First arrivals – More than 160 Vietnamese Boat People arrived off the coast of Malaysia in 1978 (UNHCR)
The term Boat People refers to people who use boats to escape their country based on political reasons. They are primarily asylum seekers. The most well known Boat People are Vietnamese Boat People from 1975 – 1995.
Right after the Vietnam War ended on April 30, 1975, thousands of educated citizens and scholars were punished, imprisoned, killed, or assassinated. The reasons were that they had worked for the former South Vietnamese and US government. Their families were forced to move out to controlled inhospitable lands called New Economic Zones or the outskirts of large cities.
In the late of 70s, a large number of Cambodian Boat People fled the Khmer Rouge regime. In addition, a large number of ethnic Chinese from Vietnam became Boat People, as well. They were oppressed by the Vietnamese government during and after the Sino-Vietnamese War (Chinese – Vietnamese War) in 1979.
6 Comments
I am looking for all the people in the boat of mb095 and my friends when who helped me a lot during 6-month stayed at camp pidong, specially Truong huu Minh
Hello Phong Tram
I don’t know you still remmember me. I same boat with you MB 095. How is your brother ???
Tàu CT2304 đến đảo Bidong ngày 23 tháng 4 năm 1979 – Muốn tìm cán bạn trên tàu -
Your comment regarding educated people being punish or killed by the North Vietnamese government after the war is exagerated and one-sided–a typical, simplistic view held by the brain-washed people of South Vietnam. The truth is: the war ended in 1975, and the victors, North Vietnamese government and the people, assumed command of the entire Vietnam and implemented their rules of laws. Of course, those who fought against the victors were not being treated well–as expected with every contest–including war–the spoil of war goes to the victors. Some of the people on the defeated side fled to other lands. The ones who remained were sent to a process of indoctrination so that they would be better suited for a new socialist society. Every member of the human society goes through some form of indoctrination so they can better serve their society.
I challenge all those who are seriously interested in the Vietnam War to reflect and research before expressing their views.
The truth is that many Vietnamese had believed in reconciliation and compassionate treatment of people with the same blood so they remained in Vietnam after April 1975. They believed in the unified country without war. What happened is the malicious and hideous treatment of the Vietnamese Communists to their defeated brothers which led to the unprecedented massive exodus in Vietnam history. Obviously we know who is brain-washed here. We fled to gain freedom and who stayed behind are still under a repressive dictatorship regime without freedom. People are still being punished for being South Vietnamese, for being patriotic against Communist Chinese Government, for being advocate to labor workers, etc. Your last statement really shows who being brain-washed “Every member of human society goes through some form of indoctrination so they can better serve their society.” You could not distinguish the difference between education (for a free thinking) and indoctrination (for thinking the same to follow the Communist Party line).