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Salient. Newspaper of the Victoria University Students' Association. Vol 42 No. 5. March 26 1979

A Refugees's Story

A Refugees's Story

On a visit to China last July I had the opportunity to talk with a refugee from Ho Chi Minh City. We were walking down a street in Kwangchow (Canton) in South China when he approached a friend and I and announced he was from South Vietnam. He had been a teacher in Ho Chi Mini City but was forced to leave when conditions there became intolerable. Chinese, regardless of job were put on low rations unless they agreed to take up Vietnamese citizenship. All Chinese were issued with identity cards, which he produced for me, and ordered to report to the local police station each week. The identity card featured the racial background of the holder similar to those used in South Africa. Chinese were also subject to petty discrimination and public bullying.

The last straw however was the forced recruitment into the Vietnamese army. He told us that Chinese were being coerced into enlisting in the army to fight the "border war" with Kampuchea. In order to escape, our friend had walked and illegally bussed the 1500 mile journey to the Chinese border.

Two entire hotels in Kwangchow were being used to house the refugees, creating enormous problems for the authorities. It was no doubt the burden on the Chinese economy caused by the influx of massive numbers of refugees which encouraged the Chinese to atop aid to Vietnam.