pulau bidong refugee camp malaysia
As our boat approached the island to dock, we were given a warm, yet strange welcome by other survivors. According to the video, part of the reason was that the refugees created a higher demand in food, driving prices up. By the time Bidong was closedas a refugee camp on October 30, 1991, about 250,000 Vietnamese had passed through or resided in the camp. There are still several solid wooden buildings left standing but these need a huge "face-lift" if they are to be put to use as a tourist attraction. It was a gift from Duong . If something is not done about Pulau Bidong, and soon, it will fast become nothing more than a ghost island. By January 1979, there were 18,000 Vietnamese on the island and by June 1979 it was said to be the most heavily populated place on earth with about 40,000 refugees crowded into a flat area hardly larger than a football field. Malaysia About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Although the island has the capacity to provide shelter for 4,500 refugees at any one time it took up to as many as 20,000 people at one stage, at the height of the arrival of the boat people. Other refugee camps were also set up in other regions of Malaysia such as Pulau Tengah, Pulau Besar, Kota Bharu, Kuantan, Sarawak, Sabah, and Kuala Lumpur. They landed in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia, a few days later, but was told to go to Pulau Bidong where a refugee camp was set up. We were also lucky to meet up with some old neighbors, who soon took us under their wings. These people were contained at a small camp on the south side of the island. A short walk into the deep at Pantai Cina will lead to a small waterfall, said to be the favorite picnic spot of the refugees. The remaining refugees were moved to the Sungai Besi transit camp and the process of repatriating them to Vietnam began. At the time Pulau Bidong was a refugee camp for Vietnamese boatpeople; at times about 5 000 people were there; mostly Vietnamese, plus various Malaysian and international workers. Last of Vietnamese boat people in Malaysia returns home, UN agency Something should be done to retain the heritage of the boat people, once so controversially intertwined with the country's destiny. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Life on Hell Island Huynh's boat arrived on Pulau Bidong in 1978, just weeks after the island was opened to refugees. They were called "boat people.". How can I forget them. Pulau Bidong during 1978-1979 - Andrew Ngo - Vietnamese Heritage Museum A kindergarten run by UNHCR staff looks no different than any other school. Another 600 refugees arrived in August and thereafter the arrival of boats from Vietnam was a near daily occurrence. List of boats known to have arrived at Pulau Bidong Refugee Camp: 1978-1980, 1981-1985, 1986-1990, 1991 & after: From 1986 To 1990: Boat number Arrived Bidong Departed .