"Someone told them that we had received compensation from the UK, but it is not true. Where things are going right, the success stories - of giddy growth, sudden wealth and market domination - entirely justify the country's image as the nascent superpower of the 21st century. "Tens of thousands of illegal Chinese workers were living in the country," he said. In any case, she says, her son no longer wants to go to school. It is not that I don't want to pay. I hope he is able to escape deep into the comic books he reads as his mother tells me of a disaster followed by a tragedy followed by years of hopelessness. But because the victims were all illegal migrants, their dependants have received no compensation, meagre charity, and endured such appalling harassment from debt collectors that several have been driven from their homes and at least one woman has killed herself. They cook a little extra and bring some for us. Chief executive Paul Broadbent said it was making progress to ensure "exploitation in all its forms was eradicated and people can work for a good honest wage and get paid that wage". "We are really poor. [19] This song was later covered by folk musician Christy Moore.[20]. I thought I might just as well wait to die. He makes no first impression, creates no fuss, just sits quietly waiting for his chance to speak while others are pulling at the heartstrings. Mr Hua agreed to be interviewed and talk about the disaster almost 10 years on. He would be reunited with his wife as soon as hed found somewhere of his own to live, he was told. A month or two after arriving, he was dead - the youngest of the Morecambe victims. Memories of the, UKmigrants no different to Brits abroad, says home office minister, Don't claim we didn't act on gangmasters after Morecambe Bay, Cameron to push for cap on European migrants in UK negotiations with EU, Seasonal migrant workers scheme closes to help British into work, Newfigures reveal dramatic increase in hate crimes against Polish people, UKmust end dependency on low-wage foreign labour, says Ed Miliband, Home Office 'did not predict huge surge in immigration visas for entrepreneurs', EdMiliband promises to close loophole allowing exploitation of foreign workers, Romanians and Bulgarians in the UK react to immigration furore. At the moment, it is impossible. My children are suffering. A NORTH West Tory MP remained defiant today over an offensive joke about the Chinese cockle pickers who drowned in Morecambe Bay. Last time I was back there, word quickly got round and before I knew it there were 10 of them pressing me to repay our debts. Cheetham says the Gangmasters Licensing Act, passed in 2004 after the tragedy, hasn't changed things much. It is as if they have fallen into a crevasse between justice and charity, from which there is no way out. Yet many of the underlying causes, and especially the role of gangmasters, remain unresolved. I can't sleep with worry." ", Among all the people I meet in Fujian, Lin has come the furthest to talk but appears to have the lowest expectations. The creator, artist Anthony Padgett stated that the sculpture was designed to inspire walkers venturing along the bay. But they are not stupid. The media go wild, she says, about the inflow of migrants, but what they should be talking about is migrants' rights. On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. Thanks to satellites and modern communications, the bad luck bounced across the globe almost instantly. These workers had no knowledge of the sea and hadn't been given any safety equipment or guidance by their gangmaster. [7] Four of the victims died after the truck they used to reach the cockling area became overwhelmed by water. The monthly interest, 1,000 yuan (66), is three times Lin's rent. He does everything he is told without complaint or enthusiasm. I am paralysed most of the time. Most are of her wedding. "They lent us money because they sympathised with our poverty. 2023 BBC. it says. The dangers of Morecambe Bay, where 23 Chinese cocklers lost their lives in 2004, include fast-rising tides and quicksands. Select from premium Cockle Pickers Work At Morecambe Bay of the highest quality. [12], The 2006 film Ghosts, directed by Nick Broomfield, is a dramatisation of the events leading up to the disaster. Worries about the future contrast sharply with the upbeat mood in Fujian. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The creditors have taken over the dead couple's house, using it as a storeroom for their goods. All were working illegally, picking cockles for hours on end to send money back to their families. [12] Lin Mu Yong was sentenced to four years and nine months. But he lost his life, and now Zhou has not only to look after their son and daughter, but also a sick brother-in-law. When he died it was such a loss. Morecambe Bay's cockling industry was catapulted into the national spotlight 15 years ago under disastrous circumstances. VideoOn board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry, I didnt think make-up was made for black girls, Why there is serious money in kitchen fumes. "It won't be easy," says David Tang, the London lawyer who represents the victims. But now she is furious at those who have left her alone with such a burden. But 5,000 miles away in Fujian province . It is not just economic hardship that drives them, he says, but also tradition and a spirit of adventure. VideoOn board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry, I didnt think make-up was made for black girls, Why there is serious money in kitchen fumes. They did not do anything illegal once they got to the UK. He wants to quit school and start work so that he can begin repaying the debt. They have had to move. I was on my own and then a helicopter came.". Their father had died in an accident several years earlier, leaving the family deep in debt. It was their gangmaster, however, and a wider web of criminals, that truly profited while paying scant regard to the cockle pickers' safety on the sands. Zhao Xiao Qing was sentenced to 2 years and 9 months for facilitation of illegal immigration and perverting the course of justice. Photograph: Jonathan Watts, Audio slideshow: Jonathan Watts visits the families of the cockle pickers who died at Morcambe Bay three years ago. 17 cockle pickers of eastern European origin were saved at the River . My uncle, auntie and grandfather help me. Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. ", She shows me a letter she received from her husband before he died. The hon. The uncle, who earns 1,500 yuan per month, has repaid 20,000 yuan, but still owes 150,000. The headlines from China were full of disbelief. "The Chinese workers were caught up in it," said local fisherman Gary Cheetham. The Chinese cockle pickers died in 2004 when they were caught in the rising tide at Bolton-le-Sands near Morecambe, Lancashire. Siblings Cai Zhixiang and Cai Huiling were orphaned by the Morecambe tragedy. Police said they were part of a money-laundering gang that made 4m and had assets in the UK, Thailand and Norway. [6] All the bodies were found between the cockling area and shore, indicating that most had attempted to swim but had been overcome by hypothermia. On surrounding plots of land, meanwhile, neighbours are erecting huge new villas with the money sent back by family members overseas. She is the stalwart of her family: a doughty, intelligent woman with the only skilled, white-collar job among all the people that we have been meeting. Det Sgt Derek Tinsley said: "[The Li sisters] clearly have no remorse for the way in which they obtained this money and wasted no time in trying to spend it on their release from prison. I was just numb then, I don't know how, a wave maybe turned me round. "I work on a construction site from time to time, mixing concrete," she says, her dialect so heavy that even the interpreter has difficulty understanding; her words need to be translated into standard Mandarin before they can be retranslated into English for me. Dependant Son Xu Bin, 17 Debt More than 200,000 yuan (13,250) Monthly income 1,200 yuan (80). "I worry about their future," says the uncle. The only contribution we made to the families is that because we did recover the people we gave them some closure - rather than people being lost at sea.". In the Channel 4 documentary Benefits Street, viewers saw a group of Romanian workers who were owed wages by their gangmaster, who also held their passports. [18], The 2007 folk song "On Morecambe Bay" by folk artist Kevin Littlewood tells the story of the events. "From time to time I wake up in the night with a panic attack and remember them. Video, On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry, Met Gala 2023: Stars celebrate Karl Lagerfeld, Shooting suspect was deported four times - US media, Yellen warns US could run out of cash in a month, King Charles to wear golden robes for Coronation, HSBC says 1 bank buyout boosted profit by $1.5bn, More than 100 police hurt in French May Day protests. "I stayed in my husband's home for a while. Those who sent them to their deaths have not been punished as much as us." This crude architectural hierarchy marks Zhou Xiaomei out as a failure. "Maybe when the children are older, they can work and pay off our debts. They were cut off by the incoming tide in the bay around 9:30 p.m. "The only way I can bear life now is to imagine that he is still alive.". Su Zhenqin has seen her life go backwards since the Morecambe deaths on the night of February 5 2004. You must go around the back of Red Bank Farm and it is a sharp left up on the on the banking, looking over the Bay. The GLA has had some success in dismantling crime rings in Cambridgeshire, Derby and Norfolk, yet the scale of the problem seems beyond its reach. Dependants Wife Chen Yanchun, son Song Xinyao, 17, and the family's two grandmothers Debt 240,000 yuan (15,900) Monthly income 500 yuan (33). ", Dependants Wife Chen Jinyun and sons Lin Luan, 19, and Lin Huan, 18 Debt More than 100,000 yuan (6,625) Monthly income 600 yuan (40), Chen Jinyun is on the run. Apart from the senior hovercraft commander, many of the crew on that particular night on the hovercraft hadn't seen bodies in the water before.". It contains 10 pictures. The death of 19 cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay has added to its reputation for being a deadly area for the unwary. The UK Fujian Association gave 10,000 yuan (about 660) to many of the victims, but this was barely enough to pay for the funerals. Mr Guy said: "At that stage they effectively came into a sea of bodies. He has seen what they are like when they are here.". He said: "I think a lot about those who didn't survive, particularly at Chinese New Year, because it happened around that time. It was unbearable," recalls Lin in a matter-of-fact voice as her own mother sobs at her side. Now we are on our own. I can't afford to go to hospital for the surgery I need so I just sit at home waiting to die. Sinking water, sinking water.". Education - supposedly free - costs more than 2,000 yuan (132) a year. The smuggled Fujianese headed directly to the sources of wealth, including Europe. Today marks 15 years since 23 people died in the Morecambe Bay cockling disaster. All she does all day is collect rubbish for recycling so we can get a little extra money," explains Chen. Inside Out talks to Li Hua, the only cockle picker to be rescued alive from the Morecambe Bay cockling tragedy 10 years ago, "But the water was flooding so quickly some were dragged right away under the water.". The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The deaths 10 years ago of 23 Chinese cockle pickers who were searching for a "better life" has had a lasting effect on all those associated with the disaster in Morecambe Bay. Only 21 bodies were recovered following the Morecambe Bay tragedy but police believe 23 people died. In 2006, the average rural income in the province was 4,450 yuan (270 pounds) a year, one-third higher than the Chinese norm - but little more than 1% of most British salaries. She breaks down again. It is very hard to make a living here. He believes the small gangmasters not following the rules may get caught, but the large ones are still out there. Sinking water, sinking water.". His wife joined him after local snakeheads told her that migrant men find mistresses if they are separated from their spouses for too long. We must go on. On 5 February, Chinese cockle pickers were at work in the dark but facing the incoming tide. The uncle, Chen Minyi, said he could not afford to keep them both, so the son stays with another aunt. Almost a decade after the disaster, Mr Hua said he still has panic attacks. Read about our approach to external linking. Ghosts is a 2006 drama film directed by Nick Broomfield, based on the 2004 Morecambe Bay cockling disaster. That anger grew as it became clear how desperate the victims' lives had been. "The tragic deaths of twenty-three young Chinese cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay on the Lancashire coast have been attributed to the machinations of global capitalism. Xu Liying knows just how hard life can be without any support from society, the state or charity. She really got on well with her son-in-law and now he is gone, she knows what problems we face.". Research led by Durham University last year found evidence that the numbers of people trafficked for labour exploitation would soon exceed those brought to the country for sexual exploitation. I know it would influence them in a bad way. But, unlike his father, he refused to accept that poverty was his lot in life. Bo and Yan Li were jailed in 2009 for a scam linked to the deaths of the cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay in 2004. 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Su owes more than other families because she had to pay the snakeheads twice: once to get her husband to Germany and then, when he found no work there, to get him to Britain. The authorities in Beijing have washed their hands of the matter. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? "I adopted him as my son, but I am worried about his future," sobs his aunt. She shows me two photos of the father, Xu Yuhua, and mother, Liu Qinying, taken a week or so before the disaster. Mr Guy said: "At that stage they effectively came into a sea of bodies. "Building up hidden communities and building a life below official recognition.". "Our thoughts really are of sadness for the families. He said the team on the hovercraft covering Arnside in Cumbria began their "normal search patterns" when they made the grim discovery of the bodies. When 23 Chinese cockle pickers died at Morecambe Bay in 2004, the gangmaster was caught and convicted, bodies were repatriated, the disaster tidied away. Her miserable red-brick cottage grovels at the feet of neighbouring multi-storeys - designed in a European style with Greek pillars and pediments. By The Newsroom. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). Almost a year on, it has collected only 20,000, including 5,000 that ITV donated after its recent Bafta. But they need education to lift them to a level where one of them can repay the debt, which will be passed on to the sons - as is customary in this part of the world. He earned a lot in his first year and wrote to say that he was happy in Britain. He died in Lancashire, so his mother killed herself in Fujian. The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority has reaffirmed its commitment to protecting vulnerable and exploited workers on the 15 th anniversary of the Morecambe Bay cockling disaster.. Twenty-three Chinese cockle pickers drowned after being trapped by incoming tides off the Lancashire coast on the evening of 5 February 2004, with a further 15 surviving. Li was lifted by violent waves as he struggled to swim against the tide. (modern), The dangers of Morecambe Bay, where 23 Chinese cocklers lost their lives in 2004, include fast-rising tides and quicksands. "If someone goes abroad, everybody in the neighbourhood lends them money because they believe they will be repaid in three or four years," Chen says. On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. . It was the eight-year-old who found the body. Mick Gradwell, the detective who led the investigation into the tragedy, said criminals were funnelling 1m per day to China by exploiting workers all around England. The remit of the GLA, Prof Craig said, should be extended to include industries including "construction, hospitality and leisure and social care". The 21 men and two women were aged between 18 and 45 and were. As they stare into the camera, I notice the painfully inappropriate English slogan emblazoned on her T-shirt. But he also rang home to Fujian. It is as though the Chinese tragedy became a triumph, a vindication of Britain's way of dealing with disaster. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF. ", Dependants Wife Yu Lihong, daughter Guo Yuwei 16, son Guo Minghui 9, Debt 300,000 yuan (20,000) Income 750 yuan (50) per month. She refuses to accept that her son is dead. In Westminster, Mr Sheridan has tabled an early day motion to mark 10 years from the tragedy. "Our thoughts really are of sadness for the families. Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day. Among those who perished were an 18-year-old man and a husband and wife,. Others are furious and threaten to beat me. And they were gone just like that. He must be able to hear everything anyway, if not this time, then on countless previous occasions. The 23 deaths at Morecambe Bay highlighted the serious risks being taken by low-paid workers and the cavalier attitude of those supposedly responsible for them, but in Parliament efforts were already under way to tackle gangmasters. Work on Morecambe's cockle beds has ceased, and at the time action was promised to prevent such a tragedy happening again. The cockle permit scheme, under which holders have to complete a safety course and learn about intertidal fishing, was introduced in December 2003, just eight weeks before the disaster. But she feels a constant pressure. Dependants Wife Su Zhenqin and two daughters aged 10 and 14 Debt 300,000 yuan (19,900) Monthly income 300 yuan (20). "It was very harrowing. Dependants Son Cai Zhixiang, 16, daughter Cai Huiling, 13 Debt 150,000 yuan (9,940) Monthly income 2,000 yuan (132). Ten Thousand Waves, featuring Maggie Cheung as Mazu, is a collaboration with the Chinese poet Wang Ping, whom Julien met in 2006 and brought to Morecambe Bay; she produced a poem that "became . Morecambe's RNLI crew worked for 22 hours during the search and rescue operation. If the creditors saw you they would assume you gave me money and demand I repay them. "My neighbours and relatives help us. "I was just numb..then, I don't know how, a wave maybe turned me round. [16][17], In 2010, artist Isaac Julien released his film Ten Thousand Waves about the disaster. According to the Health and Safety Executive, migrant builders account for 17% of deaths on building sites, though they comprise only 8% of Britain's 2.3 million construction workforce. Eighteen cockle pickers have died after becoming trapped by rising tides in Lancashire's Morecambe Bay. All but two of the bodies have been found, identified and repatriated. Widow Lin Meiqin, who lives in China's Fujian province, has never remarried after her husband Lin YouXing died in the bay at the age of 38. There is usually less risk than for a loan for college or business.". Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. Sometimes, relatives help out so that her children do not starve. Five of them depend on Yu's father's factory salary of 750 yuan. "From time to time I wake up in the night with a panic attack and remember them. Morecambe Bay cockling disaster survivor Li Hua said he thought he "might just as well wait to die" before the emergency helicopter's thermal imaging camera spotted he was alive in the sea, The victims, aged between 18 and 45, were working to send money back to their families, Jurors in the manslaughter trial were taken out on the sands in a hovercraft, Mick Gradwell, who led the police investigation, claimed other similar disasters could occur. "Wait a moment," I interrupt. The widow's house is easy to spot in Shangjiang village. 2023 Atlas Obscura. "We cannot afford gas so I have to go up to the hill to get wood," she sobs. [2] Twenty-one bodies, of men and women between the ages of 18 and 45, were recovered from the bay after the incident. The Morecambe disaster was recognised as a crime by a British court. ITV received a Bafta for its coverage of the seven-month trial, which ended in march last year.
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