The fall of Saigon was the beginning of our adventures to the unknown future. Some of us made it, but others were gone forever!
Leaving the homeland on a little wooden boat with an old rebuilt engine, dozens, hundreds of people sat next to each other like fish in a can. Days and nights went by, then the engine suddenly stopped. We were floated by the wind without food and water. We dealt with fear from the crashing waves every minute. While hearing those sounds we grew worried, and felt like the monotonous tone and rhythm of a boring song playing over and over again never ending. Besides, we suffered the storms, the robbery, the rape repeatedly. We lost husbands, wives, children, parents, friends, relatives. Some of them were abducted, others killed and buried at sea. No more tears on those faces, no more crying or complaining, but holding our breaths to face the unfortunate fact and built up the strength to beat the fate.
Many were passed but others had to survive, maintaining our lives to tell the world our tragedy and what hardship boat people endured. Some of us finally made it!
According to the report of United Nations High Commissioner For
Refugees, 1/3 of boat people died at sea by killing, storms, illness,and food shortage.
Out of a total 250,000 mixture ages of men, women, and children.
However, there were 160 people died on Kho Kra island, 1,250 rescued
within a year. Currently, there are over 1.6 million boat people spread all across the
world : USA, Australia, Canada, France, England, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, South
Korea, Philippines.
Thomas said: "That day, I was never more proud of my ship and its captain, my navy, and my country. And I thought that the Vietnamese in the boat were brave (including a very old woman in her eighties)".
