Drowning for a dream
- Source: Global Times
- [22:39 November 11 2009]
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The border police and coast guard of Lianyungang, a prefecture-level city of Jiangsu Province, conduct a joint anti-illegal immigration drill in the Yellow Sea on June 29, 2006. Photos: CFP
by Liang Ruoqiao
From outside, they loosely resemble leafy suburbs with villas, lawns and avenues. "American towns" is what the Fujianese sometimes call townships like Houyu or the village of Tingjiang not far from the capital city of Fuzhou.
Sitting in front of a newly-built four-story Western-style mansion, a woman in her 60s held her grandson and told a Guangzhou Daily reporter how her son had sent money to pay for the house. He worked in a Chinese restaurant in New York but was unable to live in his new house or take care of his baby. Two stories of the mansion were decorated, with the upper two levels left vacant with bare brick walls.
When the reporter visited Haiyu on Langqi Island, east of Fuzhou, the whole village was in silent mourning for the loss of two men and one woman, all in their early 20s.
"They come from humble families," a villager surnamed Wen told the Guangdong Province-based paper. "One of them even borrowed for the deposit."
More than 10 of about 20 Fujian stowaways who drowned in the Caribbean on July 27 came from Langqi Island, according to the International Herald Leader. Carrying 70, the vessel had reportedly departed from the Chinese mainland in June.
The families kept silent until the end of October after allegedly receiving 410,000 yuan ($60,000) to 450,000 yuan compensation each from the organization that smuggled their relatives: about 80 percent of their initial fee or three times the usual compensation, according to the Beijing-based paper.
"Who would want to be smuggled if they lead a comfortable life living here?" Wen said.
In reality, even the most enterprising emigrant faces a full range of possible outcomes, yet still many rush abroad in hopes of cashing in on better opportunities.
A web user on the J.S. Media online forum claimed he would never regret his illegal settling in Australia from 10 years ago. Although he had to live up close with other illegal workers and cook for himself, he earned 480,000 yuan in seven years
