Govt Troops and Liberation Army Engaged in Fierce Fighting
Chittagong on Fire
SEATO Rules out Intervention
Fierce fighting was reported Tuesday between Wast Pakistani troops and the Bengal Desh’ Liberation Army’ for several key towns in East Pakistan, but the official Pakistan Radio in Karachi said the situation was generally calm and under control.
The reports, quoted by the Press Trust of India (PTI) said the “Liberation Army” had gained control of much of the capital Dacca, including the radio stution.
Battle for Dacca Airport According to All India Radio Tuesday, Pakistani troops and followers of breakaway East Pakistan leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman were battling for control of Dacca air port.
But Pakistan Radio denied any fighting and said all was quiet in Dacca and other cities.
A broadcast by Radio Bangla Betar Kendra (Bengali radio station) claimed Sheikh Mujibur’s men had captured the cities of Rangpur, Khulna and the cantonments of Comilla and Jessore.
Radio Betar Kendra said big fires raged in the major East Pakistani port city of Chittagong Monday night after clashes between government troops and citizens left many dead.
The Japanese news agency Kyodo said the reports had been received from Japanese ships anchored at the port.
Dacca returns to normal?
Radio Pakistan said the curfew had been lifted for 12 hours in Dacca Monday and that life was returning to normal. Government offices, banks and some shops were open and no incidents had been reported.
The Radio admitted sccurity forces were called out to suppress “armed miscreants” at the main port of Chittagong, but said suitable action had been taken.
According to All India Radio, paratroopers had been used for the first time. News Agencies said several areas in East Pakistan had been serially bombarded.
Evaquees’ Report.
A group of 60 Yugoslavs, mostly women and children, who were evacuated from Dacca Tuesday, said the East Pakistan capital was mostly quiet although large umbers of soldiers were on the streets.
The group was brought out in a special Yogoslav plane which touched down briefly at New Delhi Airport Tuesday evening on its way back to Belgrade.
A Yugoslav Foreign Ministry official, Alexander Stanic, said it had been decided to evacuate the women and children, whose husbands work in Dacca as technicians, because of the situation.
“Things are certainly not normal there”, he said, but did not elaborate.
Stanic flew from Belgrade on the Ilyushin 18 aircraft, during his brief stay in Dacca, he had seen not in control of the airport he said. .
A few correspondents were allowed in to the transit lounge at Delhi airport.
SEATO intervention ruled-out.
In Bangkok spokesman for the South East Treaty Organization Tuesday ruled out the possibility of a SEATO intervention in the East Pakistan conflict.
‘SEATO’ regards the present crisis in Pakistan as a purely internal matter the spokesman said in press interview.
He added that there were no indication that the current crisis would affect the status of Pakistan’s membership in the organization.
The spokesman further said that one possible area of the conflict could affect the organization : since 1960, SEATO as operated the world’s largest cholera research center in Dacca with a 800 man staff.
So far, there have been no reports that the center’s activities have been disrupted, he added.
ref. The Djakarta Times, 1.4.1971