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Refugees from
Afghanistan
Sir, - Widely publicised reports
from the Afghan capital, Kabul, that
the puppet regime of Babrak Karmal
has tightened conscription laws, so
as to keep its Soviet military "ad-
visers" well stocked with cannon
fodder, should lead us all to ponder
now best Australia can help to al-
leviate the distress of the refugee
population in Pakistan, whose num-
bers this latest barbaric move will
undoubtedly boost.
A certain proportion of these new
refugees will be rural-dwelling
tribespeople, with neither the cul-
tural preparation nor the inclination
to take up residence in a Western
country.
Financial assistance to those relief
agencies which are labouring desper-
ately to ensure that these un-
fortunate people receive enough
food, shelter, clothing, and medical
treatment would be one in which the
Australian Government could help.
However, as the Karma! regime is
virtually impotent outside the capi-
tal, the burden of its new policy will
certainly fall with particular force on
educated Kabulis, who are likely to
constitute a disproportionately large
group within the new refugee out
flow.
Australia can best help this group
by augmenting material aid with a
humane and generous attitude
towards that fraction of the group
who may wish to come to Australia.
Some within the group will have
relatives in Australia, and to deny
them the right to come here to join
their relatives by the application of
arcane criteria designed for less
traumatic circumstances would be
an act of the grossest inhumanity.
Others within the group will have
skills which leave them well fitted to
become members of the Australian
community.
We owe all these people the sensi-
tivity we would expect ourselves in
comparable circumstances, sensi-
tivity such as that displayed by the
Turkish Government, which has re-
settled 4,000 Kirghiz driven from
the Wakhan corridor by communist
forces. We should never, never send
to know for whom the bell tolls.
BILL MALEY
Reid.
$