পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (ত্রয়োদশ খণ্ড).pdf/১১১

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83 ংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ ত্রয়োদশ খন্ড শিরোনাম সূত্র তারিখ ত্ৰাণ সাহায্য ও সংকটের রাজনৈতিক সমাধানের কমনস সভার কার্যবিবরণী ৮ জুন, ১৯৭১ ব্যাপারে বৃটিশ সরকারের ভূমিকাঃ পররাষ্ট্র সচিবের বক্তব্য ও তৎসংক্রান্ত বিতর্ক EAST PAKISTAN The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Sir Alec Douglas-Home): With your permission, Mr. Speaker, and that of the House, I should like to make a statement. Since the House debated the situation in Pakistan there has been a serious deterioration due to the flow of refugees from East Pakistan into India. The number is now estimated as upwards of 4 million. It was clear in April that events in East Pakistan could be followed by the gravest consequences, particularly in relation to food supplies. That is why, when the American Secretary of State was here for the South-East Asia Treaty Organisation meeting, we jointly approached the Secretary-General of the United Nations and urged him to establish a United Nations team in East Pakistan so as to estimate future needs and to organise international relief on an adequate scale. To the first appeal for money issued by U Thant in relation to the refugees in India, Her Majesty's Government subscribed £1 million on the following day, the money to be used for that relief which seemed to those on the spot to be most urgent. In addition, we have pledged £750,000 worth of food. Of the contributions made in the two weeks following the appeal, Her Majesty's Government's represented 30 to 40 per cent of the total subscribed. Other countries have subscribed direct to the Indian Government and I am glad to say that more are now subscribing to the United Nations relief effort, but much more is required if the secretary-Generals target of 175 million dollars is to be reached. We have also promised to give more when we are told by those working on the spot what assistance is more urgently required. We made this immediate grant to ensure that the United Nations would not be short of funds and that essential needs would be met while the necessary international organisation was being set up to coordinate relief. With the increasing flood of refugees and the declaration by the Indian Government of a cholera epidemic on 4" June certain priorities can now be identified shelter, medical supplies, transport and food. To help towards the first, the British charities sent tents out as early as 6th may in transport for which Her Majesty's Government have paid. We are now arranging to send large tents from Singapore. As I announced yesterday, we are prepared to pay for cholera vaccine, syringes and saline fluid, so that finance need cause no delay. Two mass injectors, over one million doses of vaccine and a mobile hospital have been dispatched by the