Plight of refugees in Burma
RANGOON, JULY 24 – About 50,000 Bangladesh people who have taken refuge in Western Burma are in a miserable plight, according to reports reaching the Bangladesh Mission here, says, UNI.
Facing starvation, a large number of them returned to Bangladesh in May but were driven back by Pakistani troops and Muslim Leaguers.
Most of the refugees are at Maung Phu, North and South Tombo, Koachibon, Bolle Bazar, Magpura and Sahembazar, A majority of them are Buddhists and the rest Muslims and Hindus.
No outside agency has provided them relief and what official agencies have done is extremely inadequate.
About 10,000 refugees at Maung Phu were given ration at the rate of about six ounces of rice per day. This had lately been discontinued. At other places the refugees had been left to feed for themselves.
There was no water at these places and “the refugees are living as though in a desert.” There was neither any physician nor any medicine.
Most of these refugees had been robbed of all their belongings by the Muslim Leaguers or mountain bandits known as Puruikka while escaping the Army atrocities.
The reporters said Bengalis were still fleeing from Chittagong district because of continuing Army atrocities.
According to these reports, a prominent Buddhist priest was killed and his temple burnt recently at Maheshkhali in Chittagong district. The Army used machinegun against the families hiding in the hills.
Reference: Hindustan Standard, 25.07.1971