Word: bangkok
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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Lorna Doyle Bangkok...
Though many Western countries pledged at Geneva to raise their refugee immigration quotas, nothing has yet been done to shorten the shocking delays involved in resettling the homeless who are languishing in camps in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Hong Kong. In Bangkok, where the U.N. maintains a 15-story skyscraper, the UNHCR has only 48 full-time employees to deal with a refugee population currently totaling 175,000. At the country's 16 refugee camps, a swamped staff of just twelve field workers is assigned to monitor aid and assist in resettlement. At least 40,000 of the inhabitants...
Within the past year, Kriangsak has responded to invitations from Washington, Moscow and Peking by making official visits to all three capitals. The interest in Thailand shown by the superpowers goes well beyond their concern to have amicable diplomatic relations with Bangkok. It is a tacit admission that turmoil in Southeast Asia could be as great a threat to the peace and stability of the world as a crisis in the Middle East...
...shadow over the future of every non-Communist country in Southeast Asia. Man for man, weapon for weapon, Hanoi's 600,000 troops constitute the most redoubtable middle-size army in the world, with the possible exception of Israel's. If the Vietnamese invaded Thailand, and if Bangkok called on its near neighbors for help, the combined five-nation ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) forces would be paper tigers in the face of Hanoi's overwhelming superiority in experience and firepower. Since Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore would be capable of sending only token military...
Though the U.S. is committed to providing Thailand with extensive weaponry (but no troops) in case of a Vietnamese invasion, Washington has granted Bangkok only $30.8 million in military assistance this year. Peking has assured the Thais that it would come to Bangkok's aid with troops if their country is invaded. China's invasion of Viet Nam last February provided few clues to the capabilities of the 3.5 million-man People's Liberation Army, since the Chinese withdrew before engaging in a major encounter with regular Vietnamese forces. Currently, China is trying to upgrade its obsolescent...