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TIME: Almanac 1990
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1990 Time Magazine Compact Almanac, The (1991)(Time).iso
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073189
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07318900.037
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1990-09-17
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LETTERS, Page 10Closing the Golden Door
The world opened its arms to refugees after World War II. The
problems then were finite and solvable. Today caring for those who
leave their homelands seems never ending (WORLD, July 3). Concerted
efforts to find solutions must be made not only by the Western
nations but also by the "emigrant" nations. The population
explosion in these countries is canceling out whatever gains are
being made in industrial and food production.
Helen Wilson
Palo Alto, Calif.
It is particularly cruel and ironic for the developed countries
of the West to close their doors on the refugees who are fleeing
poverty in their native lands, since their present predicament is
partly a result of decades of economic exploitation by those very
states.
Roldo de Paula Freitas
Rio de Janeiro
As a former Vietnamese boat person, I know how difficult it is
to live in a refugee camp hoping that one day you will be accepted
by a democratic country. I totally disagree, however, with the
statement that the Vietnamese boat people are fleeing troubles that
are more economic than political in nature. Viet Nam is a Communist
country where there is no freedom. A few million Vietnamese remain
in the so-called re-education camps, and there is still mandatory
service in the People's Army. Many of my friends were sent to the
border of Thailand and Cambodia, where they died for Viet Nam's
worthless cause of trying to maintain a firm grip on Laos and
Cambodia. A free man would rather die of hunger than live a
luxurious life with no liberty at all. That is why I left my
homeland nine years ago.
Tuan V. Hoang
Chattanooga, Tenn.