Strider     Magazine
 

No 3

 

Bridging the gap 

 
December 2001 

 

Here at the Work for the Dole Internet Magazine Course we all were given an option to write an article about anything. ANYTHING. Now that is a hard one. I have never written a story in my life and I’m finding it really difficult, but also challenging. My article is about the original boatpeople from Vietnam, how they were treated and what actually happened.

At present time there has been a lot of talk and different opinions in the way the boatpeople from Tampa were treated. Some say we should have taken the refugees straight in without any delay, some say we cannot afford it. Makes you wonder though, when you actually talk to someone who knows what being one of the boatpeople is really like. There are refugees that come here and say they are persecuted in their own country because of their religious or political beliefs, but there are also refugees that come here for the good life. My article is not about these people. My article IS about people who are persecuted, ridiculed, tortured, tormented, and who won’t be given a FAIR GO to make something out of themselves in their own countries.

 

What actually happened in Vietnam?

After the fall of Saigon in the summer of 1975, hundreds of thousands of people began fleeing the country for fear of political persecution. They were all secretly escaping the country in small, rickety and unseaworthy wooden boats across the Gulf of Thailand or the South China Sea. Most were completely unsuited to the open sea, giving rise to the term “Boat People”. Some even escaped by foot through the Cambodian jungle.

Thousands had died due to diseases or at the hand of pirates, vanished without a trace at the cruel and unforgiving sea, victims of pirates who raped and tortured all old and young women on board while their fathers, husbands, and/or brothers stood helpless. Any men who dared to protest will be beaten, tortured and sometimes got thrown off the boat. Young women were sometimes abducted. Some were taken to Kra Island off the eastern Coast of Southern Thailand, were they were hunted and assaulted by pirates who returned day after day. On this tiny island 160 refugees died in just 12 months, 1250 were rescued.

Many had lost their direction and wandered on the immense and cruel sea without food, water and gas to continue. Over a quarter of a million people including children and women had buried their lives at the sea, some were barely alive when they were fortunate to be picked up by passing ships. So what’s the powerful motivation that sent these people to the edge of hell? They simply wanted the freedom to discuss and criticize, to worship as they please, freedom to earn a decent living, and to live under a just and fair government.

 

 

Before I met Lang I had no idea what even the term “boatpeople” really meant. Now I’m ashamed of not knowing before. Lang is one of the original boatpeople, she escaped Vietnam in 1982. Lang told me her story and it really touched me, actually it brought me to tears. Lang is one of the kindest, most gentle woman I have met in my life, and I had no idea she was carrying this kind of burden, so much sadness in her life, and still she manages to go on and has made a good life to herself and her family.

 

LANG - SURVIVOR'S STORY

  What was your reason for leaving Vietnam?

I left because of political reasons. Once the communist power took over the government told me what to do, and I didn't have a choice. That also meant I wasn't going to get an education, I was put to work, to labor.

  Who organized your journey and how much did it cost at the time?

Everyone who wanted to leave worked on the boat together and people gave what they could, for example someone had a hoist, wood etc. The organizer was paid by my mother who sold her jewelry, including her wedding ring, and other items to raise the money. Payment was 5oz of gold.

  What was the journey itself like?

Me and my younger sister, who came with me, had to wait all night till 2:00 am at a cemetery until a man came for us. It was very dangerous; the police would have shot us if they'd seen us. He took us to a small boat that was waiting on the shore, and we were taken to a bigger boat that was waiting further in the ocean. Even the bigger boat was only about 6 metres long. Originally there was going to be 20 people on the boat, but the number rose to 82. The boat was too crowded we couldn't move. We took water and rice with us for the trip but we had to throw the rice overboard, the boat was just too heavy to carry everything. I was so scared. The only thing we could do was wait. This went on for 3 months.

  Did you come to Australia direct?

No. First we landed in Hong Kong, and we were taken to a refugee camp called Chimawan. The conditions there were quite awful, partly because the camp was first opened only about a month ago. We were given three meals a day, but we could only shower once a week and Cimawan was in general a very primitive place to stay. Many people got sick with skin diseases. My sister and me stayed there for 3 months, and from there we were taken to another camp, Jubilee, to wait for a flight to Australia. We stayed there for 2 months and at that time we were treated quite well.

  Did your family come with you, if not, where are they now?

My mother, two brothers and one sister had to be left behind in Vietnam, my mother couldn't afford to pay for everyone's trip. Ten years ago I sponsored my mother and brothers to come to Australia. My sister is still in Vietnam, she wants to leave and is very unhappy there, but she has 5 children and leaving is very hard.

  What was it like when you finally made it to Australia, and how were you viewed by Australians?

I was so happy because I had freedom! I could talk about anything I wanted, even the government, and not get in trouble. First we stayed in a hostel for 3 months to save some money, and then we rented an apartment in Malvern. Australians were kind towards us, specially I remember an older couple living close to us, they used to come over and teach English to my sister and support us in many ways. After we rented the apartment I went to school and got myself an education.

  Did you get any assistance from the government?

First when I came here social security helped me and when I went to school I got AUSTUDY.

  What do you think of your life right now?

I'm Happy! I have good people around me, a good job, lovely husband and two beautiful girls. I have a right to make my own decisions and I have a good life! And what is the most important is that I have freedom.