They did not do anything illegal once they got to the UK. "It was pitch black and I was desperate," he said. Zhao Xiao Qing was sentenced to 2 years and 9 months for facilitation of illegal immigration and perverting the course of justice. Because of a lack of resources its budget was cut by 17% between 2011 and 2014 the GLA's ability to investigate and prosecute employers is limited. If I am dead, I will never be able to repay them.". In 2013, only seven gangmasters were convicted for operating without a licence. In 2004 23 cockle-pickers drowned after becoming trapped by rising tides in the Lancashire bay. "The Chinese workers were caught up in it," said local fisherman Gary Cheetham. 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. Everyone was panicking, they got out of the vehicle and tried to swim. His evidence helped convict Lin Liang Ren of 21 counts of manslaughter, facilitating illegal immigration and perverting the course of justice. 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 . Some creditors keep adding interest, which has pushed the debt to 300,000 yuan (20,000). The workers were all illegal immigrants, mainly from the Fujian province of China, and have been described as being untrained and inexperienced. Then she went upstairs and swallowed a bottle of rat poison. More than three years after 23 Chinese cockle pickers perished on the Lancashire sands, most people in the United Kingdom believe justice has been done. The 2004 Morecambe Bay disaster saw a group of Chinese cockle pickers drowned by rising tides as they worked gathering shellfish for criminal gangmasters. Outside, there are building materials for some home improvements that have been shelved indefinitely. [11], Gangmaster Lin Liang Ren was found guilty of the manslaughter of at least 21 people (two further cocklers were thought to have been killed, but their bodies were never found). The horrors imprinted on my mind, says Li Hua. The organisation was set up to protect vulnerable workers in the shell fish, agriculture, food and food packaging labour markets but MPs and academics are campaigning for it to be given more powers. "From time to time I wake up in the night with a panic attack and remember them. Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. 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. "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.". Hundreds of workers lined the Bay's sands in search for cockles, stretching out for miles in dangerous proximity to the treacherous rising tides. [8] A further two cocklers were believed to have been with those drowned, with remains of one being found in 2010. After they have paid the rent and utilities, there is barely enough for food. They have had to move. Typically in such situations, they have each lent 5,000 to 10,000 yuan (330-660) to a family to pay the cash that the snakeheads demand as soon as the migrant has been smuggled to his or her destination. 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. Mon Nov 15 2004 - 00:00. She breaks down again. [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. The uncle, Chen Minyi, said he could not afford to keep them both, so the son stays with another aunt. [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. Registered in England No. 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. He said he "kept waving" at the helicopter. "Sometimes I think if he hadn't died I would live a better life.". The accident happened after more than 30 cocklers - thought to be Chinese who do not speak English - were caught by rising waters in the Hest Bank . 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 was speaking to the BBC under the protection of the government's UK Protected Persons Service. BBC News. My children are suffering. Read about our approach to external linking. "It won't be easy," says David Tang, the London lawyer who represents the victims. But he also rang home to Fujian. She refuses to accept that her son is dead. [16][17], In 2010, artist Isaac Julien released his film Ten Thousand Waves about the disaster. These early 19th-century kilns were used to make coke, a key Ingredient in steel production. "Each family lends about 5,000 yuan (330). A month or two after arriving, he was dead - the youngest of the Morecambe victims. 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. Even in grief there is competition. ", Inside Out talks to Li Hua, the only cockle picker to be rescued alive from the Morecambe Bay cockling tragedy 10 years ago. His first words are an apology. Ghosts is a 2006 drama film directed by Nick Broomfield, based on the 2004 Morecambe Bay cockling disaster. Almost a decade after the disaster, Mr Hua said he still has panic attacks. I just can't. 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. It is not enough to live on, let alone pay interest. He said: "I think a lot about those who didn't survive, particularly at Chinese New Year, because it happened around that time. Almost a year on, it has collected only 20,000, including 5,000 that ITV donated after its recent Bafta. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF. I can't sleep with worry." 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. A sculpture of a praying man overlooking Morecambe Bay has been unveiled. "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. This crude architectural hierarchy marks Zhou Xiaomei out as a failure. Among those who perished were an 18-year-old man and a husband and wife,. Eighteen cockle pickers have died after becoming trapped by rising tides in Lancashire's Morecambe Bay. 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. 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. "It still makes me sad whenever I come here. I was just lucky.". But the Japanese police were very good. [2] Twenty-one bodies, of men and women between the ages of 18 and 45, were recovered from the bay after the incident. 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. Morecambe Bay is a large estuary in northwest England, just to the south of the Lake District National Park.It is the largest expanse of intertidal mudflats and sand in the United Kingdom, covering a total area of 120 sq mi (310 km 2).In 1974, the second largest gas field in the UK was discovered 25 mi (40 km) west of Blackpool, with original reserves of over 7 trillion cubic feet (tcf) (200 . I don't know how we can go on. Effective regulations would benefit both migrant and local workers. It was the only way they could pay for the treatment. I wish you and my son health and safety. The problem is the creditors. David Anthony Eden Sr. and David Anthony Eden Jr., a father and son from England, had allegedly arranged to pay a group of Chinese workers 5 per 25kg (9p per lb) of cockles. The events of that . [7] Four of the victims died after the truck they used to reach the cockling area became overwhelmed by water. Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. A memorial garden for the victims of the Morecambe Bay cockling tragedy has been unveiled. It is not migrant workers per se but their exploitation that undermines local wages. The death of 19 cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay has added to its reputation for being a deadly area for the unwary. The garden was designed and built by young volunteers from the Princes Trust and the fire service in Morecambe. When 23 Chinese cockle pickers died at Morecambe Bay in 2004, the gangmaster was caught and convicted, bodies were repatriated, the disaster tidied away. Lin Liang Ren was jailed for 14 years in 2006 after being found guilty of manslaughter and helping the cockle pickers break immigration laws. They cook a little extra and bring some for us. The media go wild, she says, about the inflow of migrants, but what they should be talking about is migrants' rights. 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. "Building up hidden communities and building a life below official recognition.". Aerial shots of large-scale calligraphy counterpoint to the thermal imaging footage from the rescue services to Morecambe Bay. Europe is a devilish prison. Gangmaster-controlled work is worth 1.34bn to the UK economy, but only 950 labour providers are licensed under the act. They were staying at a hotel in Chippenham in Wiltshire and staff found 22,000 hid in a locker during routine checks. Those who sent them to their deaths have not been punished as much as us." He cooks noodles for the family, helps his mother with the piecework, and trims his dreams to fit the new reality. But they are not stupid. "Sometimes I think if he hadn't died I would live a better life.". Morecambe Bay's cockling industry was catapulted into the national spotlight 15 years ago under disastrous circumstances. He wants to quit school and start work so that he can begin repaying the debt. His father went overseas to earn enough for his tuition. "I was so tired last year that I had to stop and rest. In October 2011, 17 cockle pickers of eastern European origin were saved at the River Ribble estuary in Lancashire, 30 miles from the scene of the disaster. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. 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. 96 minutes. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. Even so, small expenses quickly mount up. The 21 cockle pickers who were killed in Morecambe Bay in February died from drowning, an inquest has heard. Ten of us used to live here," says Chen. The Fujian style of mourning is somewhere between a lament and an undulating, almost melodic wail of misery. The sculpture can be easy to miss. The man and his wife survive on handouts from their three other sons. The windows are broken. ", Her sick brother-in-law says he feels like an extra burden. But if something goes wrong, there is no bankruptcy law and scarcely any safety net - a poverty alleviation allowance of 3 per month per child is all that local government pays in cases of great hardship. There is no anger or grief in his voice. eBook ISBN 9780429457357 ABSTRACT This case study describes an initiative titled Operation SeaQuest that was launched in the aftermath of a tragic incident in which 23 Chinese cockle pickers were drowned by the incoming tide in Morecambe Bay in Lancashire, United Kingdom. The detective who led the investigation into the tragedy said the deaths had "lived with him" ever since. I thought I might just as well wait to die. Both Freeman and Bowkett were ordered by the judge to each pay 10,000 costs. "My family are all healthy and we are happy. 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. 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. I was just numb then, I don't know how, a wave maybe turned me round. "I stayed in my husband's home for a while. "The brother is 16 and he doesn't study hard. They were cut off by the incoming tide in the bay around 9:30 p.m. It is the complications that unsettle him. Education - supposedly free - costs more than 2,000 yuan (132) a year. Now the creditors never stop bothering us." Morecambe's RNLI crew worked for 22 hours during the search and rescue operation. By The Newsroom. He said: "I think a lot about those who didn't survive, particularly at Chinese New Year, because it happened around that time. 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. "So it had a lasting effect on them," he added. He has seen what they are like when they are here.". Read about our approach to external linking. "Some are polite. The Chinese workers were unfamiliar with local geography, language, and custom. 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. ", The creditors have also suffered, she says. Li Hua was trafficked by 'snakeheads' from China via Moscow to the UK. "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. On 5 February, Chinese cockle pickers were at work in the dark but facing the incoming tide. 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. "We dealt with the people who were responsible for the deaths on the night. Her house-cleaning job brings in just 600 yuan (40) a month. It was freezing cold but I didn't feel it. 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. 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. In almost every home, it would start up almost as soon as I - or any other visitor - entered the house, and continue until we left. She refuses. The title is a reference to the Cantonese slang term Gweilo (), meaning "ghost man", used for white people . "People tend to think that slavery is something to do with faraway countries with poor human rights records," he said. The former detective superintendent, who is now retired, said: "The main reason 23 people died in Morecambe Bay on this particular night was because of poverty in the Fujian province of China. On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. 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. Bo and Yan Li were jailed in 2009 for a scam linked to the deaths of the cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay in 2004. The uncle, who earns 1,500 yuan per month, has repaid 20,000 yuan, but still owes 150,000. Read about our approach to external linking. At a rough wooden table inside, she shows me the family photo album. One of them, Li Hua, was within seconds of becoming a victim. The Chinese gangmaster who organised the trip and two associates of his were found guilty of manslaughter, breaking of immigration laws and other crimes, and were sentenced to several years in prison.
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