In 1981, I was working in Galang Refugee Camp in Indonesia. Mely Bonifacio, the UNHCR Representative invited some of us to sail with her to the Kuku Refugee Camp. We made the 20 hour trip from Tanjung Pinang on the Seasweep which was operated by World Vision.

The Kuku Camp was located in the Indonesian Anambas Islands east of Malaysia. If I remember correctly, there were 2000 Vietnamese refugees in the camp at the time. We took them supplies, and carried 200 people with us back to Galang.

Kuku was both beautiful and brutal. There was ongoing abuse by the Indonesian military, and just a month before our visit a refugee boat had sunk within sight of the camp drowning everyone on board.

We were only on Kuku for several hours, and I took these photos then.

That night on the Seasweep, everyone was invited down into the steamy hold for a "Special Program". There was some guitar music and singing. Then a World Vision representative using a Vietnamese interpreter, spoke to the assembled refugees. He told them that they would never see Vietnam again and described to them how difficult, lonely, isolated, and hopeless their lives in their new countries would be. He explained that their only hope was to accept Jesus as their personal savior. He was greeted by stunned silence. Many people cried, and some of us walked out.
Những hình ảnh trong blog này do ông Gaylord Barr chụp. Ông Gaylord là người thầy khả kính của rất nhiều dân tị nạn. Ông đã rời Mỹ quốc để đến giúp người tị nạn tại Galang từ 1980 đến 1982.
Chú thích tiếng Anh do ông Gaylord viết, được tạm dịch qua tiếng Việt


THE PICTURE POSTED HERE IS PUBLIC, HOWEVER IF YOU USE IT PLEASE GIVE IT CREDIT AS COURTESY TO GAYLORD BARR

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Sea voyage to Kuku Island- 1981


In 1981, I was working in Galang Refugee Camp in Indonesia. Mely Bonifacio, the UNHCR Representative invited some of us to sail with her to the Kuku Refugee Camp. We made the 20 hour trip from Tanjung Pinang on the Seasweep which was operated by World Vision.


Mely, Deb, Elliot, Joan, Katya, Sukarno, Hadi, and others
on the Tanjung Pinang pier waiting to board the Seasweep.
The Seasweep

Mely Bonifacio


Sukarno and Hadi


The Anambas Islands, Indonesia... from the Seasweep

Our first view of Kuku Refugee Camp

The Anambas Islands, Indonesia... from the Seasweep


A refugee boat approaches to unload supplies and to ferry us to the camp.

 

 

unloading supplies





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9 comments:

  1. Chan BillMarch 28, 2015 at 11:34 PM

    I was there for 21 days on February 1981 before transferring to Galand. I wanted to Thank you for supplies ship The Seaweed, their people are Truly Super Heroes.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownJanuary 5, 2018 at 4:54 AM

    Minh o dao nay 3 tuan

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  3. UnknownApril 26, 2018 at 10:56 AM

    I was here about one month. Thank you the United Nation. I am still supporting UNICEF which is a world fun for children. Living in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

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  7. dvuusapalyJuly 26, 2020 at 4:00 AM

    UnknownSeptember 16, 2018 at 4:05 AM

    Can any one help me how to revisit the kuku island of Indonesia my email vuu.danh@gmail.com or my cell in viet man 84909114721 thank you very much due to my mom has passed away from that island in 1979.

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