From the Director of Oxfam
Sir. I feel compelled to reinforce Bernard Braine's plea (article, September 1) that “the international community intervenes now” to avert total famine in East Pakistan.

This situation is clearly beyond the control of individuals and private agencies, but there is a role for lesser groups to continue pressure for governmental and international action which could stave off famine now.

People must care sufficiently to supply their governments with the will to spend the people’s money in the common cause of fighting famine, no matter in what land that ugly spectre launches its bitterest attacks.

The food situation in East Pakistan is already precarious. One family visited by an Oxfam representative was sheltering 81 displaced persons—within East Pakistan itself, let it be clear.

The danger is further aggravated by floods, high tides, and also by the fact that the British Parliament is not in session for this is a most important forum in maintaining public awareness and goading action at highest levels.

Indeed the greatest problem is not the material shortage, which this technological generation could adequately combat, but the twin problems of starting up the lumbering machine of international compassion and then maintaining public and government interest. Refugees who are hungry today are likely to be hungry every day for a long time. Public response is inclined to be in the form of one instinctive donation and then forgetfulness.

Since July 26, tractors of the consortium of British charities — Christian Aid, Oxfam, and War on Want—have been ploughing land in East Pakistan to help boost the flagging harvest. Is it too much to expect that now at this late hour the “international community” might be expected to step in with aid not tailored to the dictum “how much can we afford?” but related to the positive “How much is needed?”

In today's narrowing world none of us can wash his hands of the hunger pangs of the starving children and old people in East Pakistan, whatever our views of the political situation there. And the world has only a week or two left in which to act.
Yours, etc.
H L. KIRKLEY, Director,
Oxfam,
274 Banbury Road. Oxford.
September 2






From Mr A. J. Vlassopulos
Sir. Recently there have been many articles and letters passing through your columns regarding the tragedy of East Pakistan. Bernard Braine whose article you publish today, like so many others, has failed to find out what is actually happening now in East Pakistan with regard to relief. Normally there is a steady monthly flow of wheat and rice from the west coast of Pakistan from the port of Karachi to East Pakistan which is arranged and paid for by the Government in West Pakistan. In addition to this movement there is a steady flow of rice from Burma, Japan and China, and large quantities of coal, which are absolutely vital, flow regularly from China to East Pakistan.

Since the tragedy there has been an enormous increase in the fixing of ships for the transport of wheat and rice from Karachi to Chalna and Chittagong. It totals hundreds of thousands of tons in the last two months. I have not mentioned in addition the aid so generously provided by the American Government under their PL 480 programme which has also recently been stepped up and amounts again to hundreds of thousands of tons. All these cargoes have gone to East Pakistan.

We are, and have been for many years, particularly involved in all these shipments to and from Pakistan and we issued a statement printed in your columns on July 14, 1971, regarding these first increased shipments after the turmoil. Now, if all this grain and rice is going to East Pakistan it cannot take much to understand that unless the vessels arriving are dumping their cargoes in the sea, there must already be a system lor transferring the grain and rice from large to small ships.

We have been involved in this highly technical manoeuvre for many years, in fact, we were the initiators of the system for unloading bulk wheat in East Pakistan. I can assure you that vessels are turning around in Chittagong quicker than they have done for a long time. My East Pakistan business associates, a representative of whom was here in London last week, tell me that the ports of Chittagong and Chalna are working extremely well despite the recent circumstances.

Again, through the generous aid of the United States Government amounting to a million dollars, the Pakistanis have recently bought many 1,000 ton carrying capacity shallow drafted vessels from all over the world to run up and down the waterways that Mr Braine mentions in his article. The system obviously is by no means perfect. East Pakistan always has and in my view always will be an impossible area to feed by its very position and by the distribution of the population let alone the disruption regularly caused by cyclonic and monsoon periods.

I have no reason to support the West Pakistan Government but I have been doing business with them for many years and all that I have said in this letter are facts which can easily be checked and I think it is time somebody was allowed to say what is being done by the West for the Eastern Province.
Yours faithfully.
A. J. VLASSOPULOS. Director
Ney Shipping Ltd.
24 Lime Street, EC3
September 1.