The US military journal The Hurricane (Special Cambodia, no. 35, September 1970, pp. 30-34) provides detailed information about Phước Điền and the situation of the Vietnamese refugees. 1-8 May 1970: there were 1.130 families (or 5.642 persons). They had arrived with the South Vietnamese army convoys returning from Svay Rieng where the trucks had taken troops and supplies. 23 May 1970: there were 17.430 refugees. 26 May 1970: they were joined by 198 families (1.040 people) from the Chup rubber plantation in Cambodia. 30 May 1970: a total of 18.405 refugees had been received (this included 3.460 men, 4.749 women, and 10.196 children). 1-8 June 1970: the total rose above 20.000. 4 July 1970: it reached 24.000. Several committees handled the processing of refugees The receiving committee dealt with their immediate needs. Through the Rural Development Cadre (a civilian auxiliary), they secured living accommodation for them. The relief committee provided 4 kilos of rice per person, 3 to 5 dried fish per family per day, milk when available, 30 gallon water cans, sleeping mats, and blankets. The health committee provided medical assistance. Its main project was the vaccination of refugees against cholera and plague. People who were gravely injured and ill were treated at Tay Ninh East Hospital. The psychological operations team (Vietnam Information Service and Rural Development Cadre) helped the refugees locate friends and relatives and sponsored entertainment at the camp. The security section (National Police and the Regional and Popular Forces) ensured a 24-hour security around the camp. The clearance section (National Police) vetted all persons admitted to Phước Điền. Clearance had to be obtained before a refugee could leave the camp. Everyone 15 years of age and older was required to complete a certified biography. After their fingerprints were taken, the refugees were issued ID card and certificate. Once police clearance was obtained, refugees could leave the camp by military vehicle with the assistance of a religious group, with relatives, or on their own. Many however had nowhere to go and remained at in Phước Điền. In early May 1970, the police were processing 600 to 800 people a day. American journalist Iver Peterson reported from in Phước Điền on 8 July 1971. His article mentions Nguyen Can Thanh, a 47‐year‐old former rubber plantation worker who fled the French plantation at Chup along with 700 other families when the fighting had erupted in 1970. At the time of reporting, Nguyen had “a one‐room house made of discarded American ammunition boxes and a small plot of hardscrabble land in Phuoc Dien hamlet. The hamlet is actually a refugee settlement area built almost 20 years ago, and its little square building plots, laid out in severe treeless grid patterns, have been homesites for refugees of other battles.” (“Vietnamese refugees from Cambodia say they don’t want to go back,” The New York Times, 15 July 1971, p. 10).

Refugee camp run by South Vietnamese military and civilian authorities Phước Điền was located near Tay Ninh City, about 57 miles northwest of Saigon.

Tay Ninh, Tay Ninh, Vietnam

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