UN General Assembly
1979

81. Two equally disturbing developments began this year. The first was the armed intervention in Kampuchea. Profoundly disturbed by this break-down of peace in South-East Asia, ASEAN immediately issued a joint statement in Bangkok expressing its serious concern at the armed intervention in the internal affairs of another country and affirming the right of the people of Kampuchea to determine for themselves the form of government which they desired. This statement became the substance of a draft resolution introduced in the Security Council by friends in the non-aligned group of nations, though defeated by veto, the draft resolution was supported by all but two members of the Council. The statement was reaffirmed by the Foreign Ministers of ASEAN at their subsequent meeting in Bali. 82. The second development is the unceasing flow of refugees from the Indo-Chinese countries. By land and sea, men, women and children fled Indo-China in countless droves: many to their death, most to a life of uncertainty and deprivation, to a temporary though safe haven in makeshift camps in countries barely able to support them.