She has not broken any laws, but the death of her husband in Morecambe has made her a fugitive from the family's creditors. The contrast is visually disturbing, a reminder that China is crushing several centuries of development into a few decades. It is not just economic hardship that drives them, he says, but also tradition and a spirit of adventure. 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. Chen says that is impossible now. The children couldn't bear to live in their old house, where the pictures of their dead parents hung on the walls. The workers were all illegal immigrants, mainly from the Fujian province of China, and have been described as being untrained and inexperienced. Everything he says lives up to the archetype of the downtrodden peasant. His first words are an apology. And the amount that we owe is growing all the time because we cannot pay interest. "I stayed in my husband's home for a while. Song Xinyao is a smart 17-year-old who dreamed of going to university. The uncle, who earns 1,500 yuan per month, has repaid 20,000 yuan, but still owes 150,000. Oneupmanship does not come much more literal. [2] Twenty-one bodies, of men and women between the ages of 18 and 45, were recovered from the bay after the incident. Think the car is still there completely buried, but surfaces occasionally when the channels change. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you. On surrounding plots of land, meanwhile, neighbours are erecting huge new villas with the money sent back by family members overseas. When the creditors come knocking - at least once a month for the past three years - he begs for more time. If we're to learn the lessons of the Morecambe Bay tragedy, we need to invest in improving conditions. [18], The 2007 folk song "On Morecambe Bay" by folk artist Kevin Littlewood tells the story of the events. Gangmaster-controlled work is worth 1.34bn to the UK economy, but only 950 labour providers are licensed under the act. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. In fact, these migrant workers came to the UK to escape the poverty created by socialism in China and were working under a regime of stateregulated access to the cockle beds. In this boring Europe, I miss you and mother and our relatives very much. Su Zhenqin has seen her life go backwards since the Morecambe deaths on the night of February 5 2004. Unveiled in November 2013 and carved out of limestone, The Praying Shell overlooks the Morecambe Bay. They became trapped by rising tides and were swept out to sea. 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. Inside this station, the 1945 film "Brief Encounter" is played on a loop daily. "From time to time I wake up in the night with a panic attack and remember them. The area of Morecambe Bay where 21 cockle pickers died is seen in this illustration released by Lancashire Police Credit: Reuters. 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. The title is a reference to the Cantonese slang term Gweilo (), meaning "ghost man", used for white people . Li Hua was the only worker to be rescued on the night of 5 February, 2004. It was the only way they could pay for the treatment. He already had four mouths to feed. And so the debt grows, and grows, devouring the lives of those left behind. It is not that I don't want to pay. On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. Mr Hua said: "It was pitch black and I was desperate. She refuses. The windows are broken. He would be reunited with his wife as soon as hed found somewhere of his own to live, he was told. Freeman, of Wiggington Road in Tamworth, received a four-month jail term suspended for 12 months. "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. They were staying at a hotel in Chippenham in Wiltshire and staff found 22,000 hid in a locker during routine checks. 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. And perhaps some fatty scraps of meat. 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. ", The creditors have also suffered, she says. [3][4] The workers had been trafficked via containers into Liverpool, and were hired out through local criminal agents of international Chinese Triads. Ghosts is a 2006 drama film directed by Nick Broomfield, based on the 2004 Morecambe Bay cockling disaster. The victims' families - especially their children - are being punished, even though they broke no law themselves. She shows me two photos of the father, Xu Yuhua, and mother, Liu Qinying, taken a week or so before the disaster. Gangmaster Lin Liang Ren would drive the workers to Morecambe from Liverpool and visit casinos while the men and women toiled through the night. Guo Binlong's brick-making business failed in China, so he went to Britain. Find Cockle Pickers Work At Morecambe Bay stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. He died in Lancashire, so his mother killed herself in Fujian. Mr Guy said: "At that stage they effectively came into a sea of bodies. He earned a lot in his first year and wrote to say that he was happy in Britain. Two sisters who laundered money linked to a human trafficking operation which caused the deaths of 23 cockle pickers have been jailed for a second time. One of them, Li Hua, was within seconds of becoming a victim. Languages. "When my son came back home, he thought she was still asleep." 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. On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. Mr Hua said: "I could not believe I was being rescued and I was alive again.". [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. The authorities in Beijing have washed their hands of the matter. Their mother, Chen Aiqin, went to work in Britain because she thought it was her family's only chance to escape poverty. But the family is subsisting rather than living. Tracy Brown, a Morecambe town councillor, told the Daily Telegraph that the remarks were "beneath . 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). "Tens of thousands of illegal Chinese workers were living in the country," he said. [16][17], In 2010, artist Isaac Julien released his film Ten Thousand Waves about the disaster. "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. Running time. In 2006, Liverpool gangster Lin Liang Ren was convicted of the manslaughter of the 23 . The siblings have been separated. "It is hard work, but I barely earn enough to put food in our mouths," she says. 2023 BBC. Work on Morecambe's cockle beds has ceased, and at the time action was promised to prevent such a tragedy happening again. [7] Four of the victims died after the truck they used to reach the cockling area became overwhelmed by water. It was freezing cold but I didn't feel it. ", As we leave, our driver, Lin Wanxiong, explains how Fujianese people have been travelling overseas to make their fortunes for many generations. Sinking water, sinking water.". I am paralysed most of the time. His evidence helped convict Lin Liang Ren of 21 counts of manslaughter, facilitating illegal immigration and perverting the course of justice. But the Japanese police were very good. 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. Today, it is one of the oldest structures in a community of new factories and villas. Xu says her brother went overseas after his mother was diagnosed with cancer. The family has had to move. 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.". I can't sleep with worry." At least 21 Chinese cockle pickers drowned in treacherous weather conditions in Hest Bank, Lancashire, on the night of 5 February 2004. 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. Country. She now lives at her uncle and aunt's home in the hills. In March 2006, Ren was jailed for 14 years at Preston Crown Court. I was just lucky.". It is not migrant workers per se but their exploitation that undermines local wages. The RNLI searched the waters to find the cocklers. "Sometimes I think if he hadn't died I would live a better life.". But it is near the creditors so they used to come knocking all the time. 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. "They kept on and on at her. Bo Li and Yan Li tried to spend the laundered money three weeks after being released from prison, The Li sisters were arrested after trying to spend 20 notes that had been taken out of circulation. Morecambe Bay. Having heard so many wailing relatives in other houses, I was struck by the silence in this one. But 5,000 miles away in Fujian province, on the south-eastern coast of China, lives are still being sucked into the sands. Dependants Son Cai Zhixiang, 16, daughter Cai Huiling, 13 Debt 150,000 yuan (9,940) Monthly income 2,000 yuan (132). Jonathan Watts hears the stories of eight victims' families plunged into debt and despair, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. An . The widow's house is easy to spot in Shangjiang village. I was just numb then, I don't know how, a wave maybe turned me round. Local fisherman Harold Benson is still traumatised by the events of 5 February 2004. Mr Gradwell said while "significant sums" were pocketed by the gangmaster, the cockle pickers earned "a pittance". . Twenty-one bodies were recovered within hours, a woman's skull was washed up six years on and one man has never been found. 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 scenario of migrant workers being promised a better life by working for a gangmaster on farms in the UK but then finding they're paid far less then they've been promised less than the minimum wage isn't uncommon." This abandoned limestone quarry now provides visitors with multiple, breathtaking viewpoints. The families I meet in Fujian are all after pity - it is their last hope - but they are not equally able to press their case for sympathy, charity and compensation. In fact, these . Please, Main image: Morecambe Bay. He has seen what they are like when they are here.". The eldest son has done his best to honour that final wish, but it is becoming more difficult. 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. They were working and they died. My husband is dead. 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. Read about our approach to external linking. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). 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 not fair for the children. All the victims were the main breadwinners for their families. Thanks to satellites and modern communications, the bad luck bounced across the globe almost instantly. Bo and Yan Li were jailed in 2009 for a scam linked to the deaths of the cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay in 2004. "It is his debt now. ", There is little I can say to comfort her. Aerial shots of large-scale calligraphy counterpoint to the thermal imaging footage from the rescue services to Morecambe Bay. 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. The media go wild, she says, about the inflow of migrants, but what they should be talking about is migrants' rights. (modern), The dangers of Morecambe Bay, where 23 Chinese cocklers lost their lives in 2004, include fast-rising tides and quicksands. A tribute to the Morecambe Bay Chinese cockle pickers and the talent of Christy Moore. At a confiscation hearing in 2011, Bo, 46, and Yan, 43, were ordered to pay back about 1m which they had made. "Is that near Morecambe?" "I can barely pay the fees for his high-school education. The creditors have stopped charging interest, but they are a presence that the children cannot ignore. "I have no idea how we will get out of this situation," she says. He went to Europe to make up for that: if he had succeeded, everyone would have benefited. "Usually all we have to eat is noodles and rice. Police said they were part of a money-laundering gang that made 4m and had assets in the UK, Thailand and Norway. On 5 February, Chinese cockle pickers were at work in the dark but facing the incoming tide. If I am dead, I will never be able to repay them.". "It was very harrowing. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. "So it had a lasting effect on them," he added. I can't afford to go to hospital for the surgery I need so I just sit at home waiting to die. 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. 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. The van belonging to the group of missing cockle pickers, in a car park on the foreshore of Morecambe Bay near Bolton Le Sands, where many cockle. It took a year to reach Morecambe. The doctor says it won't be 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. Even so, small expenses quickly mount up. He said: "The water covered the wheel and the vehicle couldn't move. All she does all day is collect rubbish for recycling so we can get a little extra money," explains Chen. She really got on well with her son-in-law and now he is gone, she knows what problems we face.". "We once lived in the hills, but it was too remote, too far away from the nearest school, so we moved," he says in a thick local dialect. They have to work hard for their money too." 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. A sculpture of a praying man overlooking Morecambe Bay has been unveiled. ", Among all the people I meet in Fujian, Lin has come the furthest to talk but appears to have the lowest expectations. Sinking water, sinking water.". In the under-regulated world of the booming cockling trade, a local gang culture had been developing since the 1990s, evolving into a turf war. But I have a few hundred thousand yuan worth of debts. Is climate change killing Australian wine? 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. In fact, the snakeheads were paid off long before the accidents. 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 only income - 300 yuan (20 a month) - comes from mixing concrete on building sites for other people's new houses. "It still makes me sad whenever I come here. On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. 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. All four were convicted of money laundering at Birmingham Crown Court on September 20. Chen says she has sold her wedding jewellery and persuaded the creditors to stop charging 10% interest. "My plan is to work in Kentucky Fried Chicken or McDonald's. Cheetham says the Gangmasters Licensing Act, passed in 2004 after the tragedy, hasn't changed things much. They were cut off by the incoming tide in the bay around 9:30 p.m. The problem has got worse and the resources directed to it are totally inadequate.". Read about our approach to external linking. He believes the small gangmasters not following the rules may get caught, but the large ones are still out there. "But we did not make any dent into these wider criminal gangs who traffic people around the world," he said. 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 men put the cash in a plastic container and buried it in the back garden, where it was later discovered by officers. "Three years ago, we were poor but our lives were tranquil. Their uncle was too shocked by the size of the burden suddenly thrust upon him to grieve at the loss of his sister. Mick Gradwell, who has retired from Lancashire Police, said: "You're thrown into investigating international organised crime gangs, snakeheads, triads, international human trafficking. There is usually less risk than for a loan for college or business.". And they were gone just like that. The other quietly grasps my hand and implores me to help. The Fujian style of mourning is somewhere between a lament and an undulating, almost melodic wail of misery. Read about our approach to external linking. ", We sneak back into her home so that she can show me the life she left behind. My uncle, auntie and grandfather help me. This barely covers half the interest payments. Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book. [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. And tradition says the wife and children inherit the debt of the father. His wife joined him after local snakeheads told her that migrant men find mistresses if they are separated from their spouses for too long. The Morecambe Bay cockle pickers tragedy: a survivor's story. "There's the same number of unlicensed gangmasters as there is licensed, in the food-processing industry, for instance. ", 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. Everyone was panicking, they got out of the vehicle and tried to swim. She was always crying. We are so poor. When he died it was such a loss. They need to be repaid. The death of 19 cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay has added to its reputation for being a deadly area for the unwary. Often mistaken as a commemorative statue, this sculpture has become a memorial of sorts, honoring the deaths of 23 Chinese cockle pickers who died in Morecambe Bay working for criminal . If the creditors saw you they would assume you gave me money and demand I repay them. Mick Gradwell, who has retired from Lancashire Police, said: "You're thrown into investigating international organised crime gangs, snakeheads, triads, international human trafficking. Activists are concerned about the impact of funding cuts on working conditions. ", Inside Out talks to Li Hua, the only cockle picker to be rescued alive from the Morecambe Bay cockling tragedy 10 years ago. Eighteen cockle pickers have died after becoming trapped by rising tides in Lancashire's Morecambe Bay. With China's economy racing along at double-digit pace and huge inflows of cash from overseas, this region has never had it so good. And Lena Chen - a Chinese woman living in Britain - sends a small amount of money before each spring festival. "We cannot afford gas so I have to go up to the hill to get wood," she sobs. THE death of the cockle-pickers in Morecambe Bay has added to its reputation for being a deadly area for the unwary. Effective regulations would benefit both migrant and local workers. 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. 2023 BBC. In the background of both is a British beach. He makes no first impression, creates no fuss, just sits quietly waiting for his chance to speak while others are pulling at the heartstrings. Bo and Yan Li were jailed in 2009 for a scam linked to the deaths of the cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay in 2004. 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. Morecambe's RNLI crew worked for 22 hours during the search and rescue operation. "Our thoughts really are of sadness for the families. The garden was designed and built by young volunteers from the Princes Trust and the fire service in Morecambe. Sometimes, relatives help out so that her children do not starve. That last conversation with her son crushed much of her will to live; the hounding by the creditors finished her off. 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". Today marks 15 years since 23 people died in the Morecambe Bay cockling disaster. And there had been fierce cockle wars between local gangmasters from Scotland and Wales since eight years before It was just chaos and it became very difficult to work in thetrade.". But, unlike his father, he refused to accept that poverty was his lot in life. The creditors have taken over the dead couple's house, using it as a storeroom for their goods. 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. It was the eight-year-old who found the body. When 23 Chinese cockle pickers died at Morecambe Bay in 2004, the gangmaster was caught and convicted, bodies were repatriated, the disaster tidied away. Now the creditors never stop bothering us." 2023 Atlas Obscura. As they stare into the camera, I notice the painfully inappropriate English slogan emblazoned on her T-shirt. No purchase necessary. Mon Nov 15 2004 - 00:00. Worries about the future contrast sharply with the upbeat mood in Fujian. A family portrait in 2004 shows the couple smiling with their two children. "I worry about their future," says the uncle. We do not have a lot of money but we are happy to go through each day peacefully and I am very thankful And glad to be alive," Mr Hua added. "I thought I might just as well wait to die. "But we did not make any dent into these wider criminal gangs who traffic people around the world," he said. The last time a foreigner came to see me, they came knocking immediately after and caused trouble. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF. On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry.
Delaware County Obituaries 2021,
Atrauman Dressing Vs Jelonet,
Articles M