Terms of Refuge: The Indochinese Exodus and the International Response (Politics in Contemporary Asia)

Since the Japanese invasion of 1942, much of Southeast Asia has been racked by war. In the last 20 years alone, three million people fled their homes in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. This book is their story. It is also the story of the international community's response. Spearheading this was the United Nations agency responsible, UNHCR. It pioneered innovations like the Orderly Departure Programme, anti-piracy and rescue-at-sea efforts, and later on, ambitious reintegration projects for returnees. Today the camps in Southeast Asia are closed. Half a million people have retunred home. Over two million have started new lives in the United States, Canada, Australia and France. This compelling book is the history of this modern exodus.