Angry DPs demonstrate before Kellog
By A Staff Reporter, Evacuee’s from Bangladesh game vent to their bitterness about the shipment of the American arms to Pakistan as they demonstrated before the Special Assistant to the United States Secretary of State for Refugees and Migration Mr. Frank L Kellog during his visit to the evacuee camps along the Bongaon border on Thursday. The demonstrators were peaceful although lined up along Mr. Kellog’s route at different points with placards saying “stop double play”, “Stop supply of Arms to Pakistan ”. Only at double play”, “Stop supply of Arms to Pakistan ”. Only at one stage, near Malancha village, about 65 miles from Calcutta, a group of evacuees approached and asked him. “Why this shipment of arms to Pakistan?”
Mr. Kellog, who returned to Calcutta through a different route to avoid further demonstrations, told reporters that he would ask his Government to create pressure on President Yahya Khan so that American arms were not used against the “unarmed people of Bangladesh”.
Meanwhile, official sources admitted in Calcutta during the day that ninety percent of the evacuees now in West Bengal would not be shifted elsewhere. A minister said that accordingly arrangements were being made in the districts to house the vast number of evacuees. The Chief Minister, Mr. Ajoy Mukherjee, admitted before reporters that the law and order situation in the eight border districts where evacuees had been housed mostly was far from normal. The normal administrative work in each of the districts had been very much affected.
The chief Minister said that the immediate need was to increase police force in the districts where the evacuees had arrived in huge numbers.
The PWD Minister Mr. Santosh Roy, who is a member of the Cabinet subcommittee set up to look after at least 1.2 million of Midnapore, Bankura and Birbhum districts where big camps were under construction by the Center as well as the West Bengal Government.
The US emissary Mr. Kellog, reiterated before reporters that he came here on a humanitarian mission and did not like to get involved in politics. He said he was deeply shocked at the sight of the evacuees’ plight and shared the view of the Government of India that ground should be prepared for the evacuees to go back.
Mr. Kellog’s visit to the border areas at Boyra coincided with the fresh influx, numbering about 60,000 from Faridpur district. Proceeding towards the border areas through the endless streams of new evacuees, Mr. Kellog’s halted his car at several places and got down from the vehicle to speak to them. These refugees alleged that army atrocities still continued unabated on innocent people there at the instance of the Muslim league and the Jamaite-e-Islam.
Agencies adds : Prof. Sayed Ali Ashan, Head of the Department of Bengali in Chittagong College, submitted a memorandum to Mr. Kellog on behalf of the intellectuals and litterateurs in Bangladesh.
The memorandum sought international guarantee for the safe return of the evacuees to their homes and stoppage of all kinds of aid to Pakistan.
Dr. T. Hossain, a surgeon of Dacca Medical College Hospital narrated to Mr. Kellog how innocent people fleeing to safety became the victims of atrocities perpetrated by the Pakistani toops.
Mr. Kellog said at Bongaon that he was convinced “something terrible” had happened inside East Bengal.
Asked by reporters to give his own assessment of the condition of the evacuees and the factors responsible for their plight. Mr. Kellog said “It was a great human tragedy in recent history.”
Meanwhile, airlifting of evacuees to Mana camp in Madhya Pradesh was resumed on Thursday after it had remained suspended for a day due to inclement weather.
Altogether 600 evacuees were taken there in two flights from Calcutta this morning.
The West Bengal Minister of State for Rehabilitation, and another Minister of State accompanied the first batch of the day.
New sites at Bilaspur, 80 miles from Mana are being selected by the Government of India for dispersal of more evacuees. Mana camp, which at the moment has accommodated nearly 200,000 refugees, including the number of evacuees in the present spell, can accommodate 25,000 more it was learnt.
Our Airport Correspondent adds: About 700 Bangladesh evacuees were flown to Raipur en route Mana on Thursday by the Soviet transport planes from Calcutta. They were ferried in four sorties.
Over 3,700 evacuees have so far been shifted to Mana Camp from Calcutta since June 15 when the airlifting operation by the two Soviet AN-12s started.
A determined bid is being made by India to persuade Pakistan’s Muslim neighbours Iran and Afghanistan to realize the gravity of developments in Bangladesh and their impact upon India.
Mr. Moinul Haque Chaudhury, Minister for Industrial Development has been asked by the Prime Minister to proceed as her personal envoy to Kabul and Tehran for discussions with King Zahir Shah and leaders of the Afghan Government and later with the Shah of Iran and Iranian Ministers, Mr. Chaudhury flies to Kabul today.
The Tunisian Prime Minister Mr. Hedi Nouira, today received the special Indian envoy, Mr. Barkatullah Khan, who delivered a message from Mrs. Gandhi.
There was no official comment on the message but sources indicated that it dealt with the problem of East Bengal refugees in India.
The four-member British Parliamentary delegation arrived in Dacca on Wednesday from Karachi on a four-day on the spot study of the situation in East Bengal.
According to Radio Pakistan the delegation was to have talks with the East Bengal Governor Mr. Tikka Khan on the day.
The first load of vaccine, some 1,600 kg, was flown out on a BOAC freighter to Calcutta on June 5. Earlier BOAC carried 300 kg of tarpaulins free of charge. Two hundred and eight kg of cholera vaccine were carried free of charge to Calcutta. A further 250 kg of vaccine was later uplifted by BBOAC from Zurikh.
Reference: Hindustan Standard, 25.06.1971