SUMMER EDITION 2012
My Journey to the Land Across the Ocean
By Nazrul Pramanik
8th December 2012
Like any other day I came back home from the office with my Modenas Kriss scooter. I was still sweating from the hot Kuala Lumpur weather. My wife gave me a letter, which she received today in the mail. The letter was from the immigration department of Australia. Some excitement and fear went through my mind when I realised that my permanent residency had been approved and I was expected to migrate within eight months.
I was not serious when I applied a month before. I lodged the application just to explore and asses my current skill at the time. Now I had to make a decision, which was to change my life forever!
After consulting my family, parents, relatives, and friends I finally accepted the offer for an unknown future. I did not know a single person in Australia. No jobs were guaranteed and I did not have enough money to bring my wife and my little boy with me to Australia. My parents suggested that I leave my family back home in Bangladesh. However, my own adventurous instinct convinced me to take my family with me to whatever situation I might find myself in. My parents and relatives were not happy about my decision. They labelled me a “Bou Paagla” meaning “mad to wife” person.
I had another three months to migrate and an I got an opportunity to know a person from Australia. I was one of the organisers of an international conference in KL. I was browsing the list of guest speakers and found Mr Syed, Secretary of the Islamic Council of Victoria, on the list. When I met him and explained my situation, he encouraged me to migrate to Melbourne and offered me assistance.
It was difficult when I said good bye to Malaysia where I spent one third of my life. I finally migrated to Melbourne with my wife and son in the year of the Sydney Olympics. We rented a one bed room unit at Altona North for just $75 per week, which was expensive for my standard. With the amount of cash I had, we would only survive a few months. Therefore, my job hunting started in full swing in the midst of my cultural and social shock. The more job applications I lodged the more regret letters my wife collected from the mail. At the point that I was about to give up, I suddenly got two job offers, and happily I accepted one.
We now own our house. We have three more beautiful kids, and I have a settled IT professional. I am still balancing l office-family life but it is so different to life in KL!
8th December 2012
Like any other day I came back home from the office with my Modenas Kriss scooter. I was still sweating from the hot Kuala Lumpur weather. My wife gave me a letter, which she received today in the mail. The letter was from the immigration department of Australia. Some excitement and fear went through my mind when I realised that my permanent residency had been approved and I was expected to migrate within eight months.
I was not serious when I applied a month before. I lodged the application just to explore and asses my current skill at the time. Now I had to make a decision, which was to change my life forever!
After consulting my family, parents, relatives, and friends I finally accepted the offer for an unknown future. I did not know a single person in Australia. No jobs were guaranteed and I did not have enough money to bring my wife and my little boy with me to Australia. My parents suggested that I leave my family back home in Bangladesh. However, my own adventurous instinct convinced me to take my family with me to whatever situation I might find myself in. My parents and relatives were not happy about my decision. They labelled me a “Bou Paagla” meaning “mad to wife” person.
I had another three months to migrate and an I got an opportunity to know a person from Australia. I was one of the organisers of an international conference in KL. I was browsing the list of guest speakers and found Mr Syed, Secretary of the Islamic Council of Victoria, on the list. When I met him and explained my situation, he encouraged me to migrate to Melbourne and offered me assistance.
It was difficult when I said good bye to Malaysia where I spent one third of my life. I finally migrated to Melbourne with my wife and son in the year of the Sydney Olympics. We rented a one bed room unit at Altona North for just $75 per week, which was expensive for my standard. With the amount of cash I had, we would only survive a few months. Therefore, my job hunting started in full swing in the midst of my cultural and social shock. The more job applications I lodged the more regret letters my wife collected from the mail. At the point that I was about to give up, I suddenly got two job offers, and happily I accepted one.
We now own our house. We have three more beautiful kids, and I have a settled IT professional. I am still balancing l office-family life but it is so different to life in KL!
BOAT PEOPLE. MY FAMILY.
By Hieu Nguyen
8th December 2012
In the last few months, the number of refugees arriving illegally via boat to Australia has increased significantly. This has reminded me of one of the most important pages in Vietnam history where millions of Vietnamese left their beloved country and risked their lives on the long voyage to seek for a better and safer life. This report will define what Vietnamese boat people is, why they left Vietnam and their journey to freedom countries.
Vietnamese boat people refer to refugees, illegal immigrants or asylum seekers who emigrated in boats that are sometimes old and crudely made. The boat people came into common use during the late 1970s with the mass departure of Vietnamese refugees from Communist-controlled Vietnam, following the Vietnamese War. There is no exact figure how many Vietnamese boat people between 1975 – 1990 but the number who attempted to flee has been put as high as 1.5 million. Many of these refugees ended up settling in the United States and Europe. What happened on the year of 1975 which made Vietnamese people started to run away from their country? It was when the Vietnamese war finished and the communist government took control of the south of Vietnam.
In 1954, the Geneva Convention Agreement divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel. This was when the First Indochina War began where the North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies fought against the government of South Vietnam, supported by United States and other anti-communist countries. The war finished in April 1975 and the North and the South of Vietnam was united under the Communist government. After the war, the new Communist government sent many people who supported the old government in the South to "re-education camps”. In such "re-education camps", the government imprisoned former military officers and government workers from the former regime of South Vietnam. Re-education as it was implemented in Vietnam was seen as both a means of revenge and a sophisticated technique of repression and indoctrination, which developed for several years in the North. An estimated 1-2.5 million people were imprisoned with no formal charges or trials (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boat_people, 2012). The new government also deported around 1 million people against their will to “New Economic Zones” to reduce the increasing un-employed rate after the collapsed of the South Vietnam. The Economic Zones were set up in virgin lands, often malaria-infested jungles. Because of the barely tolerate living conditions in the new settlement, a lot of people escaped or bribed their way back to city. It is estimated that slave labour in the New Economic Zones caused 50,000 deaths (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boat_people, 2012). The Vietnam- Cambodia war between May 1975- Sep 1989 also caused 15000 soldiers kill, 30000 wounded and more than 100000 civilians were killed between 1979 – 1989 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodian%E2%80%93Vietnamese_War#cite_ref-4, 2012). Young men from 18 years old were forced to join the army for this war. In addition, children from the former regime of South Vietnam were not allowed to enrol to good Universities and had disadvantages compare to others. “Suzie is no stranger to struggle. But nothing compared to what happened on April 30, 1975, when Suzie and her family's life as they knew it was turned upside down. The Communists from North Vietnam took over the South and arrested her stepfather, who had served in the South Army of the Republic of Vietnam. The communist police started harassing her family, ordered her mother into forced labour, and drafted her brother into the military as soon as he turned 18” (http://www.refugees.org/refugee-voices/refugee-resettlement/former-vietnamese-refugee.html, 2011). Suzie’s short story summarized all the reasons why million of Vietnamese had to flee from their country to seek for a better life.
There were many methods employed by Vietnamese boat people to leave the country. Vietnamese citizens who had Chinese background were allowed to leave the country in the big boat carried up to 400 passengers. Many Vietnamese without Chinese background bribed the government officials to have their names change to become Chinese so they could flee the country legally by buying a place in the big boats. The rest fled the country illegally on shift rafts crudely made of wood or fishing boats. The boats sometimes were really small but packed of people and running on the old engine: “The people looked like sardines in a can. The engine was very old and it did not have a hooded cover on top” (http://www.vietka.com/Vietnamese_Boat_People/AnotherHomeland.htm).
Many families were split up during this period because they could only afford to send one or a few member of the family. Planning for such a trip took many months and even years. Although these attempts often caused a depletion of resources, people usually had several false starts before they managed to escape. If they got caught by Vietnamese patrol officers before arriving at the national water, they were sent to prison for a few months to few years depending on if their relatives bribed the government to get them out of the prison. The Vietnamese boat people started their journey by arriving at the safe houses at fishing villages in small groups a few days before the departure day. On the day they were transferred to the “mother” boat anchored at the national water via small boats. The boats were not intended for navigating open waters, and would typically head for busy international shipping lanes some 240 km to the east. The lucky ones would succeed in being rescued by freighters and taken to Hong Kong, close to 2,200 km away. Others landed on the shores of surrounding Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Hongkong and Indonesia. The unlucky ones would continue their perilous journey at sea, sometimes lasting over 6 months long, suffering from hunger, thirst, disease, and pirates before finding safety. “Soon, they run out of food, raw fish have become their main source of nourishment, but even that is rare. One can especially hear children whining for food while their parents sit there, helplessly. These apprehensive, innocent kids do not know what has happened to them, nor why they have been put in the boat to never see their home again” (http://www.vietka.com/Vietnamese_Boat_People/QuestForFreedom.htm). There were untold miseries, rapes and murders on the South China Sea committed by Thai pirates who preyed on the refugees who had sold all their possessions and carried gold with them on the trips. There were so many painful and terrible stories about Vietnamese young girls and women who were raped by the pirates in front of their helpless and shocking relatives. According to http://www.vietka.com/Vietnamese_Boat_People/vietnamesesuffering.htm: “In April 1989 seven pirates armed with a gun, knives and hammers attacked 129 Vietnamese. The women were raped and all of them were slaughtered”. Another story of a girl named Hue and a 16 years old girl who were raped many times in one night by more than ten pirates: “Hue shudders with disgust as she recalls the first man who raped her as 10 others clapped and cheered in a circle around them. His head was shaved, and the knife he held to her throat slashed her chin when she turned her head and clawed at his face. In retaliation, he and several other pirates clawed and bit her body with such force that she recently underwent surgery to reconstruct her mutilated breasts. The pirates then turned on a petite 16-year-old virgin and began to rape her as her father looked on. Unable to accommodate their brutality, the girl began to haemorrhage As she slowly bled to death, they continued to rape her. After she died, they covered the upper half of her body with a sheet and raped her some more”. Many girls and women were taken away from the boats and their relatives never saw them again. Some of them were killed or thrown to the sea when the pirates didn’t want them anymore. Others were sold to the prostitute houses in Asian countries.
Those who were lucky to reach the shore, their journey had not ended yet. They had to live in refugee camps for several months or years before they could settle to a third country. Life in the camp was not easy either. “For more than three months, Ton spent sleepless nights in the notorious Galang first asylum camp in Northern Indonesia clutching his beautiful younger sister in terror”. He said "I used to go to sleep hugging my sister, otherwise the Indonesian guards would pick her up and put her back three hours later” (http://www.spi.com.sg/haunted/galang/main.htm, 2006). The same web site also stated: “Based on interviews with former inmates of Galang, the Sunday Morning Post has pieced together a shocking and continuing story of widespread bribery, brutal beatings and sexual assault. Inmates identified one senior guard who abused women sexually and brutally beat men”. After the long journey to find freedom, the refugees still had to endure more tragedy:” The most tragic was in 1985 when a young girl was raped by seven compatriots. She committed suicide. In her memory, the UNHCR built a Humanity Statue at that location” (http://www.spi.com.sg/haunted/galang/main.htm, 2006).
The Orderly Departure Program from 1979 until 1994 helped to resettle refugees in the United States as well as other Western countries. In this program, refugees were asked to go back to Vietnam and waited for assessment. If they were deemed to be eligible to be re-settled in the US (according to criteria that the US government had established), they would be allowed to immigrate. Humanitarian Operation (HO) was set up to benefit former South Vietnamese who were involved in the former regime or worked for the US. They were to be allowed to immigrate to the US if they had suffered persecution by the communist regime after 1975. According to http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/vietnam_boat_people.htm, 2012: “the United States accepted 823,000 refugees; Britain accepted 19,000; France accepted 96,000; Australia and Canada accepted 137,000 each”. Also, according to http://www.vietka.com/DeathCasualty.htm: "the number of Vietnamese boat people died on the way to find their freedom was around 200.000 to 250.000”. For those who were refused by third countries were sent back to Vietnam. Many committed suicide because their dreams were shattered. They risked their life to find freedom and better life but there was no future for them: “ On August 30, 1991, Trịnh Kim Hương, 28, burned herself alive after being denied refugee status in Galang camp. On September 2, 1996, the final date of the return of the remaining 5,000 refugees back to their home country-since there were no more governments willing to offer asylum, the suicide attempts reached their peak. Many were too scared to return to their homeland and chose to end their lives instead. Suicide victims therefore dominate the 503 graves”(http://www.spi.com.sg/haunted/galang/main.htm, 2006).
My brother and my two sisters were among the Vietnamese boat people who were lucky to settle in Australia in 1981 after several failed attempts. I tried to escape the country once but it was not successful. I lost my aunty and my cousin in that trip as their boat sunk on the way to the “mother” boat due to strong tides. Two days later, I lost two brothers in a separate escape attempt. We never heard anything from them since the day they left in July 1979. The reason we tried to escape the country was the same as Suzie. There was no future for us and my father was constantly harassed by the government. My sisters and brothers were denied a place in the University. They took my mum away when they found a few kilograms of detergent powder in our house which was not allowed at that time. We paid dearly for the price of freedom by losing our loved ones. When I researched for this report, this reminded me of all my memories from when I was 9-10 years old. My uncle went mad when he heard the news of his wife and his son after their boat was sunk. He spent many days travelled up the and down the river to find their bodies. Image of my elder brother crying uncontrollably when he was released from the prison. He suffered from eczema in the prison and there was no medicine. The memory of my mother travelling constantly to different prisons to find her children after the failed attempts. For years after when we still had no news of my lost brothers, my parents were living in through hell. They kept blaming themselves for sending their children to death.
The stories of my family and Suzie’s are few of the millions told or untold stories of Vietnamese people after the war. This explains why we left our beloved country. The journey to run away from our home country was not an easy escape and some of us lost our loved ones. We will never forget this page of history where we lost our country to the Communist and masses of Vietnamese people fled the country to find freedom, to live a better and safer life.
References
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/vietnam_boat_people.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Vietnam_since_1945
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boat_people
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodian%E2%80%93Vietnamese_War#cite_ref-4
http://www.spi.com.sg/haunted/galang/main.htm)
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/vietnam_boat_people.htm
http://www.vietka.com
8th December 2012
In the last few months, the number of refugees arriving illegally via boat to Australia has increased significantly. This has reminded me of one of the most important pages in Vietnam history where millions of Vietnamese left their beloved country and risked their lives on the long voyage to seek for a better and safer life. This report will define what Vietnamese boat people is, why they left Vietnam and their journey to freedom countries.
Vietnamese boat people refer to refugees, illegal immigrants or asylum seekers who emigrated in boats that are sometimes old and crudely made. The boat people came into common use during the late 1970s with the mass departure of Vietnamese refugees from Communist-controlled Vietnam, following the Vietnamese War. There is no exact figure how many Vietnamese boat people between 1975 – 1990 but the number who attempted to flee has been put as high as 1.5 million. Many of these refugees ended up settling in the United States and Europe. What happened on the year of 1975 which made Vietnamese people started to run away from their country? It was when the Vietnamese war finished and the communist government took control of the south of Vietnam.
In 1954, the Geneva Convention Agreement divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel. This was when the First Indochina War began where the North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies fought against the government of South Vietnam, supported by United States and other anti-communist countries. The war finished in April 1975 and the North and the South of Vietnam was united under the Communist government. After the war, the new Communist government sent many people who supported the old government in the South to "re-education camps”. In such "re-education camps", the government imprisoned former military officers and government workers from the former regime of South Vietnam. Re-education as it was implemented in Vietnam was seen as both a means of revenge and a sophisticated technique of repression and indoctrination, which developed for several years in the North. An estimated 1-2.5 million people were imprisoned with no formal charges or trials (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boat_people, 2012). The new government also deported around 1 million people against their will to “New Economic Zones” to reduce the increasing un-employed rate after the collapsed of the South Vietnam. The Economic Zones were set up in virgin lands, often malaria-infested jungles. Because of the barely tolerate living conditions in the new settlement, a lot of people escaped or bribed their way back to city. It is estimated that slave labour in the New Economic Zones caused 50,000 deaths (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boat_people, 2012). The Vietnam- Cambodia war between May 1975- Sep 1989 also caused 15000 soldiers kill, 30000 wounded and more than 100000 civilians were killed between 1979 – 1989 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodian%E2%80%93Vietnamese_War#cite_ref-4, 2012). Young men from 18 years old were forced to join the army for this war. In addition, children from the former regime of South Vietnam were not allowed to enrol to good Universities and had disadvantages compare to others. “Suzie is no stranger to struggle. But nothing compared to what happened on April 30, 1975, when Suzie and her family's life as they knew it was turned upside down. The Communists from North Vietnam took over the South and arrested her stepfather, who had served in the South Army of the Republic of Vietnam. The communist police started harassing her family, ordered her mother into forced labour, and drafted her brother into the military as soon as he turned 18” (http://www.refugees.org/refugee-voices/refugee-resettlement/former-vietnamese-refugee.html, 2011). Suzie’s short story summarized all the reasons why million of Vietnamese had to flee from their country to seek for a better life.
There were many methods employed by Vietnamese boat people to leave the country. Vietnamese citizens who had Chinese background were allowed to leave the country in the big boat carried up to 400 passengers. Many Vietnamese without Chinese background bribed the government officials to have their names change to become Chinese so they could flee the country legally by buying a place in the big boats. The rest fled the country illegally on shift rafts crudely made of wood or fishing boats. The boats sometimes were really small but packed of people and running on the old engine: “The people looked like sardines in a can. The engine was very old and it did not have a hooded cover on top” (http://www.vietka.com/Vietnamese_Boat_People/AnotherHomeland.htm).
Many families were split up during this period because they could only afford to send one or a few member of the family. Planning for such a trip took many months and even years. Although these attempts often caused a depletion of resources, people usually had several false starts before they managed to escape. If they got caught by Vietnamese patrol officers before arriving at the national water, they were sent to prison for a few months to few years depending on if their relatives bribed the government to get them out of the prison. The Vietnamese boat people started their journey by arriving at the safe houses at fishing villages in small groups a few days before the departure day. On the day they were transferred to the “mother” boat anchored at the national water via small boats. The boats were not intended for navigating open waters, and would typically head for busy international shipping lanes some 240 km to the east. The lucky ones would succeed in being rescued by freighters and taken to Hong Kong, close to 2,200 km away. Others landed on the shores of surrounding Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Hongkong and Indonesia. The unlucky ones would continue their perilous journey at sea, sometimes lasting over 6 months long, suffering from hunger, thirst, disease, and pirates before finding safety. “Soon, they run out of food, raw fish have become their main source of nourishment, but even that is rare. One can especially hear children whining for food while their parents sit there, helplessly. These apprehensive, innocent kids do not know what has happened to them, nor why they have been put in the boat to never see their home again” (http://www.vietka.com/Vietnamese_Boat_People/QuestForFreedom.htm). There were untold miseries, rapes and murders on the South China Sea committed by Thai pirates who preyed on the refugees who had sold all their possessions and carried gold with them on the trips. There were so many painful and terrible stories about Vietnamese young girls and women who were raped by the pirates in front of their helpless and shocking relatives. According to http://www.vietka.com/Vietnamese_Boat_People/vietnamesesuffering.htm: “In April 1989 seven pirates armed with a gun, knives and hammers attacked 129 Vietnamese. The women were raped and all of them were slaughtered”. Another story of a girl named Hue and a 16 years old girl who were raped many times in one night by more than ten pirates: “Hue shudders with disgust as she recalls the first man who raped her as 10 others clapped and cheered in a circle around them. His head was shaved, and the knife he held to her throat slashed her chin when she turned her head and clawed at his face. In retaliation, he and several other pirates clawed and bit her body with such force that she recently underwent surgery to reconstruct her mutilated breasts. The pirates then turned on a petite 16-year-old virgin and began to rape her as her father looked on. Unable to accommodate their brutality, the girl began to haemorrhage As she slowly bled to death, they continued to rape her. After she died, they covered the upper half of her body with a sheet and raped her some more”. Many girls and women were taken away from the boats and their relatives never saw them again. Some of them were killed or thrown to the sea when the pirates didn’t want them anymore. Others were sold to the prostitute houses in Asian countries.
Those who were lucky to reach the shore, their journey had not ended yet. They had to live in refugee camps for several months or years before they could settle to a third country. Life in the camp was not easy either. “For more than three months, Ton spent sleepless nights in the notorious Galang first asylum camp in Northern Indonesia clutching his beautiful younger sister in terror”. He said "I used to go to sleep hugging my sister, otherwise the Indonesian guards would pick her up and put her back three hours later” (http://www.spi.com.sg/haunted/galang/main.htm, 2006). The same web site also stated: “Based on interviews with former inmates of Galang, the Sunday Morning Post has pieced together a shocking and continuing story of widespread bribery, brutal beatings and sexual assault. Inmates identified one senior guard who abused women sexually and brutally beat men”. After the long journey to find freedom, the refugees still had to endure more tragedy:” The most tragic was in 1985 when a young girl was raped by seven compatriots. She committed suicide. In her memory, the UNHCR built a Humanity Statue at that location” (http://www.spi.com.sg/haunted/galang/main.htm, 2006).
The Orderly Departure Program from 1979 until 1994 helped to resettle refugees in the United States as well as other Western countries. In this program, refugees were asked to go back to Vietnam and waited for assessment. If they were deemed to be eligible to be re-settled in the US (according to criteria that the US government had established), they would be allowed to immigrate. Humanitarian Operation (HO) was set up to benefit former South Vietnamese who were involved in the former regime or worked for the US. They were to be allowed to immigrate to the US if they had suffered persecution by the communist regime after 1975. According to http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/vietnam_boat_people.htm, 2012: “the United States accepted 823,000 refugees; Britain accepted 19,000; France accepted 96,000; Australia and Canada accepted 137,000 each”. Also, according to http://www.vietka.com/DeathCasualty.htm: "the number of Vietnamese boat people died on the way to find their freedom was around 200.000 to 250.000”. For those who were refused by third countries were sent back to Vietnam. Many committed suicide because their dreams were shattered. They risked their life to find freedom and better life but there was no future for them: “ On August 30, 1991, Trịnh Kim Hương, 28, burned herself alive after being denied refugee status in Galang camp. On September 2, 1996, the final date of the return of the remaining 5,000 refugees back to their home country-since there were no more governments willing to offer asylum, the suicide attempts reached their peak. Many were too scared to return to their homeland and chose to end their lives instead. Suicide victims therefore dominate the 503 graves”(http://www.spi.com.sg/haunted/galang/main.htm, 2006).
My brother and my two sisters were among the Vietnamese boat people who were lucky to settle in Australia in 1981 after several failed attempts. I tried to escape the country once but it was not successful. I lost my aunty and my cousin in that trip as their boat sunk on the way to the “mother” boat due to strong tides. Two days later, I lost two brothers in a separate escape attempt. We never heard anything from them since the day they left in July 1979. The reason we tried to escape the country was the same as Suzie. There was no future for us and my father was constantly harassed by the government. My sisters and brothers were denied a place in the University. They took my mum away when they found a few kilograms of detergent powder in our house which was not allowed at that time. We paid dearly for the price of freedom by losing our loved ones. When I researched for this report, this reminded me of all my memories from when I was 9-10 years old. My uncle went mad when he heard the news of his wife and his son after their boat was sunk. He spent many days travelled up the and down the river to find their bodies. Image of my elder brother crying uncontrollably when he was released from the prison. He suffered from eczema in the prison and there was no medicine. The memory of my mother travelling constantly to different prisons to find her children after the failed attempts. For years after when we still had no news of my lost brothers, my parents were living in through hell. They kept blaming themselves for sending their children to death.
The stories of my family and Suzie’s are few of the millions told or untold stories of Vietnamese people after the war. This explains why we left our beloved country. The journey to run away from our home country was not an easy escape and some of us lost our loved ones. We will never forget this page of history where we lost our country to the Communist and masses of Vietnamese people fled the country to find freedom, to live a better and safer life.
References
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/vietnam_boat_people.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Vietnam_since_1945
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boat_people
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodian%E2%80%93Vietnamese_War#cite_ref-4
http://www.spi.com.sg/haunted/galang/main.htm)
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/vietnam_boat_people.htm
http://www.vietka.com
AN IMMIGRATION ADDRESS
By Alicia Crossley
8th December 2012
In recent years, the mandatory detention of unauthorised arrivals by boat has generated great levels of controversy and the debates about the amounts of annual intakes of immigrants in Australia continue to cause deliberations. It is unquestionable that Australia’s immigration policy needs addressing and certainly the amount of immigrants that we take in has a consequence on our economy, our identity and on the labour market. But to look at this issue from just a negative perspective is both robbing the people that want to migrate here and Australia itself. Ultimately, we have as much to gain by the immigration process as some believe we have to lose, when they underpin the cost factor and ignore the benefits of potential migrants who are driven, passionate and capable people that can nourish this land of ours.
Immigrants have a huge positive effect on Australia, the society, the labour market and Australian identity. The migrants of Australia continue to enhance and beatify our multi-cultural identity. Already we benefit from the multi-culturalism that makes up Australia, through a variety of foods, cultures and diversity. Having more migrants would further augment the colours that make up Australia. It’s easy to dismiss this thought as you sip your cappuccino or munch on your Chinese takeaway but when you spare a moment to consider the abundance of cultures that come together in something as simple as café cuisine, and the enormity of ethnic influences that make up the whole of Australia.
Migrants tend to be less egalitarian and therefore are more willing to obey law and regulations in response to their appreciation of being here. It is sad that we are debating the decrease of immigrants into Australia, especially when there are many strong minded, moral people who migrate to flee from conflict with the pure intention of creating a better life for themselves and their family. They respect the opportunities they are given and are exceptionally law-abiding people. I remember going to watch my grandparents become Australian citizens and I witnessed something so profoundly pure (enriching). In a room of about 100, now officially citizens, I saw people, proudly wearing the national dress of their homeland, clasping an Australian flag with all their might, welling up with tears as they promise to uphold and obey Australian values and laws. It is the dynamics of Australian multiculturalism that I will reinforce that there should definitely not be a decrease in the annual intake of immigrants.
It is evident that migrants have made a huge positive impact on Australian society. Some of the most successful people in Australia are migrants themselves. How sad would it be for the prospect of Australian icons if future Frank Lowy’s (Australia’s richest man, founder and largest shareholder and owner of Westfield, European Migrant), future Les Murry’s (The number one man when it comes to soccer, the Host of the World Games on SBS, Hungarian refugee) or future Judy Cassab’s (One of Australia’s most recognised artists, Austrian refugee), all refugees, were forbidden to enter the country due for fear of economic ruins?
However, the fear of economic ruins seems illogical and unreasonable when Australian immigration has in fact contributed to the economic growth of the country as a whole - the positives of immigration ultimately outweigh the negatives. The Australian government acknowledge the need for migrants in order to counteract the constant call for labour. According to nobordersguide.com, it is estimated that as many as 18 000 extra workers are needed a year in order to maintain Australian economic growth rates. "Australia desperately needs skilled workers," says Erin Ryan of international global mobility specialists. She explains that, "This is due to an aging population and current financial boom." Immigrants are seen as the solution. Australia has essentially become a country of immigrants with an estimated quarter of the population born overseas and half having a parent who was born overseas. According to a recent report in PowerHomeBiz.com "Migrants to Australia have made and continue to make substantial contributions to Australia's stock of human, social and produced capital."
The reality is that refugees contribute a great deal to our country, both economically and culturally. It enlightens the minds of all of us who are lucky enough to live in this country, for we have the opportunity to view the world through the eyes of the world. It would be almost foolish to end or merely decrease the annual intake of immigrants in Australia, considering it’s a multi-billion dollar business and Australia depends heavily on the revenues from this. However, this topic will continuously raise debate due to the ambiguous lines that separate the positives and negatives of increased immigration. Not only is accepting migrants the compassionate thing to do, and the right thing to do. It’s the Australian thing to do. We have a great country built on multiculturalism. Why is everyone scared of a few hundred desperate people running for their lives? We must create a new system of law based on truth and justice rather than opinion. We must stop looking at the refugees as numbers. Let’s start looking at refugees as real people.
Thank you for your time.
8th December 2012
In recent years, the mandatory detention of unauthorised arrivals by boat has generated great levels of controversy and the debates about the amounts of annual intakes of immigrants in Australia continue to cause deliberations. It is unquestionable that Australia’s immigration policy needs addressing and certainly the amount of immigrants that we take in has a consequence on our economy, our identity and on the labour market. But to look at this issue from just a negative perspective is both robbing the people that want to migrate here and Australia itself. Ultimately, we have as much to gain by the immigration process as some believe we have to lose, when they underpin the cost factor and ignore the benefits of potential migrants who are driven, passionate and capable people that can nourish this land of ours.
Immigrants have a huge positive effect on Australia, the society, the labour market and Australian identity. The migrants of Australia continue to enhance and beatify our multi-cultural identity. Already we benefit from the multi-culturalism that makes up Australia, through a variety of foods, cultures and diversity. Having more migrants would further augment the colours that make up Australia. It’s easy to dismiss this thought as you sip your cappuccino or munch on your Chinese takeaway but when you spare a moment to consider the abundance of cultures that come together in something as simple as café cuisine, and the enormity of ethnic influences that make up the whole of Australia.
Migrants tend to be less egalitarian and therefore are more willing to obey law and regulations in response to their appreciation of being here. It is sad that we are debating the decrease of immigrants into Australia, especially when there are many strong minded, moral people who migrate to flee from conflict with the pure intention of creating a better life for themselves and their family. They respect the opportunities they are given and are exceptionally law-abiding people. I remember going to watch my grandparents become Australian citizens and I witnessed something so profoundly pure (enriching). In a room of about 100, now officially citizens, I saw people, proudly wearing the national dress of their homeland, clasping an Australian flag with all their might, welling up with tears as they promise to uphold and obey Australian values and laws. It is the dynamics of Australian multiculturalism that I will reinforce that there should definitely not be a decrease in the annual intake of immigrants.
It is evident that migrants have made a huge positive impact on Australian society. Some of the most successful people in Australia are migrants themselves. How sad would it be for the prospect of Australian icons if future Frank Lowy’s (Australia’s richest man, founder and largest shareholder and owner of Westfield, European Migrant), future Les Murry’s (The number one man when it comes to soccer, the Host of the World Games on SBS, Hungarian refugee) or future Judy Cassab’s (One of Australia’s most recognised artists, Austrian refugee), all refugees, were forbidden to enter the country due for fear of economic ruins?
However, the fear of economic ruins seems illogical and unreasonable when Australian immigration has in fact contributed to the economic growth of the country as a whole - the positives of immigration ultimately outweigh the negatives. The Australian government acknowledge the need for migrants in order to counteract the constant call for labour. According to nobordersguide.com, it is estimated that as many as 18 000 extra workers are needed a year in order to maintain Australian economic growth rates. "Australia desperately needs skilled workers," says Erin Ryan of international global mobility specialists. She explains that, "This is due to an aging population and current financial boom." Immigrants are seen as the solution. Australia has essentially become a country of immigrants with an estimated quarter of the population born overseas and half having a parent who was born overseas. According to a recent report in PowerHomeBiz.com "Migrants to Australia have made and continue to make substantial contributions to Australia's stock of human, social and produced capital."
The reality is that refugees contribute a great deal to our country, both economically and culturally. It enlightens the minds of all of us who are lucky enough to live in this country, for we have the opportunity to view the world through the eyes of the world. It would be almost foolish to end or merely decrease the annual intake of immigrants in Australia, considering it’s a multi-billion dollar business and Australia depends heavily on the revenues from this. However, this topic will continuously raise debate due to the ambiguous lines that separate the positives and negatives of increased immigration. Not only is accepting migrants the compassionate thing to do, and the right thing to do. It’s the Australian thing to do. We have a great country built on multiculturalism. Why is everyone scared of a few hundred desperate people running for their lives? We must create a new system of law based on truth and justice rather than opinion. We must stop looking at the refugees as numbers. Let’s start looking at refugees as real people.
Thank you for your time.
WHEN IN ROME DO AS YOU'VE ALWAYS DONE
By Louise Crossley
8th December 2012
Immigration is an interesting word. We all know it means: to leave a place of birth - a familiar place - to live in an alternative country - an unfamiliar place. It's a brave step.
Those of us who have not left Australia may find it difficult to fathom the process, the challenges that this step can spark. Perhaps likening it to a more relatable life experience can help.
When I first separated from my 21 year marriage - a very familiar place - I found that doing simple things became more difficult. Communicating was different, as I became more cautious in the way I spoke to people to ensure that interactions were not misconstrued. It might have been all in my head but from my perspective at the time, I had to be more cagey and less approachable in order to give the right impression. For awhile, I became only a portion of who I am out of fear of being misunderstood or judged. This is a common truth for immigrants too. Many find themselves moulding their personality to fit what they believe is the accepted Australian model, and lose their essence, and sometimes their whole culture in the process.
Perhaps my example of separation is not something you have experienced, and therefore not something you can relate too. If not, you should find your own connection, and make a true effort to see the world through the eyes of immigrants.
The Free Dictionary defines immigration like this: To enter or settle in a country or region where one is not native. Surely, we have all had at least one experience in our lifetime where we have felt like this: A visitor. New. different. Draw from these experiences when you find yourself about to utter words like: 'They should learn better English', or, 'They should be more like us'. For, what a lot we will lose if such wishes come true.
8th December 2012
Immigration is an interesting word. We all know it means: to leave a place of birth - a familiar place - to live in an alternative country - an unfamiliar place. It's a brave step.
Those of us who have not left Australia may find it difficult to fathom the process, the challenges that this step can spark. Perhaps likening it to a more relatable life experience can help.
When I first separated from my 21 year marriage - a very familiar place - I found that doing simple things became more difficult. Communicating was different, as I became more cautious in the way I spoke to people to ensure that interactions were not misconstrued. It might have been all in my head but from my perspective at the time, I had to be more cagey and less approachable in order to give the right impression. For awhile, I became only a portion of who I am out of fear of being misunderstood or judged. This is a common truth for immigrants too. Many find themselves moulding their personality to fit what they believe is the accepted Australian model, and lose their essence, and sometimes their whole culture in the process.
Perhaps my example of separation is not something you have experienced, and therefore not something you can relate too. If not, you should find your own connection, and make a true effort to see the world through the eyes of immigrants.
The Free Dictionary defines immigration like this: To enter or settle in a country or region where one is not native. Surely, we have all had at least one experience in our lifetime where we have felt like this: A visitor. New. different. Draw from these experiences when you find yourself about to utter words like: 'They should learn better English', or, 'They should be more like us'. For, what a lot we will lose if such wishes come true.
THE GOLDEN ONE
Bio
I am an artist with a passion for living my life through my art in all
its forms.
I love the natural environment and innovations, ideas and practices that
help to make this world a better place.
email: [email protected]
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bridget-Camerons-Art-Page/330070790349915
phone: (08) 8395433
To be a Golden One
we need gratitude for what we have NOW.
To truly appreciate what you have been given and what you have,
to be thankful from the bottom of your heart.
What you have right now,
is exactly what you need for your development.
Do not pine over what you have lost or what you are yet to gain.
Just love what you do,
not for money or for status,
but because you truly enjoy it,
a service rendered from the heart.
Do not be afraid to be you, by being you,
you give others’ permission to be themselves.
Make the most of what you’ve got,
as no one else is you,
and no one can take away your gifts.
Please, don’t hide your light!
Be the Golden One that you are,
in the fullness of the moment,
and let life play itself out, gracefully.
LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE…
(c) Bridget Cameron
I am an artist with a passion for living my life through my art in all
its forms.
I love the natural environment and innovations, ideas and practices that
help to make this world a better place.
email: [email protected]
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bridget-Camerons-Art-Page/330070790349915
phone: (08) 8395433
To be a Golden One
we need gratitude for what we have NOW.
To truly appreciate what you have been given and what you have,
to be thankful from the bottom of your heart.
What you have right now,
is exactly what you need for your development.
Do not pine over what you have lost or what you are yet to gain.
Just love what you do,
not for money or for status,
but because you truly enjoy it,
a service rendered from the heart.
Do not be afraid to be you, by being you,
you give others’ permission to be themselves.
Make the most of what you’ve got,
as no one else is you,
and no one can take away your gifts.
Please, don’t hide your light!
Be the Golden One that you are,
in the fullness of the moment,
and let life play itself out, gracefully.
LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE…
(c) Bridget Cameron
FROM THE EDITOR
Another three months passed, wow! Welcome to our 10th edition.
Authenticity, is the stand out word of the season. The past three months have reminded me of the stunning aura that genuine people put out. A radiance that is not only uniquely beautiful but also reflects strength, confidence and acceptance of self, and others.
This season's theme connects well with the word.
If we embrace the diversity of this amazing human race of ours, and more locally, our immigrants, we may all feel braver to be our entire selves. And, for all of us, being true to God's vision, and accepting the wondrous diversity of others, can develop unions that are deep, meaningful and filled with spirit.
Thanks for coming
LOUISE CROSSLEY
Authenticity, is the stand out word of the season. The past three months have reminded me of the stunning aura that genuine people put out. A radiance that is not only uniquely beautiful but also reflects strength, confidence and acceptance of self, and others.
This season's theme connects well with the word.
If we embrace the diversity of this amazing human race of ours, and more locally, our immigrants, we may all feel braver to be our entire selves. And, for all of us, being true to God's vision, and accepting the wondrous diversity of others, can develop unions that are deep, meaningful and filled with spirit.
Thanks for coming
LOUISE CROSSLEY