"I'm scared to go there," says the daughter, Cai Huiling. They did not do anything illegal once they got to the UK. She comes outside to see us off. There are some outlets just 10 minutes from here and I hear they pay OK, about three or four yuan [20-25p] an hour. (modern), The dangers of Morecambe Bay, where 23 Chinese cocklers lost their lives in 2004, include fast-rising tides and quicksands. Where things are going right, the success stories - of giddy growth, sudden wealth and market domination - entirely justify the country's image as the nascent superpower of the 21st century. Rescue teams continue their search over Morecambe bay, where many cockle pickers are feared dead after they were trapped by the rising tide in. She was always crying. 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.". I was on my own and then a helicopter came.". Only 21 bodies were recovered. 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. Her salary of 1,200 yuan (80) a month, from a Singaporean trading company, would normally ensure a modest but secure existence in Fujian. 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. It is not that I don't want to pay. ", Dependants Wife Yu Lihong, daughter Guo Yuwei 16, son Guo Minghui 9, Debt 300,000 yuan (20,000) Income 750 yuan (50) per month. "From time to time I wake up in the night with a panic attack and remember them. "Look at this house. [9][1], At the subsequent hearing, British cocklers returning to shore on the same evening were reported to have attempted to warn the Chinese group by tapping their watches and trying to speak with them. 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.". ", Her sick brother-in-law says he feels like an extra burden. The detective who led the investigation into the tragedy said the deaths had "lived with him" ever since. Country. I ask. In 2004 23 cockle-pickers drowned after becoming trapped by rising tides in the Lancashire bay. The cockles to be collected are best found at low tide on sand flats at Warton Sands, near Hest Bank. [19] This song was later covered by folk musician Christy Moore.[20]. It is as though the Chinese tragedy became a triumph, a vindication of Britain's way of dealing with disaster. 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. The death of her husband Dong Xinwu has left them with a debt of 240,000 yuan and no breadwinner to pay it back. The Fujian style of mourning is somewhere between a lament and an undulating, almost melodic wail of misery. It was the only way they could pay for the treatment. And on his first day . 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. But they drive her to distraction. "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. ", She shows me a letter she received from her husband before he died. But let something go wrong - an accident, illness or injustice - and the clock whirs back to the 19th century and a worse-than-Dickensian nightmare of instant ruin, hopeless poverty and chilling social indifference. "I went myself when I was young. 17 cockle pickers of eastern European origin were saved at the River . 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. The Chinese workers were unfamiliar with local geography, language, and custom. Outside, there are building materials for some home improvements that have been shelved indefinitely. Even so, small expenses quickly mount up. Education - supposedly free - costs more than 2,000 yuan (132) a year. Sinking water, sinking water.". Yet, 10 years on, campaigners say workers are still . Everyone was panicking, they got out of the vehicle and tried to swim. There is usually less risk than for a loan for college or business.". 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 father inherited his son's 100,000 yuan debt (6, 625). "The situation is getting worse. It was freezing cold but I didn't feel it. Her house-cleaning job brings in just 600 yuan (40) a month. Cheetham says the Gangmasters Licensing Act, passed in 2004 after the tragedy, hasn't changed things much. "People tend to think that slavery is something to do with faraway countries with poor human rights records," he said. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. "We are really poor. On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. 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. ", There has been a little charity for her and several other families, from the Fuqing Overseas Workers organisation. But he lost his life, and now Zhou has not only to look after their son and daughter, but also a sick brother-in-law. If we're to learn the lessons of the Morecambe Bay tragedy, we need to invest in improving conditions. 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. Li Hua was trafficked by 'snakeheads' from China via Moscow to the UK. Michael Guy, lifeboat operations manager was on duty that night. See. [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. It is a rough-hewn, empty house. "We all came for the same reason. She shows me two photos of the father, Xu Yuhua, and mother, Liu Qinying, taken a week or so before the disaster. It was first described to me in February 2004 as one of China's most beautiful and deeply distressing forms of art. That anger grew as it became clear how desperate the victims' lives had been. "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.". . 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. A decade ago 23 Chinese cockle pickers drowned when they were trapped by sweeping tides while working in Morecambe Bay, Lancashire. "There is no precedent All we can do is wait.". But returning to Fujian more than three years later, I find that familiar lament greeting me as I enter the home of Chen Yanchun, who has met me at the airport and sobbed for most of the 50-minute drive to see her family. "Dad's only wish is that you study harder and harder and never act too proud. 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. Ten years ago this week, 23 men and women lost their lives searching for cockles in Morecambe Bay. Gangmaster Lin Liang Ren would drive the workers to Morecambe from Liverpool and visit casinos while the men and women toiled through the night. Please, The subscription details associated with this account need to be updated. The smuggled Fujianese headed directly to the sources of wealth, including Europe. An industry source has informed me of numerous cases of gangmaster abuse over the past decade, from the hospitality industry to food processing and agriculture, saying that little has been done to change the situation. THE death of the cockle-pickers in Morecambe Bay has added to its reputation for being a deadly area for the unwary. "That was taken just days before he set off to Europe," she says, breaking into tears. "The Devil's beach," one newspaper cried. Her miserable red-brick cottage grovels at the feet of neighbouring multi-storeys - designed in a European style with Greek pillars and pediments. "Sometimes I think if he hadn't died I would live a better life.". Everything he says lives up to the archetype of the downtrodden peasant. He believes the small gangmasters not following the rules may get caught, but the large ones are still out there. The creditors have stopped charging interest, but they are a presence that the children cannot ignore. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. 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. He went to Europe to make up for that: if he had succeeded, everyone would have benefited. They have to work hard for their money too." Unable to read the warning signs on the beach, the victims were trapped while picking cockles by fast-moving tides on the notoriously treacherous sands. 2023 BBC. Most are of her wedding. 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. "Wait a moment," I interrupt. On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. 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. ", At last year's trial in Britain, the boy wrote to the judge. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF. Read about our approach to external linking. "I worry about their future," says the uncle. They became trapped by rising tides and were swept out to sea. His first words are an apology. ", She shows me round her home. Su Zhenqin has seen her life go backwards since the Morecambe deaths on the night of February 5 2004. 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. "The families who lent us the money are also poor. "So it had a lasting effect on them," he added. The garden was designed and built by young volunteers from the Princes Trust and the fire service in Morecambe. In March 2006, Ren was jailed for 14 years at Preston Crown Court. ", At the bottom, he tags on a brief message to their two sons. But she feels a constant pressure. There is a common misconception that donations to the cockle-pickers' families will go into the pockets of the "snakehead" gangsters who smuggled the victims into Britain. Read about our approach to external linking. It wasn't the creditors this time. [8] A further two cocklers were believed to have been with those drowned, with remains of one being found in 2010. 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. 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.". After they have paid the rent and utilities, there is barely enough for food. All but two of the bodies have been found, identified and repatriated. When he died it was such a loss. 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. And tradition says the wife and children inherit the debt of the father. Oneupmanship does not come much more literal. Mr Hua agreed to be interviewed and talk about the disaster almost 10 years on. And they were gone just like that. Is climate change killing Australian wine? A month or two after arriving, he was dead - the youngest of the Morecambe victims. In sharp contrast, the dead man's mother is almost silent. Returning three years later, I find that he seems to have coped as well as can be imagined in the circumstances. "I was on my own And then a helicopter came," he said. Each time one of the children catches a cold, the family must pay a few hundred yuan for medicine. The Praying Shell artwork, carved in limestone, sits above the site where 23 Chinese cockle pickers working for. Our close friends and relatives understand that we cannot pay, but the others gossip about me.". "We cannot afford gas so I have to go up to the hill to get wood," she sobs. We have noticed that there is an issue with your subscription billing details. In March 2006, Ren was jailed for 14 years at Preston Crown Court. I was just lucky.". In 2006, Liverpool gangster Lin Liang Ren was convicted of the manslaughter of the 23 . He said: "I think a lot about those who didn't survive, particularly at Chinese New Year, because it happened around that time. Europe is a devilish prison. Among those who perished were an 18-year-old man and a husband and wife,. Chen says she has sold her wedding jewellery and persuaded the creditors to stop charging 10% interest. Fifteen other labourers from the same group managed to return safely to shore.[2]. "They lent us money because they sympathised with our poverty. Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. ", Dependants Wife Zhou Xiaomei and son Cao Xianyong 13, daughter Cao Meiyun 16 Debt 200,000 yuan (13,250) Monthly income 250 yuan (17). "We all came for the same reason. "I stayed in my husband's home for a while. But it is still not rich enough to keep people from leaving. [2] Twenty-one bodies, of men and women between the ages of 18 and 45, were recovered from the bay after the incident. Mr Hua said: "It was pitch black and I was desperate. Labour MP Jim Sheridan raised the matter with a private member's bill and legislation soon followed which saw the creation of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) in 2006. ", There is little I can say to comfort her. Morecambe Bay's cockling industry was catapulted into the national spotlight 15 years ago under disastrous circumstances. 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. 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). "Building up hidden communities and building a life below official recognition.". 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. 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. They were staying at a hotel in Chippenham in Wiltshire and staff found 22,000 hid in a locker during routine checks. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. "We dealt with the people who were responsible for the deaths on the night. Twenty-one bodies were recovered within hours, a woman's skull was washed up six years on and one man has never been found. 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 absence of a social welfare net in China drives people overseas and then leaves their families exposed when something goes wrong. 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. Her brother and his wife were the only couple to die on the Lancashire sands, leaving their son an orphan. "It is not fair for the children. 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. No purchase necessary. His father went overseas to earn enough for his tuition. 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.
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