One Sky
Periodical profile published 1979
Publisher: Saskatchewan Cross-Cultural Centre, Saskatoon, Canada
Year Published: 1979
Pages: 10 Resource Type: Serial Publication (Periodical)
Cx Number: CX1013
A special issue of the One Sky newsletter on the Vietnamese 'boat people' refugees.
Abstract:
The response to the Viet Nam "Boat People" have been mixed. The special newsletter by the Saskatchewan Cross Cultural Centre presents a number of these responses.
The presentations in the newsletter are of three major types. Some writers present sympathetic views of the boat people. Others show the response of the media. A third takes the form of a debate.
The sympathetic writers argue for a humanitarian appoach to the refugee question. Humanitarian aid must be given solely on the basis of need, not on the basis of skills, political affiliation, class or education. Some writers suggest that refugeism is becoming a problem of the 1980's. Sensitive treatment must therefore be given to all refugees, those in Chile, Malaysia, Zimbabwe and elsewhere. The writers ask how we are going to respond to the cries of help from these people?
The debate is between Joan Baez, whose open letter to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is reprinted, and a New York paper, the Guardian. The debate highlights some of the historical issues surrounding the boat people. Some of these issues are dealt with in other articles.
The presentations, the media reports and the debate are aimed at promoting a broader understanding of the refugee question, and enabling Canadians to see ways of responding to the cry for help from refugees.
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