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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 14, 1980)
Page 10 THE BATTALION WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 1980 Somalia has more refugees than Asia United Press International WASHINGTON — There are nearly four times as many refugees in Somalia in Africa as in Cambodia and Thailand. The plight of the “Boat People” of United Press International FORT CHAFFEE, Ark. — The Immigration and Naturalization Ser vice Tuesday began interviewing the thousands of Cuban refugees at this western Arkansas military post but officials said it would be at least another week before any of them could be released to sponsors. Lt. Col. A.T. Brainerd said 5,593 refugees had arrived at Fort Chaffee as of midnight Monday and said he expected that number to grow to 8,000 by Tuesday midnight. Up to 20,000 refugees eventually are ex pected at the post at one time. The total number of refugees to go through the post could surpass that figure. The processing procedures have been streamlined, reducing the pro cess from four hours to 50 minutes per person. Vietnam and of Afghans fleeing Soviet invasion has held the head lines, but in terms of sheer numbers, fighting in the Horn of Africa be tween Somali guerrillas and Ethio pian forces has produced the “major refugee problem,” according to the “We have absolutely no backlog at all,” Brainerd said. Officials said 452 refugees had been treated at two clinics with ab out 20 being admitted for treatment of various ailments. No serious health problems have been re ported. A minor security problem was re ported Monday. Two refugees walked across a street from their roped-off barracks to the PX and bought soft drinks before being hus tled back. “It’s a difficult task to keep your eye on every one of them,” Brainerd said. There are 1,500 military person nel at the post and 415 of the 450 civilian jobs have been filled but offi cials said civilian employment could increase. Spokesmen for four volunteer United Nations High Commission for Refugees. The Horn of Africa, couiprised of Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti in northeast Africa, draw s its name from its distinctive shape, resemb ling the horn of a rhinooef 05 - groups helping in the resettlement program — Church Worlcl Services, U.S. Catholic Conference, Red Cross and Southern Baptist Conven tion — said they were optimistic a sufficient number of sponsors could be found for the refugees- David Lewis of the Catholic Con ference said 60 percent of the re fugees had family or friends in this country. “The key to successful resettle ment is jobs,” Lewis said, adding that one reason the 1975 Vietnamese program was successful was the generosity of area residents- Chaffee officials said training of Oklahoma and Arkansas National Guard and Army reserve ufnts would continue through the summer as planned. The only change iS they will have to stay in tents instead of bar racks. Africa’s refugees today number an estimated 2.5 million, of a world total of 9 million, according to U.N. fi gures. The Organization of African Unity however, estimates there are 4 million refugees in Africa. The U.N. commission estimates the number of Southeast Asian re fugees at 400,000 in camps, plus an unknown number on the Thailand- Vietnam border. Today one of five Somalis is a re fugee, and while the flow of refugees is expected to slow, U.N. officials say they have no idea how many more may be expected. The Sudan, which has declared 1980, “Year of the Refugee, ” houses an additional 400,000 Ethiopian re fugees. Despite being “serious in terms of numbers,” says Stan Siegel, Co ordinator for African Refugee and Humanitarian Affairs of the Agency for International Development, “The willingness of African nations to take in their own (has) taken the urgency out” of relief efforts. “You don’t have the utter starva tion, the desperateness’’ that is the case with the boat people, he said. As many as 1,000 refugees enter Somalia daily. The number of re fugees has jumped from 88,000 in mid-1978 to 1 million to 1.5 million today. Only 500,000 of the refugees find shelter in the 21 permanent and five transit camps. Another 700,000 live outside the camps. Women and children make up 90 percent of the camp populations. The men remain in Ethiopia or are in guerrilla groups fighting Ethiopian forces. “There is no electricity in any of the 21 camps, no refrigeration, no innoculations, no latrines and uncon taminated water,” reported Rep. Andrew Maguire, D-N.J., on a re cent visit to the region. Both United States and United Nations authorities expect the camp figure to climb to 650,000. Somali refugee program costs to the U.N. have increased from $3.5 million in 1979 to $40 million in 1980, a twelve-fold increase in one year. Somalia will receive the largest share of the commission’s $120 mil lion to $150 million 1980 Africa budget. Agencies such as Oxfam and the International Red Cross have re sponded to a Somalia plea for $70 million in additional aid. Medical and construction teams from Sweden, France and the United States and supplies will be sent to meet the growing crisis, U.N. repre sentatives said. The United States’ has sent five shipments of medical and non-food items such as kitchen utensils, clo thing, blankets and bolts of cloth since January. Food aid totaling 47,000 metric tons, including 23,000 tons of corn, has been sent to Somalia since Oct. 1. Cubans to stay with Army for at least one more week Army general calls U.S. military severely limited in strength, scope United Press International SAN ANTONIO — The comman der of the 5th Army, in charge of reserve and national guard units from the Gulf of Mexico to the Cana dian border, says the U. S. military is “woefully understrength.” “Our armed forces are now cap able of only engaging in limited war fare for limited objectives for a li mited time,” said Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell HI. Caldwell said Monday he sensed an increasing sense of urgency from the public in the 5th Army area for more military preparedness, “but it’s not getting through to Congress.” Caldwell and other military speak ers have been making sobering assessments of the U.S. defense posture during Armed Forces Week speeches throughout the city. “If we don’t start achieving a rela tive military balance with the Soviets between 1982 and 1985, we will fall so far behind we may never be able to catch up,” Caldwell warned. He said it would take six months to draft men, train and deploy them, adding, “I suggest we don’t have six months to play with.” “We only have one foundry that makes tank turrets,” the Army lead er said. “There is a critical shortage of some types of ammunition. 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