বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ ত্রয়োদশ খণ্ড
| শিরোনাম | সূত্র | তারিখ |
| বাংলাদেশের পরিস্থিতির উপর ষাট ব্যক্তির প্রতিবেদন | অক্সফাম রিপোর্ট | ২১ অক্টোবর, ১৯৭১ |
THE TESTIMONY OF 60 ON THE CRISIS IN BENGAL
(Compiled by H. Leslie Kirkley, C.B.E., Director, Oxfam, Oxford, October 21,1971).
Sixty men and women have been to, seen and lived in a situation which has been referred to as “defying description'. This is their attempt to describe it. It is their record, their voice, their testimony of a tragedy.
Senator Edward Kennedy and Mother Teresa are known to the world. Others are international journalists testifying specially for this document Michael Brunson (ITN) Clare Hollingworth (Daily Telegraph), Claude Mosse (Radio Suisse), Frederick Nassall (Toronto Telegram), John Pilger (Daily Mirror), Nicholas Tomalin (Sunday Times). Yet others are experienced relief workers from British, European, North American and Indian organizations. All have freely and generously given their time and their energy.
They are eyewitnesses, and the story they tell is horrifying. It is a story of millions hounded, homeless, and dying. It is too a story of the world community engaged in a communal ostrich act.
Perhaps it is that the world does not know. Then let the facts speak. Perhaps it is that we just cannot comprehend the extent of the disaster. A population the size of Sweden and New Zealand together have already fled from their homeland. Millions more who remain now face famine. It does not bear thinking about. But we must. If a small girl can write to Oxfam and say “We decided to help. We raised altogether £56.15. We are all about 9/2", then surely to God world governments can think in the terms necessary. In the name of the hundreds of thousands who have given and will go on giving through Oxfam and similar agencies throughout the world, I put forward the following appeal with all my heart:
Of the British Government -I ask for an immediate new sum of £25 million for refugee relief. Britain has given, but nowhere near the scale the situation warrants. A further £25 million would mean that Britain had covered about one month's refugee costs. It is the least we can do as a nation.
Of the world community-I ask that the United Nations General Assembly, now meeting, should immediately appoint a special executive group of five, under the personal chairmanship of the Secretary-General, with authority to ensure the urgent funding and implementation of the relief programmes for India and East Pakistan. I further plead that every Government freely contributes all appropriate resources at its disposal to this vital humanitarian operation.
Of the Pakistan authorities and the Mukti Bahini-I ask for their full acceptance and encouragement of a comprehensive UN famine-relief programme and the creation of conditions genuinely compatible with the return of refugees to their homes.
