$12.8 million pledged to aid Kampuchean refugees.

$12.8 million pledged to aid Kampuchean refugees

Some $12.8 million to aid Kampuchean relief programmes was pledged by nine donor countries and the European Community on 11 September at a day-long donors' meeting at United Nations Headquarters. Pledges were made to assist the United Nations Border Relief Operation (UNBRO), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Contributions in cash and kind were made by: Austria, Finland, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Community. The next donor meeting was tentatively scheduled for 26 November.

"Increased contributions would do a great deal in easing the financial constraints being experienced by the agencies carrying out relief operations', said Tatsuro Kunugi, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Co-ordination of Kampuchean Humanitarian Assistance Programmes.

Chairman Kunugi, who had just returned from a visit to Kampuchean refugee camps in Thailand, said nearly 200,000 Kampucheans had been resettled due to co-operation among resettlement countries, donor countries and relief agencies.

Jamshid Anvar, Deputy of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Kampuchean relief programmes, reported on the rice shortage in Kampuchea. For example, conditions were poor in the province of Kompong Speu, where a large number of people showed signs of undernourishment, and suffered from skin and eye diseases.

Malaria continued to be the most serious medical problem in the border camps, according to David Morton, UNBRO's Acting Director. However, there had been no major outbreaks of other diseases in the past year and malnutrition was under control.

He said increased military activities along the Thai-Kampuchean border had caused 17 border encampment evacuations since last November. Some 180,000 Khmers had sought asylum in Thailand and Thai villagers living along the Kampuchean border had also been forced to flee.

Mr. Anvar described UNBRO's cash flow problems as "very serious'. Funds were available to maintain the operation only until the end of September. The time lapse between pledges and disbursement was considerable. In addition, evacuation and relocation of the border population inside Thailand had increased the cost of logistics and relief supplies, he said.

UNBRO would need some $6.5 million to continue its operation until the end of the year, he went on. By January 1986, an additional $5 million-- three months' operating costs--would be required for continued operations into the next year.

Birabhongse Kasemsri (Thailand) detailed contingency plans for the movement of refugees--nearly 250,000 of them--to and from the border.

If the situation warranted, refugees could be quickly evacuated to that area. Although the needs of the Kampuchean people should be the primary concern of the international community, he added, it was not wise to ignore the destructive effects of an extended period of hostilities.

Photo: Refugee camp for Kampucheans.