The family has had to move. 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. "We dealt with the people who were responsible for the deaths on the night. 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". And tradition says the wife and children inherit the debt of the father. On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. Some creditors keep adding interest, which has pushed the debt to 300,000 yuan (20,000). Work on Morecambe's cockle beds has ceased, and at the time action was promised to prevent such a tragedy happening again. And there are numerous licensed gangmasters who violate the rules and exploit the loopholes." He would rather start work early so that he can start making payments on the debt that he will inherit as soon as he comes of age - a responsibility that few children of his age have to bear. And perhaps some fatty scraps of meat. If we're to learn the lessons of the Morecambe Bay tragedy, we need to invest in improving conditions. Almost a decade after the disaster, Mr Hua said he still has panic attacks. Mon Nov 15 2004 - 00:00. Back then, I assumed that the cries would end after a few hours or weeks or months. I ask. "I was just numb..then, I don't know how, a wave maybe turned me round. The sculpture was actually imagined before the tragedy occurred in 2004. 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. It probably makes little difference. 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. The horrors imprinted on my mind, says Li Hua. Education - supposedly free - costs more than 2,000 yuan (132) a year. "I'm scared to go there," says the daughter, Cai Huiling. [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. Ten years after the cockle pickers' tragedy, we are still focusing on the arrival of migrants, not their rights, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. As they stare into the camera, I notice the painfully inappropriate English slogan emblazoned on her T-shirt. Activists are concerned about the impact of funding cuts on working conditions. 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 headlines from China were full of disbelief. Local fisherman Harold Benson is still traumatised by the events of 5 February 2004. "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. Mick Gradwell, who has retired from Lancashire Police, said: "You're thrown into investigating international organised crime gangs, snakeheads, triads, international human trafficking. 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. "But we did not make any dent into these wider criminal gangs who traffic people around the world," he said. [2] Twenty-one bodies, of men and women between the ages of 18 and 45, were recovered from the bay after the incident. They have had to move. It is a rough-hewn, empty house. "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." Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. Mr Hua was speaking to the BBC under the protection of the government's UK Protected Persons Service. Bo and Yan Li were jailed in 2009 for a scam linked to the deaths of the cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay in 2004. Tracy Brown, a Morecambe town councillor, told the Daily Telegraph that the remarks were "beneath . introduced after the 2004 tragedy has led to a reduction in the number of illegal cockle pickers in the Bay. The media go wild, she says, about the inflow of migrants, but what they should be talking about is migrants' rights. 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. . Sometimes, relatives help out so that her children do not starve. Cockle picking can be a deadly business however - in February 2004 a group of Chinese immigrants drowned after they were cut off by an incoming tide in Morecambe Bay. I don't know how we can go on. Mr Hua was speaking to the BBC under the protection of the government's UK Protected Persons Service. Sinking water, sinking water.". "They lent us money because they sympathised with our poverty. ", She shows me a letter she received from her husband before he died. After they have paid the rent and utilities, there is barely enough for food. The young woman shrugs as she ushers her son into the bedroom next door. How can the Chinese and the UK governments say that it is not their responsibility? During lunch with two of the other bereaved relatives, he says nothing, just slurps his noodles and lets others talk of compensation, human rights and justice. Li Hua was the only worker to be rescued on the night of 5 February, 2004. Mr Gradwell said while "significant sums" were pocketed by the gangmaster, the cockle pickers earned "a pittance". "Building up hidden communities and building a life below official recognition.". Read about our approach to external linking. 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. Dependant Son Xu Bin, 17 Debt More than 200,000 yuan (13,250) Monthly income 1,200 yuan (80). "Please help us. "Wait a moment," I interrupt. Her salary of 1,200 yuan (80) a month, from a Singaporean trading company, would normally ensure a modest but secure existence in Fujian. In 2004 23 cockle-pickers drowned after becoming trapped by rising tides in the Lancashire bay. 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. 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. After he turns 18 next year, we won't be able to keep him in education." "Each family lends about 5,000 yuan (330). Each time one of the children catches a cold, the family must pay a few hundred yuan for medicine. All the victims were the main breadwinners for their families. 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. These early 19th-century kilns were used to make coke, a key Ingredient in steel production. File photo: Lancashire Police. The problem has got worse and the resources directed to it are totally inadequate.". On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. "Our thoughts really are of sadness for the families. "So it had a lasting effect on them," he added. 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. "It was very harrowing. [3][4] The workers had been trafficked via containers into Liverpool, and were hired out through local criminal agents of international Chinese Triads. The children couldn't bear to live in their old house, where the pictures of their dead parents hung on the walls. 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. 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. ITV received a Bafta for its coverage of the seven-month trial, which ended in march last year. The Praying Shell artwork, carved in limestone, sits above the site where 23 Chinese cockle pickers working for. This barely covers half the interest payments. The father inherited his son's 100,000 yuan debt (6, 625). The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. I was just lucky.". If I had any money, I would pay them, because I know they have to work hard for their money too. She shows me two photos of the father, Xu Yuhua, and mother, Liu Qinying, taken a week or so before the disaster. Read about our approach to external linking. The pair, who operated from houses in the West Midlands, had hidden 22,000 they . His evidence helped convict Lin Liang Ren of 21 counts of manslaughter, facilitating illegal immigration and perverting the course of justice. Misery appears to be what he is used to. A family portrait in 2004 shows the couple smiling with their two children. A powerful statue sits on Scalestone Point, looking out over Morecambe Bay. Lin Liang Ren was jailed for 14 years in 2006 after being found guilty of manslaughter and helping the cockle pickers break immigration laws. 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. If anyone gets sick, it will be a total disaster for all of us. The Gangmasters Licensing Authority is unsurprised. It is not enough to live on, let alone pay interest. An unusual artwork dedicated to a unique man that entertained people visiting Cambridge while raising money for charity. Survived by Father Lin Guohua Debt 100,000 yuan (6,625) Income None. Gone_Gary_T Jazz Record Requests Additional comment actions. His evidence helped convict Lin Liang Ren of 21 counts of manslaughter, facilitating illegal immigration and perverting the course of justice. [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). Gangmaster-controlled work is worth 1.34bn to the UK economy, but only 950 labour providers are licensed under the act. That afternoon, she ate with her grandson during his lunch break. Inside this station, the 1945 film "Brief Encounter" is played on a loop daily. The GLA has had some success in dismantling crime rings in Cambridgeshire, Derby and Norfolk, yet the scale of the problem seems beyond its reach. "We dealt with the people who were responsible for the deaths on the night. They cook a little extra and bring some for us. 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. Today marks 15 years since 23 people died in the Morecambe Bay cockling disaster. "There's the same number of unlicensed gangmasters as there is licensed, in the food-processing industry, for instance. 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. All four were convicted of money laundering at Birmingham Crown Court on September 20. The creditors haven't started to harass him yet because they know he is just a kid, but they will when he grows up. Worries about the future contrast sharply with the upbeat mood in Fujian. Her husband's death meant instant ruin. They have to work hard for their money too." She supports a daughter with learning disabilities, an unemployed husband, an elderly father, a sister who became mentally ill after being raped, and, since February 5 2004, a nephew. [16][17], In 2010, artist Isaac Julien released his film Ten Thousand Waves about the disaster. He said he "kept waving" at the helicopter. Alan Sledmore, who guides people across the bay, said "The area is very . "They put me in prison for a year. 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 were staying at a hotel in Chippenham in Wiltshire and staff found 22,000 hid in a locker during routine checks. The creator, artist Anthony Padgett stated that the sculpture was designed to inspire walkers venturing along the bay. A NORTH West Tory MP remained defiant today over an offensive joke about the Chinese cockle pickers who drowned in Morecambe Bay. "Look at this house. They didn't beat me, not even once.". 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. "Sometimes I think if he hadn't died I would live a better life.". "Usually all we have to eat is noodles and rice. It is very hard to make a living here. 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. Photograph: Don McPhee for the Guardian, en years ago this week, 23 men and women lost their lives searching for cockles in Morecambe Bay. And so the debt grows, and grows, devouring the lives of those left behind. Even in grief there is competition. The windows are broken. The detective who led the investigation into the tragedy said the deaths had "lived with him" ever since. 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. comments sorted by Best Top New Controversial Q&A Add a Comment . (modern), The dangers of Morecambe Bay, where 23 Chinese cocklers lost their lives in 2004, include fast-rising tides and quicksands. "I stayed in my husband's home for a while. "Tens of thousands of illegal Chinese workers were living in the country," he said. The men put the cash in a plastic container and buried it in the back garden, where it was later discovered by officers. His wife joined him after local snakeheads told her that migrant men find mistresses if they are separated from their spouses for too long. But 5,000 miles away in Fujian province, on the south-eastern coast of China, lives are still being sucked into the sands. But now she is furious at those who have left her alone with such a burden. A sculpture of a blood drop designed to honor those that have donated the precious liquid. Everyone was panicking, they got out of the vehicle and tried to swim. it says. A sculpture of a praying man overlooking Morecambe Bay has been unveiled. We left our families to make a better life. "The families who lent us the money are also poor. It is really unfair. He was called in by the coastguard to help with the rescue, but only got there in time to bring the workers' bodies out of the sea. The deaths exposed an underground. They realise we have problems," says Chen. That anger grew as it became clear how desperate the victims' lives had been. When 23 Chinese cockle pickers died at Morecambe Bay in 2004, the gangmaster was caught and convicted, bodies were repatriated, the disaster tidied away. 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 . I was just numb then, I don't know how, a wave maybe turned me round. She was always crying. [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. Mr Hua said: "I could not believe I was being rescued and I was alive again.". Among those who perished were an 18-year-old man and a husband and wife,. The problem is the creditors. Xu appears to be a reasoning, reasonable woman. 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 with that, he slips back into the background. Although this was a made-in-China and consummated-in-Britain tragedy, no one wants to take responsibility for the consequences. 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 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. 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. Gentleman will know that on that night 10 years ago, the cockle pickers could just as easily have set off from the Furness end of Morecambe bay, had the tides been . Those who sent them to their deaths have not been punished as much as us." In March 2006, Ren was jailed for 14 years at Preston Crown Court. "She has lost her mind. The children looked lost, disbelieving. He said: "The water covered the wheel and the vehicle couldn't move. 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. 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.". The Chinese cockle pickers died in 2004 when they were caught in the rising tide at Bolton-le-Sands near Morecambe, Lancashire. She makes 500 yuan (33) a month doing piecework - hammering the soles of shoes into place on her kitchen table. Morecambe's RNLI crew worked for 22 hours during the search and rescue operation. It is the complications that unsettle him. He does everything he is told without complaint or enthusiasm. "I don't know how I will be able to pay for him if he succeeds.