| Journey at Sea |
For those that braved the open ocean, a perilous journey awaited. The rickety wooden boats were almost always over capacity, leaving the voyagers with little more than crouching space for anywhere from two weeks to several months. Those that were lucky were rescued by freighters and taken to Hong Kong. Those less fortunate, however, were forced to fight the elements for weeks. Aside from the space , the boat people also faced many obstacles, including: Disease was rampant on the boats and spread quickly because of the cramped space. As individuals died aboard the boats, the other passengers were forced to dump the bodies over the side, lacking the resources for a more ceremonious burial. back to top The boats tried to stop along the China coast for water and food as they made their journeys. However, many of the boats were traveling for weeks or even months, unable to locate a refugee camp, and were not able to maintain proper stores of food. As a result, many died of starvation or dehydration. back to top The Thai pirates were a huge concern during the boat peoples' voyage. They were typically Thai fisherman turned pirates who pillaged, raped and massacred the Vietnamese refugee boats. Their manner of attack was overwhelmingly barbarous, often using hammers, machetes, and guns to brutally massacre or disfigure entire boats. Women recieved the harshest treatment, most suffering from rape and death after the pirates stole all of their possesions. Sometimes the Thai pirates simply capsized the boat and let the Vietnamese people , including women and children, drown to death. back to top The small, rickety boats were no match for strong storms. When faced with such elements there was little that the boat people could do, resulting in the capsizing of many boats. The monsoon rains between May and November also made traveling the ocean extremely dangerous. back to topSome sources estimate that between 200,000 and 250,000 Vietnamese refugees died at sea. It is also estimated that between one third and one half of those who set out in boats did not finish their journey. back to top Most of the boat people were separated from their families. Most had no idea where their loved ones would end up or if they would survive the journey. Such separation caused extreme grief among many of the boat people. back to top Because the camps were so overcrowded on the islands, the natives on the islands would often turn boats away or attempt to capsize them before they reached shore. It became common for the boat people to "crash" their boats on the shores to destroy the crafts, buying the refugees some time in which they could bribe officials in order to stay on the island.June 9, 2008 --Laura Chau
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