arrivals. At 30 June 1985, the population of boat refugees in first asylum camps stood at 38,563 compared with 41,109 in June 1984. 18. The number of refugees who arrived by boat in countries bordering the South China Sea also decreased, although not to the same degree. The 24,865 Vietnamese boat refugees who arrived during 1984 were 11 per cent fewer than in 1983. Arrivals during the first six months of 1985 totalled 13,473, a further reduction of 9 per cent from the same period in 1984. A/AC.96/661 page 4 19. A small number of Kampucheans also sailed the short distance to the coast of Thailand. During 1984, 599 Kampucheans arrived by boat, compared with 155 in 1983. In the first six months of 1985, there were 425 Kampuchean boat arrivals, compared with 374 during the corresponding months of 1984. 20. The rescue of Vietnamese refugees in distress at sea, when measured as a percentage of total boat arrivals, has been declining annually since the large-scale exodus by boat began in 1979. It stood at 8.8 per cent in 1984 compared with 12 per cent in 1983, 15 per cent in 1982 and 20 per cent in 1981. However, a concerted attempt to halt and reverse this decline in 1985 appears to be yielding results: the proportion of rescues during the first half of this year has increased each month. During the period January to June 1985, 1,490 refugees were rescued compared with 980 in the same period of 1984, although direct arrivals declined by nine per cent during these six months. 21. UNHCR's efforts to increase awareness of the need to rescue included "CQ" radio appeals by the High Commissioner to shipmasters, personal letter-s to the chairmen of shipping companies and commendatory telegrarrJ11es and awards 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing the situation of boat refugees and the efforts of the UNHCR to rescue them, which suggests a humanitarian focus. The statistics provided are related to refugee numbers, arrivals, and rescues, which implies a focus on humanitarian aid and relief.

**Category**
Humanitarian aid and relief