Model of a junk boat
Production date
1975
Audio tour
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Details
Description
A model wooden junk made from cigarette cartons by Vietnamese boat people, dated 1975, Sungai Besi transit camp, Malaysia.
The term ‘Vietnamese boat people’ refers to the mass exodus of Vietnamese after the fall of Saigon, and the subsequent dissolution of the South Vietnamese government after the victory of the communist North. The flight of refugees from their home country was part of the wider Indochina refugee crisis, as Communist governments sprang up across the local geopolitical area. As a result, many Asian countries including Thailand and Malaysia took in refugees for eventual resettlement in Western nations such as the United States and Britain.
This item drew my attention due to the story of tragedy that is told through a relatively innocent looking object. The transit camps must have been a challenging destination for those that fled their homes, but also one of refuge for those arriving, fleeing the perceived threat of regimes across the region. As Hong Kong, a British dominion, was the first place to accept refugees fleeing Vietnam, they were the focus of the British Red Cross. However, Red Cross members provided invaluable aid not only in other refugee camps across Asia, but also to those that came and settled in Britain, helping immensely to ease that transition. In total, over 100,000 refugees passed through refugee camps run by the Hong Kong branch of the British Red Cross and around 19,000 came to the UK to be resettled.
Audio recording by Leon Paul Janes (Volunteer), London.
The term ‘Vietnamese boat people’ refers to the mass exodus of Vietnamese after the fall of Saigon, and the subsequent dissolution of the South Vietnamese government after the victory of the communist North. The flight of refugees from their home country was part of the wider Indochina refugee crisis, as Communist governments sprang up across the local geopolitical area. As a result, many Asian countries including Thailand and Malaysia took in refugees for eventual resettlement in Western nations such as the United States and Britain.
This item drew my attention due to the story of tragedy that is told through a relatively innocent looking object. The transit camps must have been a challenging destination for those that fled their homes, but also one of refuge for those arriving, fleeing the perceived threat of regimes across the region. As Hong Kong, a British dominion, was the first place to accept refugees fleeing Vietnam, they were the focus of the British Red Cross. However, Red Cross members provided invaluable aid not only in other refugee camps across Asia, but also to those that came and settled in Britain, helping immensely to ease that transition. In total, over 100,000 refugees passed through refugee camps run by the Hong Kong branch of the British Red Cross and around 19,000 came to the UK to be resettled.
Audio recording by Leon Paul Janes (Volunteer), London.
Collection Type
Objects
Production Place
Media/Materials
Catalogue Number
1571/1
Associated Place
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Object Types
Place Made
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