পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (ত্রয়োদশ খণ্ড).pdf/৩৫৭

বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ ত্রয়োদশ খন্ড শিরোনাম সূত্র তারিখ ভারতের বাংলাদেশের শরনার্থীঃ কেনেডীর সিনেটের কার্যবিবরণীকা ২ জুন, ১৯৭১ বক্তৃতা ও চিঠি June 2, 1971 S. 800? CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE PAKHSTANI REFUGEES IN INDIA Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, the number of East Pakistan refugees in India is now over 4,000,000-and the influx continues upward to 100,000 per day. Same 3,000,000 of these refugees are concentrated in the area of Calcutta in the State of West Bengal. The rest are found in other Indian areas bordering East Pakistan, with most of them in the west of Tripura-whose normal population of some 1,500,000 has been increased by at least one-third. Some of the refugees are being welcomed into the homes of relatives. But the bulk of them are found in makeshift camps near the border, in public buildings such as schools, or in open fields. Reports indicate that some 70 percent of the refugees are women and small children. Conditions among the refugees are grim. Their need for food, shelter, clothing, and medical care is great. And the prospect of their repatriation is not in sight. The estimated cost of caring for these refugees varies with the source and the standards used. The Indian Government puts the cost of feeding 4,000,000 refugees for 3 months at some $40,000,000 to $45,000,000-or some $78,000,000 to $92,000,000 for 6 months. This estimate is based on a daily diet of over 2,000 calories per refugee. The world Food Program puts the cost at some $32,000,000 to $36,000,000 for 3 months-or $65,000,000 to $ 72,000,000 for 6 months. This estimate is based on a daily diet of over 1,600 calories per refugee. Our own Government, using a daily diet of 1,600 calories per refugee, is estimating it will cost some $30 million to feed 4 million refugees for 3 months-and some $60 million for 6 months. The State Department informs me that our own Government is prepared to carry up to 50 per cent of this estimated cost. To date, however, only $2.5 million has been allocated. In this connection, U.S. voluntary agencies-including CARE, Catholic Relief Services, and Church World Services/Lutheran World. Federation-are currently feeding some 280,500 refugees under aid authorization. Subject to the availability of food, however, these agencies have a capacity to feed some 1.5 million persons. On April 23, the Government of India appealed to the United Nations for international humanitarian assistance. Today, nearly 6 weeks later, international relief operations are not underway-and. regrettably, in response to inquiries neither the United Nations nor our own Government is willing to say when these operations will begin. Meanwhile, the Indian