", Among all the people I meet in Fujian, Lin has come the furthest to talk but appears to have the lowest expectations. Bowkett, from Welford Road in Shirley, was given a six-month community work order and issued with a four-month curfew which bans him from leaving his home between 20:00 and 06:00 GMT. As Yu Lihong starts to recall her mother-in-law's suicide, warm rain thunders down outside the barred, blue-tinted windows of the apartment at the top of the dark staircase, a walk of nine storeys every time the family has to go out to buy some noodles. It is as though the Chinese tragedy became a triumph, a vindication of Britain's way of dealing with disaster. The Praying Shell artwork, carved in limestone, sits above the site where 23 Chinese cockle pickers working for. It took a year to reach Morecambe. A NORTH West Tory MP remained defiant today over an offensive joke about the Chinese cockle pickers who drowned in Morecambe Bay. They have to work hard for their money too." It is the complications that unsettle him. We left our families to make a better life. Dependants Wife Su Zhenqin and two daughters aged 10 and 14 Debt 300,000 yuan (19,900) Monthly income 300 yuan (20). "The families who lent us the money are also poor. ", She shows me round her home. Gentleman will know that on that night 10 years ago, the cockle pickers could just as easily have set off from the Furness end of Morecambe bay, had the tides been . We have noticed that there is an issue with your subscription billing details. Mr Hua was speaking to the BBC under the protection of the government's UK Protected Persons Service. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Michael Guy, lifeboat operations manager was on duty that night. In 2004 23 cockle-pickers drowned after becoming trapped by rising tides in the Lancashire bay. Gone_Gary_T Jazz Record Requests Additional comment actions. I guess he is also the poorest and least educated. Padgett said this about the sculpture, Its symbolism is intended to parallel humanitys openness to a larger dimension and the way cockle shells open as the tide comes in.. 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. The remit of the GLA, Prof Craig said, should be extended to include industries including "construction, hospitality and leisure and social care". Now living under witness protection, he told BBC Inside Out of his "despair" before help arrived. Tide kills 18 cockle pickers. 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. "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. She makes 500 yuan (33) a month doing piecework - hammering the soles of shoes into place on her kitchen table. My son knew that he would never find a bride unless we had our own home, so he went to England to earn enough money to buy one.". His first words are an apology. [7] Ren, his girlfriend Zhao Xiao Qing and his cousin Lin Mu Yong were also convicted of breaking immigration laws. "I was just numb..then, I don't know how, a wave maybe turned me round. The creditors have stopped charging interest, but they are a presence that the children cannot ignore. The workers were all illegal immigrants, mainly from the Fujian province of China, and have been described as being untrained and inexperienced. The 17-year-old's schoolwork is suffering. If anyone gets sick, it will be a total disaster for all of us. Bags of cockles on Morecambe beach as the search mission goes on. Chen's mother wails when she sees me and falls to her knees to beg for help. [15], In 2009, Ed Pien's work Memento, commissioned by the Chinese Arts Centre, was developed in response to the plight of illegal immigrants, especially those who died at Morecambe Bay. Although this was a made-in-China and consummated-in-Britain tragedy, no one wants to take responsibility for the consequences. The monthly interest, 1,000 yuan (66), is three times Lin's rent. All rights reserved. It was first described to me in February 2004 as one of China's most beautiful and deeply distressing forms of art. Read about our approach to external linking. I am terrified that one typhoon could bring the walls crashing down on top of us." I could earn 500 yuan in a month," he says. Mr Hua said: "It was pitch black and I was desperate. The authorities were so pleased with the outcome of Operation Lund (as the case was called) that investigators won last year's top criminal justice award. Now he had inherited two more and a debt of 150,000 yuan (9,940). 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 is broadcast on Monday 3 February at 19:30 GMT on BBC One North West and nationwide for seven days thereafter on the iPlayer. 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. The detective who led the investigation into the tragedy said the deaths had "lived with him" ever since. 96 minutes. Unlike most of the families in Fujian, Yu knew that her husband was in trouble before she read about it in the newspapers because Guo had a mobile phone with him in Morecambe Bay. At a confiscation hearing in 2011, Bo, 46, and Yan, 43, were ordered to pay back about 1m which they had made. [8] A survivor testified that the leader of the group had made a mistake about the time of the tides. Bolton: Concerns over Chorley New Road 'hump' after repairs, Boy with epilepsy campaigning for access to medicinal cannabis, Man racially abused police officer after being hit over head with vodka bottle, WATCH: Vicar of Bolton delivers final service with 'deep gratitude', National Lottery on the hunt for Prestons community heroes, Preston local elections 2023: Watch debate on Guild Hall, Animate Cinema and council cuts, AI chatbots 'may soon be more intelligent than us', Russia troop deaths hit 20,000 in five months - US, Palestinian hunger striker dies in Israel prison, The 17 most eye-catching looks at the Met Gala, 'My wife and six children joined Kenya starvation cult', On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. But he gets up without grumbling and poses patiently next to his mother. The favoured area for cockle picking is close to the low tide line near the confluence of the Keer Channel and the Kent Channel, approximately 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) north of Morecambe. When he died it was such a loss. Two of the victims were women; the rest were mostly young men in their 20s and 30s, with only two being over 40 and only one, a male, under 20. "Usually all we have to eat is noodles and rice. We are so poor. A sculpture of a praying man overlooking Morecambe Bay has been unveiled. 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. 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. The horrors imprinted on my mind, says Li Hua. 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. The victims' families - especially their children - are being punished, even though they broke no law themselves. His father went overseas to earn enough for his tuition. 2023 BBC. She condemns the snakeheads for luring her brother and his sister overseas, she accuses the Chinese authorities of inhumanity because they would not let her see the bodies before they were cremated, and she is dismayed that Britain is treating the dead more as criminals than as victims. Rescue workers take away the body of one of the Chinese cockle pickers who died after they were trapped by the rising tide in Morecambe Bay in 2004 Tracy Brown, a Morecambe town councillor said . [19] This song was later covered by folk musician Christy Moore.[20]. Under this government's war on regulation and "red tape", migrant workers continue to be subjected to exploitation at work. Abstract. 2023 BBC. Alan Sledmore, who guides people across the bay, said "The area is very . "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.". He does everything he is told without complaint or enthusiasm. Ten of us used to live here," says Chen. "The situation is getting worse. They have done nothing wrong. "We are really poor. And perhaps some fatty scraps of meat. "It is his debt now. "So it had a lasting effect on them," he added. Nick Broomfield, who made the 2006 film Ghosts about the tragedy, set up the Morecambe Victims Fund with the Guardian journalist Hsiao-Hung Pai last August aimed at raising 500,000 for the victims' families. 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 now she is furious at those who have left her alone with such a burden. They were each jailed for two years at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday. Li Hua knew very little about England before leaving his home village in China, beyond what hed read about and seen on television and yet he already made of it in his imagination something magnificent and welcoming. [8] A further two cocklers were believed to have been with those drowned, with remains of one being found in 2010. Ten years ago this week, 23 men and women lost their lives searching for cockles in Morecambe Bay. Our close friends and relatives understand that we cannot pay, but the others gossip about me.". If I had any money, I would pay them, because I know they have to work hard for their money too. The Gangmasters Licensing Authority is unsurprised. Bo and Yan Li were jailed in 2009 for a scam linked to the deaths of the cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay in 2004. All were working illegally, picking cockles for hours on end to send money back to their families. 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. I ask. On 5 February, Chinese cockle pickers were at work in the dark but facing the incoming tide. Oneupmanship does not come much more literal. Most are of her wedding. It is a short, scrawled tale of misery: "Wife. It is not that I don't want to pay. The sculpture can be easy to miss. [10], David Anthony Eden Sr. and David Anthony Eden Jr., from Prenton, Merseyside, who bought cockles from the work gang, were cleared of helping the workers break immigration law. ", At the bottom, he tags on a brief message to their two sons. Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. The Child-Eating Bunyip Haunts Australias Wetlands. How can the Chinese and the UK governments say that it is not their responsibility? A unique sculpture calls the outside of this steakhouse home. They have had to move. The focus of the family's concern is on the youngest member. Morecambe's RNLI crew worked for 22 hours during the search and rescue operation. There are some outlets just 10 minutes from here and I hear they pay OK, about three or four yuan [20-25p] an hour. "But we did not make any dent into these wider criminal gangs who traffic people around the world," he said. Lawyers in London are pressing a claim for money from Britain's criminal compensation fund, but if a payment comes at all it could take years. An unusual artwork dedicated to a unique man that entertained people visiting Cambridge while raising money for charity. In January 2005, just short of a year after her son's death, Shi decided to join him. Only 21 bodies were recovered following the Morecambe Bay tragedy but police believe 23 people died. Is climate change killing Australian wine? Michael Guy, lifeboat operations manager was on duty that night. Chinese cockle pickers who died in Morecambe Bay, northwest England in 2004. Some creditors keep adding interest, which has pushed the debt to 300,000 yuan (20,000). The gang Li called them snakeheads demanded an initial cash payment (the equivalent back then of 10,000) and it was explained to him that he. 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. The man and his wife survive on handouts from their three other sons. Some 30 cockle pickers set out at 4 pm. The contrast is visually disturbing, a reminder that China is crushing several centuries of development into a few decades. "Our thoughts really are of sadness for the families. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. Like most victims, Zhou's husband Cao Chaokun was not well educated. That afternoon, she ate with her grandson during his lunch break. Her only income - 300 yuan (20 a month) - comes from mixing concrete on building sites for other people's new houses. 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. A week after she died, in 2004, I visited the family's home. I can't sleep with worry." When their gangmaster, Lin, was convicted of criminal negligence the judge at Preston crown court said the accused was motivated by greed to shockingly exploit his countrymen with no heed for their safety. I don't want another. Misery appears to be what he is used to. Her orphaned nephew Xu Bin has inherited debts of more than 200,000 yuan (13,250). The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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.". "Some are polite. 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. Some 30 cockle pickers set out at 4 pm. Her brother and his wife were the only couple to die on the Lancashire sands, leaving their son an orphan. Xu appears to be a reasoning, reasonable woman. She shows me two photos of the father, Xu Yuhua, and mother, Liu Qinying, taken a week or so before the disaster. Sinking water, sinking water.". "It won't be easy," says David Tang, the London lawyer who represents the victims. Bo and Yan Li were jailed in 2009 for a scam linked to the deaths of the cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay in 2004. Everyone was panicking, they got out of the vehicle and tried to swim. The hon. "Maybe when the children are older, they can work and pay off our debts. "I can barely pay the fees for his high-school education. The family has had to move. He wants to quit school and start work so that he can begin repaying the debt. She really got on well with her son-in-law and now he is gone, she knows what problems we face.". 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. Published 7th Feb 2004, 00:00 BST. [2] Twenty-one bodies, of men and women between the ages of 18 and 45, were recovered from the bay after the incident. After they have paid the rent and utilities, there is barely enough for food. Ren was sentenced to 12 years for manslaughter, 6 years for facilitating illegal immigration (to be served concurrently with the manslaughter sentence), and 2 years for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice (to be served subsequent to the manslaughter sentence). She refuses to accept that her son is dead. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. And tradition says the wife and children inherit the debt of the father. The sculpture was actually imagined before the tragedy occurred in 2004. They were staying at a hotel in Chippenham in Wiltshire and staff found 22,000 hid in a locker during routine checks. 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. Her miserable red-brick cottage grovels at the feet of neighbouring multi-storeys - designed in a European style with Greek pillars and pediments. And well beyond 2004 cockle pickers have had to be rescued. During the last school holiday, he went to work in a factory paying 60p a day so he could start to repay the debts of the dead. ", As we leave, our driver, Lin Wanxiong, explains how Fujianese people have been travelling overseas to make their fortunes for many generations. 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. Tracy Brown, a Morecambe town councillor, told the Daily Telegraph that the remarks were "beneath . Five of them depend on Yu's father's factory salary of 750 yuan. The interview over, I ask if I can take some pictures of the mother, grandmother and son. All rights reserved. The uncle, Chen Minyi, said he could not afford to keep them both, so the son stays with another aunt. It is very hard to make a living here. "I adopted him as my son, but I am worried about his future," sobs his aunt. Migrants such as Dong take the fast route into the global workforce, while tens of millions of peasants take the slow road, by labouring in Chinese factories making products for western consumers. The siblings have been separated. 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. The report also called for the scope of the GLA to be widened. [3][4] The workers had been trafficked via containers into Liverpool, and were hired out through local criminal agents of international Chinese Triads. "Please help us. She comes outside to see us off. ", There is little I can say to comfort her. "There is no precedent All we can do is wait.". See. Memories of the tragedy may have faded in the public mind. They were working and they died. As they stare into the camera, I notice the painfully inappropriate English slogan emblazoned on her T-shirt. 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. "We all came for the same reason. The detective who led the investigation into the tragedy said the deaths had "lived with him" ever since. It probably makes little difference. ", The scars of Morecambe's cockling disaster, North Western Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority, AI chatbots 'may soon be more intelligent than us', Russia troop deaths hit 20,000 in five months - US, Palestinian hunger striker dies in Israel prison, The 17 most eye-catching looks at the Met Gala, 'My wife and six children joined Kenya starvation cult', On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. Read about our approach to external linking. When 23 Chinese cockle pickers died at Morecambe Bay in 2004, the gangmaster was caught and convicted, bodies were repatriated, the disaster tidied away. If the creditors saw you they would assume you gave me money and demand I repay them. Guo Binlong's brick-making business failed in China, so he went to Britain. 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. We were not warned about the tides, never once, Albanians caught in cannabis farm raid acquitted as trafficking victims, Snakehead gangs fuel organised crime in UK. All she does all day is collect rubbish for recycling so we can get a little extra money," explains Chen. Read about our approach to external linking. Gangmaster-controlled work is worth 1.34bn to the UK economy, but only 950 labour providers are licensed under the act. Now we are on our own. 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 BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Member for Morecambe and Lunesdale (David Morris) on securing this timely debate. Was a May Day Attack by Pilgrims a Practice Run for a Massacre? I heard it a lot that month, during two visits to the province to interview some of the families of the cockle pickers who had just died at Morecambe. "The Chinese workers were caught up in it," said local fisherman Gary Cheetham. The 2004 Morecambe Bay disaster saw a group of Chinese cockle pickers drowned by rising tides as they worked gathering shellfish for criminal gangmasters. Inset: bodies being removed after the disaster. The 2004 Morecambe Bay disaster saw a group of Chinese cockle pickers drowned by rising tides as they worked gathering shellfish for criminal gangmasters. it says. It is not enough to live on, let alone pay interest. It is as if they have fallen into a crevasse between justice and charity, from which there is no way out. Instead of immigration vans, raids and endless spot checks, we need resources to be redirected into penalising exploitative employers and protecting workers. Twenty-one bodies were recovered within hours, a woman's skull was washed up six years on and one man has never been found. Among those who perished were an 18-year-old man and a husband and wife,. Please, The subscription details associated with this account need to be updated. In 2006, Liverpool gangster Lin Liang Ren was convicted of the manslaughter of the 23 . The 21 men and two women were aged between 18 and 45 and were. 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. Mr Hua said: "I could not believe I was being rescued and I was alive again.". 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. I was just numb then, I don't know how, a wave maybe turned me round. The Chinese cockle pickers died in 2004 when they were caught in the rising tide at Bolton-le-Sands near Morecambe, Lancashire. Gangmaster Lin Liang Ren would drive the workers to Morecambe from Liverpool and visit casinos while the men and women toiled through the night. During lunch with two of the other bereaved relatives, he says nothing, just slurps his noodles and lets others talk of compensation, human rights and justice. [18], The 2007 folk song "On Morecambe Bay" by folk artist Kevin Littlewood tells the story of the events. He said: "If there's any fitting memorial to the poor people that died it would be that we can legislate or do our best to make sure no one dies in a similar situation. 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, The 17 most eye-catching looks at the Met Gala, 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. Video, On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry, Met Gala 2023: Stars celebrate Karl Lagerfeld, The burden of being cricket legend Tendulkar's son, Yellen warns US could run out of cash in a month, HSBC says 1 bank buyout boosted profit by $1.5bn, King Charles to wear golden robes for Coronation, Shooting suspect was deported four times - US media. Is climate change killing Australian wine? On surrounding plots of land, meanwhile, neighbours are erecting huge new villas with the money sent back by family members overseas. "So it had a lasting effect on them," he added. Effective regulations would benefit both migrant and local workers. "They kept on and on at her. We left our families to make a better life. I can't afford to go to hospital for the surgery I need so I just sit at home waiting to die. ITV received a Bafta for its coverage of the seven-month trial, which ended in march last year. In this boring Europe, I miss you and mother and our relatives very much. His wife joined him after local snakeheads told her that migrant men find mistresses if they are separated from their spouses for too long. 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. "The only way I can bear life now is to imagine that he is still alive.". Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. But, unlike his father, he refused to accept that poverty was his lot in life. I wish you and my son health and safety. All rights reserved. On the lonely cockle banks of Morecambe Bay In Fujian and Zeeland they mourn their next of kin Gang masters with snake tattoos call money loans back in Broked hearted parents watch their children stow away To the lonely cockle banks of Morecambe Bay The tide is the very Devil and The Devil has its day On the lonely cockle banks of Morecambe Bay Mr Hua agreed to be interviewed and talk about the disaster almost 10 years on. 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. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? 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. Photograph: Don McPhee for the Guardian, en years ago this week, 23 men and women lost their lives searching for cockles in Morecambe Bay. Read about our approach to external linking. A decade ago 23 Chinese cockle pickers drowned when they were trapped by sweeping tides while working in Morecambe Bay, Lancashire. "I was so tired last year that I had to stop and rest. But 5,000 miles away in Fujian province . "But we did not make any dent into these wider criminal gangs who traffic people around the world," he said. My husband is dead. Mr Guy said: "At that stage they effectively came into a sea of bodies. [16][17], In 2010, artist Isaac Julien released his film Ten Thousand Waves about the disaster. His evidence helped convict Lin Liang Ren of 21 counts of manslaughter, facilitating illegal immigration and perverting the course of justice. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Healthcare, which is more market-driven than in most capitalist countries, is a heavy burden. Song Xinyao is a smart 17-year-old who dreamed of going to university. Li said: "I wanted to get justice for those who died. BBC News. The death of her husband Dong Xinwu has left them with a debt of 240,000 yuan and no breadwinner to pay it back. But she feels a constant pressure. The family is still in trouble. I ask Chen how the family will manage. ", Dependants Wife Yu Lihong, daughter Guo Yuwei 16, son Guo Minghui 9, Debt 300,000 yuan (20,000) Income 750 yuan (50) per month. "He told us the water was up to his neck and asked us to pray for him," says his wife. [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. In the background of both is a British beach. 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. 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. Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. 2023 Atlas Obscura. The creditors have taken over the dead couple's house, using it as a storeroom for their goods.
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