Mr Gradwell claimed other similar disasters could still occur because people are willing to exploit the poorest in society for their own ends. Mr Hua said: "It was pitch black and I was desperate. Chen's mother wails when she sees me and falls to her knees to beg for help. Is climate change killing Australian wine? [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. "My family are all healthy and we are happy. The Chinese workers were unfamiliar with local geography, language, and custom. Their uncle was too shocked by the size of the burden suddenly thrust upon him to grieve at the loss of his sister. The main thing is to be able to look down on your neighbours. 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. Li Hua was the only worker to be rescued on the night of 5 February, 2004. His mother, Shi Aizhu, took that call. "It was very harrowing. 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.". On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. "I thought I might just as well wait to die. ", There has been a little charity for her and several other families, from the Fuqing Overseas Workers organisation. He would be reunited with his wife as soon as hed found somewhere of his own to live, he was told. "I went myself when I was young. The Chinese cockle pickers died in 2004 when they were caught in the rising tide at Bolton-le-Sands near Morecambe, Lancashire. Ten of us used to live here," says Chen. Twenty-three Chinese cockle pickers drowned in Lancashire's Morecambe Bay in February 2004. Bo and Yan Li were jailed in 2009 for a scam linked to the deaths of the cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay in 2004. Her house-cleaning job brings in just 600 yuan (40) a month. Gangmaster Lin Liang Ren would drive the workers to Morecambe from Liverpool and visit casinos while the men and women toiled through the night. 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. Now he had inherited two more and a debt of 150,000 yuan (9,940). Mandarin, Fuzhou dialect, English. 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. He cooks noodles for the family, helps his mother with the piecework, and trims his dreams to fit the new reality. I thought I might just as well wait to die. "Please help us. But 5,000 miles away in Fujian province, the tragedy has only deepened. I just can't. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF. "My neighbours and relatives help us. But I got caught trying to enter Japan," he recalls. Gang labour is common in the building trade, and poor health and safety under gangmasters has led to many injuries and, in some cases, deaths. Some 30 cockle pickers set out at 4 pm. Our close friends and relatives understand that we cannot pay, but the others gossip about me.". [19] This song was later covered by folk musician Christy Moore.[20]. . I know it would influence them in a bad way. [6] Most of the victims were previously employed as farmers, and two were fishermen. 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. I was on my own and then a helicopter came.". Morecambe Bay's cockling industry was catapulted into the national spotlight 15 years ago under disastrous circumstances. 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 "Dad's only wish is that you study harder and harder and never act too proud. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF. The families' huge debts are now owed to relatives, friends and neighbours. He said: "The water covered the wheel and the vehicle couldn't move. The media go wild, she says, about the inflow of migrants, but what they should be talking about is migrants' rights. The area of Morecambe Bay where 21 cockle pickers died is seen in this illustration released by Lancashire Police Credit: Reuters. "But we did not make any dent into these wider criminal gangs who traffic people around the world," he said. But we quickly ran out of things to eat so I had to start working again. They have done nothing wrong. Li Hua was trafficked by 'snakeheads' from China via Moscow to the UK. Unveiled in November 2013 and carved out of limestone, The Praying Shell overlooks the Morecambe Bay. Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book. Work on Morecambe's cockle beds has ceased, and at the time action was promised to prevent such a tragedy happening again. He must be able to hear everything anyway, if not this time, then on countless previous occasions. 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. . I don't know how we can go on. 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. But I have a few hundred thousand yuan worth of debts. 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. We left our families to make a better life. Morecambe Bay. Sinking water, sinking water.". But he gets up without grumbling and poses patiently next to his mother. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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. "Shouldn't the boy go and play next door?" When he returns home, he locks himself in his room. Ten years ago this week, 23 men and women lost their lives searching for cockles in Morecambe Bay. The interview over, I ask if I can take some pictures of the mother, grandmother and son. The detective who led the investigation into the tragedy said the deaths had "lived with him" ever since. Mick Gradwell, the detective who led the investigation into the tragedy, said criminals were funnelling 1m per day to China by exploiting workers all around England. The creditors haven't started to harass him yet because they know he is just a kid, but they will when he grows up. "It still makes me sad whenever I come here. Published 7th Feb 2004, 00:00 BST. His evidence helped convict Lin Liang Ren of 21 counts of manslaughter, facilitating illegal immigration and perverting the course of justice. 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. "Well, actually, slavery is here and now in the UK and the research which I've done with colleagues suggests there may be upwards of 10,000 people at any one time in the UK in conditions which we would class as modern slavery.". The sculpture can be easy to miss. 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. How can the Chinese and the UK governments say that it is not their responsibility? On the evening of February 5, 2004, 23 men and women lost their lives after . 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. Xu appears to be a reasoning, reasonable woman. My children are suffering. Find Cockle Pickers Work At Morecambe Bay stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. 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. If I had any money, I would pay them, because I know they have to work hard for their money too. The Praying Shell artwork, carved in limestone, sits above the site where 23 Chinese cockle pickers working for. "There is no precedent All we can do is wait.". A sculpture of a blood drop designed to honor those that have donated the precious liquid. In sharp contrast, the dead man's mother is almost silent. Charitable appeals have made little progress. No purchase necessary. Since 2006, 201 licences have been revoked, but this is "the tip of an iceberg", he says. "The brother is 16 and he doesn't study hard. 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. It wasn't the creditors this time. Among those who perished were an 18-year-old man and a husband and wife,. A family portrait in 2004 shows the couple smiling with their two children. Read about our approach to external linking. Congleton MP Ann Winterton stunned an audience at a dinner when . 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 victims' families - especially their children - are being punished, even though they broke no law themselves. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? And, of course, the debt from the dead woman's passage to Britain still hangs over them. Soon after he turned 19, he went to England. I could earn 500 yuan in a month," he says. The 17-year-old's schoolwork is suffering. They realise we have problems," says Chen. "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. A week after she died, in 2004, I visited the family's home. The remit of the GLA, Prof Craig said, should be extended to include industries including "construction, hospitality and leisure and social care". The death of 19 cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay has added to its reputation for being a deadly area for the unwary. ", Her sick brother-in-law says he feels like an extra burden. Healthcare, which is more market-driven than in most capitalist countries, is a heavy burden. Five of them depend on Yu's father's factory salary of 750 yuan. [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). Winner will be selected at random on 06/01/2023. 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 Morecambe Bay disaster. Visitors may notice something strange walking through this quaint German town. At the moment, it is impossible. "I was on my own And then a helicopter came," he said. All she does all day is collect rubbish for recycling so we can get a little extra money," explains Chen. 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. Everyone was panicking, they got out of the vehicle and tried to swim. Is climate change killing Australian wine? "They put me in prison for a year. The events of that . Lin Guohua is at the bottom of the heap. Read about our approach to external linking. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. In 2004 23 cockle-pickers drowned after becoming trapped by rising tides in the Lancashire bay. Chinese cockle pickers who died in Morecambe Bay, northwest England in 2004. ", Among all the people I meet in Fujian, Lin has come the furthest to talk but appears to have the lowest expectations. comments sorted by Best Top New Controversial Q&A Add a Comment . "It won't be easy," says David Tang, the London lawyer who represents the victims. They need to be repaid. 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. But they are not stupid. It seems workers have little confidence in reporting abuse to the GLA: "They don't seem to do much with the intelligence," a source told me. "My husband was good to me. "Some are polite. Their father had died in an accident several years earlier, leaving the family deep in debt. Aerial shots of large-scale calligraphy counterpoint to the thermal imaging footage from the rescue services to Morecambe Bay. 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. it says. 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. The absence of a social welfare net in China drives people overseas and then leaves their families exposed when something goes wrong. Now the creditors never stop bothering us." The walls are cracked. 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. All rights reserved. "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.". Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? After they have paid the rent and utilities, there is barely enough for food. It is a rough-hewn, empty house. Now living under witness protection, he told BBC Inside Out of his "despair" before help arrived. 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. 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. There is usually less risk than for a loan for college or business.". Alan Sledmore, who guides people across the bay, said "The area is very . Inset: bodies being removed after the disaster. He already had four mouths to feed. The eldest son has done his best to honour that final wish, but it is becoming more difficult. Read about our approach to external linking. Her miserable red-brick cottage grovels at the feet of neighbouring multi-storeys - designed in a European style with Greek pillars and pediments. Local fisherman Harold Benson is still traumatised by the events of 5 February 2004. The workers were all illegal immigrants, mainly from the Fujian province of China, and have been described as being untrained and inexperienced. Chen says she has sold her wedding jewellery and persuaded the creditors to stop charging 10% interest. He earned a lot in his first year and wrote to say that he was happy in Britain. 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. They have had to move. The father inherited his son's 100,000 yuan debt (6, 625). They didn't beat me, not even once.". 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 (2.2 mi) north of Morecambe. Mr Hua said: "I could not believe I was being rescued and I was alive again.". And so the debt grows, and grows, devouring the lives of those left behind. Mr Hua said: "It was pitch black and I was desperate. Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. He wants to quit school and start work so that he can begin repaying the debt. Xu says her brother went overseas after his mother was diagnosed with cancer. He believes the small gangmasters not following the rules may get caught, but the large ones are still out there. At least 21 Chinese cockle pickers drowned in treacherous weather conditions in Hest Bank, Lancashire, on the night of 5 February 2004. The Morecambe Bay victims were aged between 18 and 45, Jurors in the manslaughter trial were taken out on the sands in a hovercraft. 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. Returning three years later, I find that he seems to have coped as well as can be imagined in the circumstances. Dependants Son Cai Zhixiang, 16, daughter Cai Huiling, 13 Debt 150,000 yuan (9,940) Monthly income 2,000 yuan (132). "Our thoughts really are of sadness for the families. When the creditors come knocking - at least once a month for the past three years - he begs for more time. Guo Binlong's brick-making business failed in China, so he went to Britain. In October 2013, it stopped monitoring some industries including forestry or apprenticeships and contract cleaning in the food industry when it should be expanding to include sectors with the worst working conditions. ", At the bottom, he tags on a brief message to their two sons. See. "They lent us money because they sympathised with our poverty. "I worry about their future," says the uncle. In fact, these . I had a warm and happy family even though we weren't rich. 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. "I adopted him as my son, but I am worried about his future," sobs his aunt. "But my mother almost never stops crying. That anger grew as it became clear how desperate the victims' lives had been. The authorities in Beijing have washed their hands of the matter. 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. "We will probably never know where the money was hidden for the last few years but we are convinced it was kept from the original people-trafficking operation and other related crime.". Everything he says lives up to the archetype of the downtrodden peasant. 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. Gangmaster-controlled work is worth 1.34bn to the UK economy, but only 950 labour providers are licensed under the act. It is not that I don't want to pay. Registered in England No. "I don't know how I will be able to pay for him if he succeeds. [2] The Chinese workers were unfamiliar with local geography, language, and custom. "We cannot afford gas so I have to go up to the hill to get wood," she sobs. [3][4] The workers had been trafficked via containers into Liverpool, and were hired out through local criminal agents of international Chinese Triads. 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 Gangmasters Licensing Authority is unsurprised. Back then, I assumed that the cries would end after a few hours or weeks or months. The cockles to be collected are best found at low tide on sand flats at Warton Sands, near Hest Bank. An unusual artwork dedicated to a unique man that entertained people visiting Cambridge while raising money for charity. Instead of immigration vans, raids and endless spot checks, we need resources to be redirected into penalising exploitative employers and protecting workers. "I was so tired last year that I had to stop and rest. ", We sneak back into her home so that she can show me the life she left behind. But she had to come back because her children's schoolwork was suffering in her absence. Sinking water, sinking water.". I ask Chen how the family will manage. Memories of the tragedy may have faded in the public mind. On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. introduced after the 2004 tragedy has led to a reduction in the number of illegal cockle pickers in the Bay. On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. She now lives at her uncle and aunt's home in the hills. This barely covers half the interest payments. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. The monthly interest, 1,000 yuan (66), is three times Lin's rent. "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 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. "Sometimes I think if he hadn't died I would live a better life.". They used houses and shops in Shirley in Solihull, and Dudley to run their operation, it said. 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. "It is not fair for the children. I wish you and my son health and safety. They did not do anything illegal once they got to the UK. [7] Four of the victims died after the truck they used to reach the cockling area became overwhelmed by water.
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