The International Refugee Organization mercy ship Anna Salen arrived here this week-end with over 1,300 refugees from China after a 55-day journey across the Pacific Ocean, through the Panama Canal, across the Atlantic and through the Mediterranean Sea. They were met at the deck by I.R.O. and Joint Distribution Committee medical personnel.
A majority of the vessel’s refugee passengers are Jews, 750 of whom will be transferred to an Israel vessel and will be taken to the Jewish state. This group includes many “hard core” cases. The remainder of the passengers will remain on the Anna Salen which will proceed to Bremerhaven. Many of the passengers hope to enter the United States or various Latin American countries later. Two deaths, one birth and one divorce occurred during the lengthy voyage.
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