Media Reports
Media Reports 
Help Viet Refugees
The SM Celestial Quintessence
| "Father" (The Sun) Ring,
Necklace and Pendant [emerald, coral, rubies and gold (22K)]
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| Catanduanes Rep. Leandro B.
Verceles Jr. yesterday supported a move by the Catholic Church
asking the government to allow about 600 Vietnamese refugees or
boatpeople to stay in the country after they failed to
obtain asylum in Western countries.
The refugees, mostly former soldiers, Buddhist and protestant clerics, and political activists, are among the 1,000 Vietnamese facing repatriation. Verceles, who filed House Bill No. 496 early this year to help Vietnamese refugees, stressed that the customary norm of temporary refuge in international law prohibits a state from forcibly repatriating foreign nationals who find themselves in a territory after having fled from violence, armed conflict, or other threats to their lives. He explained that under Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to seek and enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution. He said he filed Bill No. 496 to urge President Ramos and other government officials to grant Vietnamese boatpeople refugee status for humanitarian reasons. "Among the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Philippines is the only signatory to the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention and has had a commendable record of assistance to refugees," he said. Verceles explained that Vietnamese boatpeople will not be a burden to the society as many of them have already established livelihood to support themselves, while various private businesses have shown willingness to employ those who are jobless. (W. Yamzon)¡¹ |