Market reforms have produced stunning economic growth and many new millionaires, but they have also eroded access to healthcare and education for the poor. The interview over, I ask if I can take some pictures of the mother, grandmother and son. "So it had a lasting effect on them," he added. Mr Hua said: "It was pitch black and I was desperate. She has not broken any laws, but the death of her husband in Morecambe has made her a fugitive from the family's creditors. And well beyond 2004 cockle pickers have had to be rescued. Sinking water, sinking water.". I can't afford to go to hospital for the surgery I need so I just sit at home waiting to die. All four were convicted of money laundering at Birmingham Crown Court on September 20. The absence of a social welfare net in China drives people overseas and then leaves their families exposed when something goes wrong. "The Chinese workers were caught up in it," said local fisherman Gary Cheetham. "But my mother almost never stops crying. ", She shows me round her home. Romania: Castles, Ruins, and Medieval Villages, Iceland in Summer: Journey Through a Fabled Land, Monster of the Month w/ Colin Dickey: Mokele-Mbembe, Accidental Discoveries: A Celebration of Historical Mistakes, Antiques and Their Afterlives: Stories from the Collection of Ryan and Regina Cohn, Monster of the Month w/ Colin Dickey: Satanists, Once Upon a Time: Fairy Tale Writing With Anca Szilgyi, Gourds Gone Wild: Growing and Crafting Gourds With Gourdlandia, Playing Ancient Games: History & Mythology With John Bucher, Secrets of Tarot Reading: History & Practice With T. Susan Chang, Why 18th-Century Scots Performed Mock Human Sacrifices Over Cake. The Chinese cockle pickers died in 2004 when they were caught in the rising tide at Bolton-le-Sands near Morecambe, Lancashire. Mr Gradwell said while "significant sums" were pocketed by the gangmaster, the cockle pickers earned "a pittance". As we drive away, I notice the propaganda slogan daubed on the walls of her house in big red characters: "Serve Economic Development. The 21 men and two women were aged between 18 and 45 and were. The events of that night left indelible memories for everyone involved - from the sole Chinese survivor and witness - to the lifeboat crew who found themselves confronted by a "sea of bodies". "The brother is 16 and he doesn't study hard. Among those who perished were an 18-year-old man and a husband and wife,. "Our thoughts really are of sadness for the families. What is inside is almost irrelevant. "It was very harrowing. [12] Lin Mu Yong was sentenced to four years and nine months. 2023 BBC. [3] Fourteen other members of the group are reported to have made it safely to the shore, making 15 survivors in total. It contains 10 pictures. She really got on well with her son-in-law and now he is gone, she knows what problems we face.". "I was so tired last year that I had to stop and rest. "Each family lends about 5,000 yuan (330). The young woman shrugs as she ushers her son into the bedroom next door. 2004 mass drowning in Morecambe Bay, England, "Skull found in Morecambe Bay 'belongs to cockle-picker', "Cockle pickers were swimming the wrong direction", "Man Convicted in Shellfish Pickers' Deaths", "Cockler deaths jury shown film of survivor's rescue", "Victims of the sands and the snakeheads", Cocklers tragedy highlights need for high safety standards, "Exhibition: 'Memento', Ed Pien, 24 April - 4 July 2009", BBC report, Cockler gangmaster gets 14 years, The Cod Fisheries: The History of an International Economy, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Morecambe_Bay_cockling_disaster&oldid=1151986537, February 2004 events in the United Kingdom, Illegal immigration to the United Kingdom, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 27 April 2023, at 13:17. It is less than she would earn at a factory, but at least she can stay at home and keep an eye on her son and his grandparents. He would be reunited with his wife as soon as hed found somewhere of his own to live, he was told. Their uncle was too shocked by the size of the burden suddenly thrust upon him to grieve at the loss of his sister. I tell them I am not worth killing. Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. "There is a constant threat and risk of people being abused like this and dying because they're being forced to work in dangerous conditions," he added. It is an impossible burden for a landless farmer who is too old to find work in a factory. Video, On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry, Lin Liang Ren was jailed for 14 years in 2006, Research led by Durham University last year, 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. It is really unfair. Barbara Storey, chair of SOS Polonia, a Polish community organisation in Southampton, said: "Abuse in gang labour is still common in the industries where migrants find work." ", Inside Out talks to Li Hua, the only cockle picker to be rescued alive from the Morecambe Bay cockling tragedy 10 years ago. The Child-Eating Bunyip Haunts Australias Wetlands. "Some are polite. Her brother and his wife were the only couple to die on the Lancashire sands, leaving their son an orphan. On 5 February, Chinese cockle pickers were at work in the dark but facing the incoming tide. At the moment, it is impossible. Mon Nov 15 2004 - 00:00. But they are not stupid. [2] The Chinese workers were unfamiliar with local geography, language, and custom. These lenders, many of whom are poor themselves, charge interest of about 10% a year. Today marks 15 years since 23 people died in the Morecambe Bay cockling disaster. To put her two children through school, she has borrowed more money, taking her debt to more than 300,000 yuan (19,900) . The Chinese workers were unfamiliar with local geography, language, and custom. Back then, I assumed that the cries would end after a few hours or weeks or months. "We will probably never know where the money was hidden for the last few years but we are convinced it was kept from the original people-trafficking operation and other related crime.". In the early negotiations with Mr Chang, the local gang boss, Li was told the journey would take only a few weeks and that, at the end of it, he would be guaranteed work in a factory or restaurant. A memorial garden for the victims of the Morecambe Bay cockling tragedy has been unveiled. Having already cut back its staff (only 37 investigators cover Britain), and with more job cuts expected, the GLA is struggling to carry on operating. I don't want another. They became trapped by rising tides and were swept out to sea. 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. 2023 BBC. Morecambe's RNLI crew worked for 22 hours during the search and rescue operation. (modern), A woman searching for cockles in Fujiyan. "He told us the water was up to his neck and asked us to pray for him," says his wife. 2023 Atlas Obscura. This crude architectural hierarchy marks Zhou Xiaomei out as a failure. 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. An unusual artwork dedicated to a unique man that entertained people visiting Cambridge while raising money for charity. No purchase necessary. Dependant Son Xu Bin, 17 Debt More than 200,000 yuan (13,250) Monthly income 1,200 yuan (80). In March 2006, Ren was jailed for 14 years at Preston Crown Court. "I was on my own And then a helicopter came," he said. The Morecambe Bay victims were aged between 18 and 45, Jurors in the manslaughter trial were taken out on the sands in a hovercraft. If I am dead, I will never be able to repay them.". The cockles to be collected are best found at low tide on sand flats at Warton Sands, near Hest Bank. But they drive her to distraction. "We all came for the same reason. Like most victims, Zhou's husband Cao Chaokun was not well educated. 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. The Gangmasters Licensing Authority is unsurprised. It is very hard to make a living here. If the creditors saw you they would assume you gave me money and demand I repay them. The focus of the family's concern is on the youngest member. The title is a reference to the Cantonese slang term Gweilo (), meaning "ghost man", used for white people . He makes no first impression, creates no fuss, just sits quietly waiting for his chance to speak while others are pulling at the heartstrings. The contrast is visually disturbing, a reminder that China is crushing several centuries of development into a few decades. Their mother, Chen Aiqin, went to work in Britain because she thought it was her family's only chance to escape poverty. "It still makes me sad whenever I come here. Read about our approach to external linking. And Lena Chen - a Chinese woman living in Britain - sends a small amount of money before each spring festival. But I have a few hundred thousand yuan worth of debts. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. [13][14], A 2006 documentary Death in the Bay: The Cocklepickers' Story, was commissioned by Channel 4 as part of The Other Side from local filmmaker Loren Slater, who was one of the first people on the scene. The media go wild, she says, about the inflow of migrants, but what they should be talking about is migrants' rights. She supports a daughter with learning disabilities, an unemployed husband, an elderly father, a sister who became mentally ill after being raped, and, since February 5 2004, a nephew. Police said they were part of a money-laundering gang that made 4m and had assets in the UK, Thailand and Norway. Misery appears to be what he is used to. The authorities in Beijing have washed their hands of the matter. The pair, who operated from houses in the West Midlands, had hidden 22,000 they . "I thought I might just as well wait to die. 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. But it is near the creditors so they used to come knocking all the time. But she had to come back because her children's schoolwork was suffering in her absence. It wasn't the creditors this time. Mr Gradwell claimed other similar disasters could still occur because people are willing to exploit the poorest in society for their own ends. 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.". On the evening of 5 February 2004, at least 21 Chinese illegal immigrants were drowned by an incoming tide at Morecambe Bay in North West England, while harvesting cockles off the Lancashire coast. 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. 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 . Inside this station, the 1945 film "Brief Encounter" is played on a loop daily. Professor Gary Craig, who led the study, said there was a "real problem" getting people to acknowledge that "slavery exists in the UK" and warned there were "accidents waiting to happen". [16][17], In 2010, artist Isaac Julien released his film Ten Thousand Waves about the disaster. [8] A further two cocklers were believed to have been with those drowned, with remains of one being found in 2010. They were each jailed for two years at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF. He said he "kept waving" at the helicopter. Read about our approach to external linking. "Is that near Morecambe?" BRITAIN: The bodies of some of the 23 Chinese cockle-pickers drowned at Morecambe Bay last February finally returned to their home villages last week. One creditor, a cousin, has sued her in court, saying she must remarry to clear her debt. The eldest son has done his best to honour that final wish, but it is becoming more difficult. The RNLI searched the waters to find the cocklers. And on his first day . This month he takes university entrance exams, but his mother says she cannot afford the application fee, let alone the costs of tuition if he gets a place. 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. Photograph: Jonathan Watts, Audio slideshow: Jonathan Watts visits the families of the cockle pickers who died at Morcambe Bay three years ago. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. "One women supports two children and me. Now we are on our own. He said: "The water covered the wheel and the vehicle couldn't move. Is climate change killing Australian wine? But 5,000 miles away in Fujian province, on the south-eastern coast of China, lives are still being sucked into the sands. Money, though, is clearly the main driving force in a country where communist values have long since given way to a dog-eat-dog culture. "It is his debt now. "Shouldn't the boy go and play next door?" And, of course, the debt from the dead woman's passage to Britain still hangs over them. When 23 Chinese cockle pickers died at Morecambe Bay in 2004, the gangmaster was caught and convicted, bodies were repatriated, the disaster tidied away. Mick Gradwell, who has retired from Lancashire Police, said: "You're thrown into investigating international organised crime gangs, snakeheads, triads, international human trafficking. But I got caught trying to enter Japan," he recalls. Is climate change killing Australian wine? He may have been one of those who tried to call the emergency services; their panicked, mixed-up English pleas for help were replayed at the trial. "It was very harrowing. 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. The court heard Freeman removed the money before police were able to catch up with him, and drove it to a house in Solihull where Bo Li's boyfriend, John Bowkett, 65, lived. It is a tale of globalisation, of events on one side of the world rippling to the other and back, each time with tragic consequences. "From time to time I wake up in the night with a panic attack and remember them. Morecambe's RNLI crew worked for 22 hours during the search and rescue operation. "I went myself when I was young. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. In Fujian, a man is judged by the height of his home. In October 2013, it stopped monitoring some industries including forestry or apprenticeships and contract cleaning in the food industry when it should be expanding to include sectors with the worst working conditions. Michael Guy, lifeboat operations manager was on duty that night. I was on my own and then a helicopter came.". It was the only way they could pay for the treatment. He wants to quit school and start work so that he can begin repaying the debt. A tribute to the Morecambe Bay Chinese cockle pickers and the talent of Christy Moore. Chinese cockle pickers who died in Morecambe Bay, northwest England in 2004. I thank him and the Minister for allowing me to speak briefly on this important matter. All rights reserved. On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. "When the GLA was first introduced we were hopeful that it would be extended into other sectors but that's proven not to be the case," he said. Now the creditors never stop bothering us." Cockle picking can be a deadly business however - in February 2004 a group of Chinese immigrants drowned after they were cut off by an incoming tide in Morecambe Bay. One of them, Li Hua, was within seconds of becoming a victim. It is not that I don't want to pay. I was just lucky.". I guess he is also the poorest and least educated. [7] Ren, his girlfriend Zhao Xiao Qing and his cousin Lin Mu Yong were also convicted of breaking immigration laws. A powerful statue sits on Scalestone Point, looking out over Morecambe Bay. Bags of cockles on Morecambe beach as the search mission goes on. 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. Birds have nested in the roof. On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. 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 monthly interest, 1,000 yuan (66), is three times Lin's rent. "They put me in prison for a year. But 5,000 miles away in Fujian province . The court heard three weeks after the sisters were released from prison in 2011, they were arrested in Bath after trying to pass off 20 notes that had been withdrawn from circulation. He does everything he is told without complaint or enthusiasm. This barely covers half the interest payments. "I've been on those sands man and boy What happened that night was not only awful beyond words it was absolutely avoidable Even when the tide hit them, had they had anybody with them, like me, who knows the area, there was still a safe route off the cockle bed They could have walked to safety.". "I adopted him as my son, but I am worried about his future," sobs his aunt. The families' huge debts are now owed to relatives, friends and neighbours. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. "I stayed in my husband's home for a while. 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 Morecambe Bay disaster. "I was on my own And then a helicopter came," he said. The deaths exposed an underground. 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. Congleton MP Ann Winterton stunned an audience at a dinner when . Lin Guohua is at the bottom of the heap. I was just numb then, I don't know how, a wave maybe turned me round. The creator, artist Anthony Padgett stated that the sculpture was designed to inspire walkers venturing along the bay. Only 21 bodies were recovered following the Morecambe Bay tragedy but police believe 23 people died. ", She shows me a letter she received from her husband before he died. "There is a constant threat and risk of people being abused like this and dying because they're being forced to work in dangerous conditions," he added. Almost a decade after the disaster, Mr Hua said he still has panic attacks. "Ha ha, smile!" The headlines from China were full of disbelief. That anger grew as it became clear how desperate the victims' lives had been. Is climate change killing Australian wine? Inside Out is broadcast on Monday 3 February at 19:30 GMT on BBC One North West and nationwide for seven days thereafter on the iPlayer.

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