IB History Indochina Refugee Crisis Questionbank

Source set

Overarching inquiry question: To what extent was fear of political persecution the main cause of the Indochina refugee crisis?

Source A: Adapted from Poul Hartling, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, statement to the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, 12 November 1979.

During the first half of 1979, arrivals from Indochina by land and sea increased dramatically. We faced a fight against time in which lives were at stake. Governments needed to preserve asylum, rescue people in distress at sea, reunite separated families and provide many more opportunities for resettlement.

Source B: Adapted from Jimmy Carter, Proclamation 4650 on Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week, 28 March 1979.

The United States has welcomed refugees from Indochina who were displaced by political and social upheaval. Their contribution to American life demonstrates the value of remaining open to those seeking hope, opportunity and freedom. Their successful resettlement strengthens both their new communities and the nation.

Source C: U.S. Navy photograph, circa 1979, reproduced via Wikimedia Commons.

image: p1-indochina-causes-1979.jpg

A boat with Vietnamese refugees alongside the U.S. Navy combat stores ship USS White Plains (AFS-4) in the South China Sea, circa 1979.

Using the three provided sources and considering the overarching inquiry question, respond to all three questions.

Source set

Overarching inquiry question: To what extent was international cooperation effective in responding to refugees from Indochina?

Source A: Adapted from Poul Hartling, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, statement to the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, 12 November 1979.

The Geneva meeting of July 1979 produced concrete commitments. Offers of resettlement reached 260,000 places, practical arrangements were introduced for rescuing people at sea, and monthly resettlement increased from about 9,000 early in 1979 to approximately 25,000 in September and October. These results showed what coordinated action could achieve.

Source B: Adapted from UN General Assembly Resolution 44/138, International Conference on Indo-Chinese Refugees, 15 December 1989.

The General Assembly welcomes the Comprehensive Plan of Action adopted at the International Conference on Indo-Chinese Refugees in June 1989. It calls upon states, United Nations bodies and other organizations to carry out their agreed responsibilities. Continued international participation is essential to a comprehensive solution of the regional refugee problem.

Source C: U.S. Navy photograph by an unidentified photographer, 5 August 1979, held by the U.S. National Archives and reproduced via Wikimedia Commons.

image: p1-indochina-response-1979.jpg

A refugee woman cares for three young children aboard the U.S. Navy replenishment oiler USS Wabash in the South China Sea, 5 August 1979.

Using the three provided sources and considering the overarching inquiry question, respond to all three questions.

Source set

Overarching inquiry question: To what extent did ethnicity determine refugees' experiences during the Indochina refugee crisis?

Source A: Adapted from UNHCR, The State of the World's Refugees 2000, chapter 4, 'Flight from Indochina'.

Vietnamese economic measures fell heavily on private entrepreneurs, many of whom belonged to the ethnic Chinese Hoa community. By the end of 1978, about 70 per cent of Vietnamese asylum seekers arriving by sea were of Chinese origin. By the end of 1979, more than 250,000 people from Vietnam had also sought refuge in China.

Source B: Adapted from Sadako Ogata, keynote address, 'The Indochinese Exodus and the International Response', Tokyo, 27 October 1995.

The first groups seeking refuge in Thailand after 1975 included Lao, Hmong, Thai Dam and Cambodians. The wider exodus was never a single, uniform movement. Different national and ethnic communities followed different routes, encountered different policies and ultimately required different solutions.

Source C: Adapted from UNHCR, Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for 1979.

China admitted large numbers of refugees from Vietnam and permitted many to settle locally on state farms. International assistance supplied housing as well as farming, fishing and medical equipment. This policy of local settlement differed from the temporary-asylum arrangements adopted by several Southeast Asian governments.

Using the three provided sources and considering the overarching inquiry question, respond to all three questions.

Source set

Overarching inquiry question: To what extent was fear of political persecution the main cause of the Indochina refugee crisis?

Source A: Adapted from UNHCR, The State of the World's Refugees 2000, chapter 4, 'Flight from Indochina'.

Economic measures in Vietnam deprived many private entrepreneurs of their businesses and property, with particularly severe effects on the ethnic Chinese Hoa population. As relations between Vietnam and China deteriorated, departures accelerated. By the end of 1978, people of Chinese origin formed a large majority of Vietnamese arrivals by sea, while many others crossed into China by land.

Source B: Adapted from Fernando del Mundo, 'Viet Nam: End of an Era', UNHCR Refugees magazine, 1 January 1999, recounting Dinh Son's testimony.

In 1989 I left Vietnam aboard an overcrowded fishing boat. Pirates attacked us during the voyage, and I survived violence that many refugees feared at sea. My claim for asylum was later rejected. After returning to Vietnam, I used skills learned in the camp in Indonesia to rebuild my life.

Source C: U.S. Navy photograph, circa 1979, reproduced via Wikimedia Commons.

image: p1-indochina-causes-1979.jpg

A boat with Vietnamese refugees alongside the U.S. Navy combat stores ship USS White Plains (AFS-4) in the South China Sea, circa 1979.

Using the three provided sources and considering the overarching inquiry question, respond to all three questions.

Source set

Overarching inquiry question: To what extent was international cooperation effective in responding to refugees from Indochina?

Source A: Adapted from UNHCR, Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for 1979.

Governments accepted different responsibilities. Singapore provided temporary asylum only when onward resettlement was guaranteed. Thailand received a much larger refugee population, and nearly 69,000 people departed from there for resettlement in third countries during 1979. The regional response depended upon first-asylum and resettlement states fulfilling complementary roles.

Source B: Adapted from Sadako Ogata, keynote address, 'The Indochinese Exodus and the International Response', Tokyo, 27 October 1995.

Over two decades, close to two million people left Indochina. More than 1.2 million were resettled outside the region and almost half a million returned home. International conferences helped governments share responsibility, while settlement of the Cambodian conflict made durable solutions possible for many who had remained displaced.

Source C: U.S. Navy photograph by an unidentified photographer, 5 August 1979, held by the U.S. National Archives and reproduced via Wikimedia Commons.

image: p1-indochina-response-1979.jpg

A refugee woman cares for three young children aboard the U.S. Navy replenishment oiler USS Wabash in the South China Sea, 5 August 1979.

Using the three provided sources and considering the overarching inquiry question, respond to all three questions.