Thailand Fears Quotas in Favor of Armenians
WASHINGTON — Thailand’s envoy urged the United States today not to cut quotas for Indochinese refugees in order to make room for Armenians fleeing the Soviet Union.
If more Armenians are permitted into the United States, the quotas for Eastern Europe should be raised and the quotas for Indochina should be left alone, Ambassador Arsa Sarasin told a news conference.
The U.S. budget currently permits the annual entry of 68,500 refugees from around the world, including 23,000 from Indochina. Thailand, where 400,000 Indochinese refugees reside, mostly in camps, is pressing continuously for higher quotas.
Decision Pending
“The United States must not cut the quota and give it to Eastern Europe,’ Sarasin said.
The Reagan Administration is in the process of deciding what to do about a massive increase in applications for entry from residents of Soviet Armenia. Options include reallocating quotas, granting emergency quotas for the Armenians or slowing down processing of all other refugees.
According to State Department records, Armenians are applying for asylum at a rate of 1,500 a month, compared with 200 applicants in all of 1985 and 200 to 300 a month as recently as 1987. Up to 12,000 Armenians are reportedly waiting to come to the United States.
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