Birds have nested in the roof. It was the only way they could pay for the treatment. But we quickly ran out of things to eat so I had to start working again. All rights reserved. Her husband's death meant instant ruin. The men put the cash in a plastic container and buried it in the back garden, where it was later discovered by officers. Bo and Yan Li were jailed in 2009 for a scam linked to the deaths of the cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay in 2004. A unique sculpture calls the outside of this steakhouse home. . Member for Morecambe and Lunesdale (David Morris) on securing this timely debate. 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". All were working illegally, picking cockles for hours on end to send money back to their families. Then she went upstairs and swallowed a bottle of rat poison. But it is near the creditors so they used to come knocking all the time. Twenty-one bodies were recovered within hours, a woman's skull was washed up six years on and one man has never been found. When the creditors come knocking - at least once a month for the past three years - he begs for more time. They were each jailed for two years at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday. The problem has got worse and the resources directed to it are totally inadequate.". He died in Lancashire, so his mother killed herself in Fujian. 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. "I don't know how I will be able to pay for him if he succeeds. Although this was a made-in-China and consummated-in-Britain tragedy, no one wants to take responsibility for the consequences. 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. We are so poor. This barely covers half the interest payments. Siblings Cai Zhixiang and Cai Huiling were orphaned by the Morecambe tragedy. Back then, I assumed that the cries would end after a few hours or weeks or months. 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. Li said: "I wanted to get justice for those who died. 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. And, of course, the debt from the dead woman's passage to Britain still hangs over them. The smuggled Fujianese headed directly to the sources of wealth, including Europe. 2023 BBC. ", Yu went to Inner Mongolia for a few months to work. 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." "Sometimes I think if he hadn't died I would live a better life.". Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. "But my mother almost never stops crying. Mr Gradwell claimed other similar disasters could still occur because people are willing to exploit the poorest in society for their own ends. When he died it was such a loss. 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 . 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. A tribute to the Morecambe Bay Chinese cockle pickers and the talent of Christy Moore. A NORTH West Tory MP remained defiant today over an offensive joke about the Chinese cockle pickers who drowned in Morecambe Bay. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). 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. At a confiscation hearing in 2011, Bo, 46, and Yan, 43, were ordered to pay back about 1m which they had made. The victims' families - especially their children - are being punished, even though they broke no law themselves. 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. He went to Europe to make up for that: if he had succeeded, everyone would have benefited. The families' huge debts are now owed to relatives, friends and neighbours. Ghosts is a 2006 drama film directed by Nick Broomfield, based on the 2004 Morecambe Bay cockling disaster. Is climate change killing Australian wine? The Morecambe disaster was recognised as a crime by a British court. 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.". Everything he says lives up to the archetype of the downtrodden peasant. Dependant Son Xu Bin, 17 Debt More than 200,000 yuan (13,250) Monthly income 1,200 yuan (80). The Morecambe Bay cockle pickers tragedy: a survivor's story. The cockle permit scheme, under which holders have to complete a safety course and learn about intertidal fishing, was introduced in December 2003, just eight weeks before the disaster. Running time. 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. Xu appears to be a reasoning, reasonable woman. "We dealt with the people who were responsible for the deaths on the night. My only hope is that all of the family stay safe and healthy. For its part, the GLA accepts exploitation exists in other industries and insists it could be more of an "effective deterrent" with extra resources. 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 know it would influence them in a bad way. They have done nothing wrong. See. Tracy Brown, a Morecambe town councillor, told the Daily Telegraph that the remarks were "beneath . I ask. 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. They cook a little extra and bring some for us. "Dad's only wish is that you study harder and harder and never act too proud. "When my son came back home, he thought she was still asleep." I am terrified that one typhoon could bring the walls crashing down on top of us." ITV received a Bafta for its coverage of the seven-month trial, which ended in march last year. 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. THE death of the cockle-pickers in Morecambe Bay has added to its reputation for being a deadly area for the unwary. On the evening of February 5, 2004, 23 men and women lost their lives after . "I was just numb..then, I don't know how, a wave maybe turned me round. [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. 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.". "Sometimes I think if he hadn't died I would live a better life.". There are some outlets just 10 minutes from here and I hear they pay OK, about three or four yuan [20-25p] an hour. Almost a year on, it has collected only 20,000, including 5,000 that ITV donated after its recent Bafta. What is inside is almost irrelevant. Published 7th Feb 2004, 00:00 BST. The creditors have taken over the dead couple's house, using it as a storeroom for their goods. "So it had a lasting effect on them," he added. The media go wild, she says, about the inflow of migrants, but what they should be talking about is migrants' rights. On surrounding plots of land, meanwhile, neighbours are erecting huge new villas with the money sent back by family members overseas. The boy is lying on the bed, still flicking through a comic book. [3] 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 (2.2mi) north of Morecambe. "One women supports two children and me. When 23 Chinese cockle pickers died at Morecambe Bay in 2004, the gangmaster was caught and convicted, bodies were repatriated, the disaster tidied away. I was on my own and then a helicopter came.". Select from premium Cockle Pickers Work At Morecambe Bay of the highest quality. Zhao Xiao Qing was sentenced to 2 years and 9 months for facilitation of illegal immigration and perverting the course of justice. "I work on a construction site from time to time, mixing concrete," she says, her dialect so heavy that even the interpreter has difficulty understanding; her words need to be translated into standard Mandarin before they can be retranslated into English for me. Aerial shots of large-scale calligraphy counterpoint to the thermal imaging footage from the rescue services to Morecambe Bay. Instead of immigration vans, raids and endless spot checks, we need resources to be redirected into penalising exploitative employers and protecting workers. He has seen what they are like when they are here.". "I have no idea how we will get out of this situation," she says. 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. Mr Hua agreed to be interviewed and talk about the disaster almost 10 years on. Mick Gradwell, who has retired from Lancashire Police, said: "You're thrown into investigating international organised crime gangs, snakeheads, triads, international human trafficking. She was always crying. By The Newsroom. Almost a decade after the disaster, Mr Hua said he still has panic attacks. Even in grief there is competition. All rights reserved. Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you. So why are the authorities unable to prevent this kind of situation arising? The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Bags of cockles on Morecambe beach as the search mission goes on. Twenty years ago, the two-storey, red-brick building was probably the envy of the neighbourhood. He cooks noodles for the family, helps his mother with the piecework, and trims his dreams to fit the new reality. The creditors have stopped charging interest, but they are a presence that the children cannot ignore. Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day. BBC News. "I was on my own And then a helicopter came," 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.". "It won't be easy," says David Tang, the London lawyer who represents the victims. The only decorations on the walls are some Christian posters and a portrait of her dead husband, Lin Guoguang. As we drive away, I notice the propaganda slogan daubed on the walls of her house in big red characters: "Serve Economic Development. The authorities in Beijing have washed their hands of the matter. 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.". Her salary of 1,200 yuan (80) a month, from a Singaporean trading company, would normally ensure a modest but secure existence in Fujian. 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. 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, 'My wife and six children joined Kenya starvation cult', On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. 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. They were cut off by the incoming tide in the bay around 9:30 p.m. The Morecambe Bay victims were aged between 18 and 45, Jurors in the manslaughter trial were taken out on the sands in a hovercraft. Twenty-three Chinese cockle pickers drowned in Lancashire's Morecambe Bay in February 2004. Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book. Song Xinyao is a smart 17-year-old who dreamed of going to university. [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. The problem is the creditors. His first words are an apology. Tide kills 18 cockle pickers. The area of Morecambe Bay where 21 cockle pickers died is seen in this illustration released by Lancashire Police Credit: Reuters. At least 21 Chinese cockle pickers drowned in treacherous weather conditions in Hest Bank, Lancashire, on the night of 5 February 2004. The family has had to move. 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. Chen's mother wails when she sees me and falls to her knees to beg for help.
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