morecambe bay cockle pickers

Published 7th Feb 2004, 00:00 BST. BBC News. And there are numerous licensed gangmasters who violate the rules and exploit the loopholes." 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.". Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. "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.". (modern), The dangers of Morecambe Bay, where 23 Chinese cocklers lost their lives in 2004, include fast-rising tides and quicksands. He died in Lancashire, so his mother killed herself in Fujian. "So it had a lasting effect on them," he added. Effective regulations would benefit both migrant and local workers. Activists are concerned about the impact of funding cuts on working conditions. "It was very harrowing. [7] Ren, his girlfriend Zhao Xiao Qing and his cousin Lin Mu Yong were also convicted of breaking immigration laws. Morecambe Bay's cockling industry was catapulted into the national spotlight 15 years ago under disastrous circumstances. Chen says that is impossible now. "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. Five of them depend on Yu's father's factory salary of 750 yuan. The workers were all illegal immigrants, mainly from the Fujian province of China, and have been described as being untrained and inexperienced. My children are suffering. "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. But, unlike his father, he refused to accept that poverty was his lot in life. "I don't know how I will be able to pay for him if he succeeds. He said he "kept waving" at the helicopter. There is usually less risk than for a loan for college or business.". Some 30 cockle pickers set out at 4 pm. 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. Read about our approach to external linking. I tell them I am not worth killing. She refuses to accept that her son is dead. On surrounding plots of land, meanwhile, neighbours are erecting huge new villas with the money sent back by family members overseas. I could earn 500 yuan in a month," he says. 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. "Our thoughts really are of sadness for the families. "But my mother almost never stops crying. "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. "My husband was good to me. A decade ago 23 Chinese cockle pickers drowned when they were trapped by sweeping tides while working in Morecambe Bay, Lancashire. But I have a few hundred thousand yuan worth of debts. He has seen what they are like when they are here.". 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 2023 BBC. I wish you and my son health and safety. There is no anger or grief in his voice. The British government has paid to send the bodies home, but it is reluctant to do more for fear of encouraging other illegal immigrants. Morecambe's RNLI crew worked for 22 hours during the search and rescue operation. It is a short, scrawled tale of misery: "Wife. The Chinese workers were unfamiliar with local geography, language, and custom. I thought I might just as well wait to die. In Westminster, Mr Sheridan has tabled an early day motion to mark 10 years from the tragedy. The men put the cash in a plastic container and buried it in the back garden, where it was later discovered by officers. In sharp contrast, the dead man's mother is almost silent. 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 . The emergency services were alerted by a mobile phone call made by one of the workers, who spoke little English and was only able to say "sinking water" before the call was cut off. Chen says she has sold her wedding jewellery and persuaded the creditors to stop charging 10% interest. 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. Bo and Yan Li were jailed in 2009 for a scam linked to the deaths of the cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay in 2004. But they are not stupid. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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. She breaks down again. He already had four mouths to feed. File photo: Lancashire Police. The only decorations on the walls are some Christian posters and a portrait of her dead husband, Lin Guoguang. "One women supports two children and me. The children couldn't bear to live in their old house, where the pictures of their dead parents hung on the walls. 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. "Each family lends about 5,000 yuan (330). The absence of a social welfare net in China drives people overseas and then leaves their families exposed when something goes wrong. To put her two children through school, she has borrowed more money, taking her debt to more than 300,000 yuan (19,900) . Market reforms have produced stunning economic growth and many new millionaires, but they have also eroded access to healthcare and education for the poor. "Ha ha, smile!" Their mother, Chen Aiqin, went to work in Britain because she thought it was her family's only chance to escape poverty. "We dealt with the people who were responsible for the deaths on the night. 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 . They used houses and shops in Shirley in Solihull, and Dudley to run their operation, it said. 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.". Thanks to satellites and modern communications, the bad luck bounced across the globe almost instantly. He must be able to hear everything anyway, if not this time, then on countless previous occasions. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Siblings Cai Zhixiang and Cai Huiling were orphaned by the Morecambe tragedy. The 21 men and two women were aged between 18 and 45 and were. Mr Gradwell said while "significant sums" were pocketed by the gangmaster, the cockle pickers earned "a pittance". It is really unfair. I was just lucky.". 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. "People tend to think that slavery is something to do with faraway countries with poor human rights records," he said. Mr Guy said: "At that stage they effectively came into a sea of bodies. Li Hua was trafficked by 'snakeheads' from China via Moscow to the UK. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? And perhaps some fatty scraps of meat. 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. 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. He makes no first impression, creates no fuss, just sits quietly waiting for his chance to speak while others are pulling at the heartstrings. These workers had no knowledge of the sea and hadn't been given any safety equipment or guidance by their gangmaster. They have done nothing wrong. "I adopted him as my son, but I am worried about his future," sobs his aunt. They were cut off by the incoming tide in the bay around 9:30 p.m. "She has lost her mind. Member for Morecambe and Lunesdale (David Morris) on securing this timely debate. 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. 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.". [5][2] An extensive search and rescue operation was launched. Michael Guy, lifeboat operations manager was on duty that night. The Child-Eating Bunyip Haunts Australias Wetlands. On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. Education - supposedly free - costs more than 2,000 yuan (132) a year. She now lives at her uncle and aunt's home in the hills. Sinking water, sinking water.". Mr Guy said: "At that stage they effectively came into a sea of bodies. Those who sent them to their deaths have not been punished as much as us." The children looked lost, disbelieving. "I have no plan. To earn money, I have to endure the depths of bitterness. Please, The subscription details associated with this account need to be updated. "The situation is getting worse. 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. The smuggled Fujianese headed directly to the sources of wealth, including Europe. Each time one of the children catches a cold, the family must pay a few hundred yuan for medicine. The Gangmasters Licensing Authority is unsurprised. He went to Europe to make up for that: if he had succeeded, everyone would have benefited. 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. It is as if they have fallen into a crevasse between justice and charity, from which there is no way out. His first words are an apology. 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. "Please help us. The contrast is visually disturbing, a reminder that China is crushing several centuries of development into a few decades. An unusual artwork dedicated to a unique man that entertained people visiting Cambridge while raising money for charity. Although they don't say anything, I know they worry every day about debt. "We cannot afford gas so I have to go up to the hill to get wood," she sobs. Xu says her brother went overseas after his mother was diagnosed with cancer. And with that, he slips back into the background. [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.". In 2013, only seven gangmasters were convicted for operating without a licence. Li said: "I wanted to get justice for those who died. I thought I might just as well wait to die. And the amount that we owe is growing all the time because we cannot pay interest. For its part, the GLA accepts exploitation exists in other industries and insists it could be more of an "effective deterrent" with extra resources. We are so poor. Almost a decade after the disaster, Mr Hua said he still has panic attacks. A family portrait in 2004 shows the couple smiling with their two children. Photograph: Jonathan Watts, Audio slideshow: Jonathan Watts visits the families of the cockle pickers who died at Morcambe Bay three years ago. 2023 BBC. "I was just numb..then, I don't know how, a wave maybe turned me round. "Building up hidden communities and building a life below official recognition.". "They lent us money because they sympathised with our poverty. We have noticed that there is an issue with your subscription billing details. The focus of the family's concern is on the youngest member. All the victims were the main breadwinners for their families. The report also called for the scope of the GLA to be widened. Just after the disaster, our relatives helped us a little bit, but they could not carry on supporting us indefinitely. "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. The area of Morecambe Bay where 21 cockle pickers died is seen in this illustration released by Lancashire Police Credit: Reuters. She really got on well with her son-in-law and now he is gone, she knows what problems we face.". . But she had to come back because her children's schoolwork was suffering in her absence. Is climate change killing Australian wine? He said: "I think a lot about those who didn't survive, particularly at Chinese New Year, because it happened around that time. 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 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. 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.". Sinking water, sinking water.". I have a serious disease. 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 organizations. After they have paid the rent and utilities, there is barely enough for food. "Our thoughts really are of sadness for the families. 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. Cheetham says the Gangmasters Licensing Act, passed in 2004 after the tragedy, hasn't changed things much. The victims' families - especially their children - are being punished, even though they broke no law themselves.

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