Mass Killing of Women, Children In E. Pakistan
EVACUEES TELL OF SITUATION WORSENING
Singapore, April 3 (AP) “THE road form my home to Dacca Airport was a mass grave,” a British woman refugee from the East Pakistan capital said Friday night claiming that reports of 300,000 deaths in the conflict were no exaggeration.
“The roadside lanes were filled with with corpses, mostly of women and children,” she told newsmen shortly after arriving in Singapore with 101 other evacuees.
“I asked a Pakistan air force officer why they had to kill children.”
“He replied : if you leave the child an orphan, he will grow up to be anti-West Pakistan. That’s the best way to curb revenge,” she said.
Most of the refugees refused to talk to newsmen. Those that did, refused to give their names.
“We were told at gun-point not to disclose anything about the situation in East Pakistan. If we did, it would be the last time we saw the country,” the British woman said.
As newsmen tried to solicit information about the situation in East Pakistan, from where conflicting reports are emanating, one raggedly dressed girl .clinging at her mothers leg was heard to ask :
“Mommy, Mommy are we safe here?”
About three quarters of the refugees were women and children, including Britons, Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians and two Dutch and two Swedes.
The Royal Air Force is expected to bring in another four planloads of evacuees from East Pakistan over the next tow day.
The refugees said, they hear gunfire from morning till night “And there were lots of Pakistanis roaming the streets,”
“I saw lot of air force plane but they appeared only two or three days ago. I don’t know if they are actively engaged in figting,” one said.
“The situation is worsening and there is no hope of improvement,” one Canadian said.
“I stayed in Dacca for one week hoping the condition would improve but it didn’t,” he said.
Another woman remarked : “I’m sorry, I can’t say anything. If I did, I would only be puting the lives of others in danger.”
The refugees flew to Singapore only with clothing for a couple of day leaving their belongings.
Reference : The Djakarta Times, 02.04.1971