tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6772259882748892857.post3447470336286506543..comments2023-07-07T18:34:09.628+06:00Comments on Bangladesh War Crimes Tribunal: How many were killed in the 1971 war?David Bergmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02674636000068693356noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6772259882748892857.post-45431369734317548132014-12-06T15:21:27.673+06:002014-12-06T15:21:27.673+06:00http://en.sachalayatan.com/node/48186http://en.sachalayatan.com/node/48186fardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13328106571346446932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6772259882748892857.post-6468064455604570732014-11-30T00:32:19.138+06:002014-11-30T00:32:19.138+06:00You refute Mofidul Huq's population census bas...You refute Mofidul Huq's population census based analysis (and a similar analysis published in a blog) using the following two logics:<br /><br />1. The blog is based on UN estimates of population which is based on 1974 population census. You mention that the blog does not capture the under-count of 1974 census and quote the following line from the book titled 'Estimates of Recent Trends in Fertility and Mortality in Bangladesh' (p.15): "'Looking at the population as a whole, the post enumeration check for the 1974 census indicated an under enumeration of 19.3 per cent in the four major towns and 6.5 percent elsewhere, giving an adjusted population of 76,938,000 for 1 March 1974". You analyze that if the population of 1974 were indeed 5 million higher than 71.4 million, the "the missing figure" in 1971 would have been smaller.<br /><br />2. Mofidul Huq's analysis is based on poor census data.<br /><br />I agree that both Mofidul Huq's data and the blog's analysis are indeed hypothesis, not proofs. In flact, the blog itself explicitly mentions that the author would like other statisticians to dig deep into "the missing figure" of 1970-75 period and much more work needs to be done. However, your analysis is weak from two perspectives:<br /><br />1. First, you quote a line from that book ('Estimates of ... Bangladesh') to show the flaws of the blog's analysis but you do not mention the next lines that come after this. Those lines mention, "However, not much confidence can be felt in these estimates, ..... Because questions of the relative accuracy of census enumeration remain unresolved, we hav used unadjusted population figures for each census year throughout this report".<br /><br />In other words, the authors themselves do not agree with the 'undercount' mentioned by the post enumeration checks and they use 71.4 million, instead of 76.4 million, in their analysis. And if 1974's population were indeed closer to 71.4 million, then the 'high missing figure' predicted by Mofidul Huq & the blog's author has indeed reasonable merit.<br /><br />2. Secondly, you dismiss census data (i.e. Mofidul Huq's analysis) as a means for finding 'the missing figure' of 1971 death toll. But you ignore the fact that census data has been used to estimate the death toll in some other wars, e.g. American Civil War (http://www.nytimes.com/.../civil-war-toll-up-by-20...). Hence, a thorough study, based on Mofidul Huq's 'first order hypothesis' could give us an idea about the range of death toll in 1971.Rumihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00379490757351004531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6772259882748892857.post-90278569403820867472014-03-22T12:31:12.301+06:002014-03-22T12:31:12.301+06:00With regard to the Hamoodur Rehman Commission'...With regard to the Hamoodur Rehman Commission's assertion that "so much damage could not have been caused by the entire strength of the Pakistan Army then stationed in East Pakistan, even if it had nothing else to do," it is worth noting that immense death tolls can be exacted by relatively small forces, especially if victim populations are (or can be rendered) dense and highly concentrated. Only about 3,000 members of the Nazis' Einsatzgruppen, for example, were principally responsible for the mass murder of 1.5 million Jews (and many others) on the eastern front during 1941-42 -- the so-called "Holocaust by bullets." The numbers of Hutu army and militia forces in Rwanda in 1994 was also small compared to the number of West Pakistani troops and allied paramilitaries available in 1971, yet they killed up to a million people in just twelve weeks.Adam Jones, Ph.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02040417664765882878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6772259882748892857.post-17119077230089172462013-03-08T15:45:34.942+06:002013-03-08T15:45:34.942+06:00Independent researchers say around 300,000 (3 lacs...Independent researchers say around 300,000 (3 lacs) to 500,000 (5 lacs) died in 1971 Bangladesh war, then why common people in Bangladesh are misguided by their establishment and some from Inida that the numbers were around 3 millions? Independent researchers, R J Rummel for exammple, estimated that 150,000 non-Bengals were massacred by Awami League aligned militias, with a low estimate of 50,000 and a high estimate of 500,000. Why the common people in Bangladesh are being ignorant of this fact that Awami League aligned militia Mukti Bahini may have killed 500,000 (5 lacs) innocent non-Bengalis (Pakistanis) civilians? Indeed Pakistan army and some politicians of west Pakistan of that time made some serious mistakes and they should apologize to the people of Bangladesh for it but why common people in Bangladesh are not ashamed of the mass killings of innocent non Bangalis Pakistani civilians during the same war?<br />Get more information from the following links:<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocides_in_history<br /><br />http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13417170<br /><br />http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/05/20115983958114219.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6772259882748892857.post-90311478353132232572013-03-08T00:38:49.044+06:002013-03-08T00:38:49.044+06:00One of my friend has serious concerns about your q...One of my friend has serious concerns about your quote: "Much less has been written about the issue of rapes in Bangladesh but I think it is fair to see there is doubt about the accuracy of this figure. The Australian based academic, Bina D'Costa, who is amongst the few who has researched this area in some detail, thinks that this number is ‘too high’. From interviews of those involved in the abortion and the adoption programme that took place in Bangladesh after the war, she considers that ’25,000 forced pregnancies is correct’, though she accepted this may be a ‘rather conservative estimate.'<br /><br />It is even less likely that we will ever have an accurate figure of the number of women raped in 1971. But even assuming D'Costa's estimate is correct, 25,000 rapes is a huge number.""<br /><br />His concern #1 is: How can you (David Bergman) mix up the number of raped women with the number of impregnates ( the number counted as who went for abortion)?<br /><br />His concern #2 is: You refer to Bina D'costa but he doesn't find where D'costa thinks that 'the number is too high! Instead she refers [Ref. 2] to Susan Brownmiller who states in her book [Ref 1] that the number of impregnated women is 25000 number of raped women is between 2,00,000 - 4,00,000 number of people died is around 30,000,000.<br /><br />Ref 1. Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape (P 76:84) - Susan Brownmiller, 1975 http://www.scribd.com/doc/90343144/Against-Our-Will<br /><br />http://www.drishtipat.org/1971/war-susan.html<br /><br />Ref 2. War Babies: the question of national honour - Bina D’Costa http://www.drishtipat.org/1971/docs/warbabies_bina.pdf<br /><br />What would you say in response?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6772259882748892857.post-80388585859618035452013-03-01T03:40:57.762+06:002013-03-01T03:40:57.762+06:00Very insightful. Gives a balanced perspective. Tha...Very insightful. Gives a balanced perspective. Thanks.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01187258115764569635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6772259882748892857.post-69496494504113168112013-02-28T22:10:54.939+06:002013-02-28T22:10:54.939+06:00Can you provide the reference for the following st...Can you provide the reference for the following statement? ".. points to the census data of June 1969 which, he says, estimated the population to have been 69.8 million with a growth rate of 2.8%.".<br /><br />As far as I know, there was no census in 1969. How did they estimate this particular number?<br /><br />Overall, can you include references for all the sources that you have used? This will help us find the original sourcesRumihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00379490757351004531noreply@blogger.com