The Refugee Problem: Joint Responsibility

Abstract

The refugee, a victim of political events, a man uprooted from his homestead and country, finds himself in a strange land where he is homeless, often stateless, and poverty- stricken. The refugee in Hong Kong, for example, who faces this predicament can find his fellow exiles dispersed globally in such countries as The Republic of Korea, India, Syria, West Germany, and Finland. The dimensions of the refugee prob lem in the postwar era estimated to include at least forty mil lion persons are indeed frightening. Yet the enormity of the figure cannot describe the individual misery and human tragedy that have befallen these people. Moreover, neither the end of political upheavals nor the concomitant movement of peoples— the unabated dynamism of the refugee problem—are in sight. This situation demands global recognition. The United Na tions is concerned with the problem but has been able to give support and succor only on a limited basis. The neighboring nations, who have been obliged to bear the brunt of the imme diate crises, must not be left alone to alleviate the misery of these millions.—Ed.