assistance to the Indochinese refugees for humanitarian reasons and also in the hope of reducing the heavy burden borne by the nations of SouthEast Asia. However, in solving the refugee problem it is of urgent importance, not only to provide relief assistance to refugees, but also to find ways to eradicate the root cause of the refugee problem. Japan therefore renews its appeal to those countries from which refugees are fleeing to make further efforts to restrain their outflow.