(BCTV) - Part 2
Yesterday, the News Hour took you inside China's Fujian
province where most of the Chinese boat-people are coming from,
for a first-hand look at the people who are desperate to get out
and the "Snakeheads" who feed on that desperation. Today, Deborra
Hope has the story of one would-be migrant who paid a fortune to
get out and not long afterward, ended up right back where he
started.
Deborra Hope, reporting: "One in six people in the world lives
in one country - China. The majority of those 1.2 billion people
are poor. They eke out a living off the water or the land. But
these days, there are two realities in China. The one they've
known for centuries and for some the new reality of the
rich...fancy cars. huge new stores to spend their money in.
Those who aren't rich can watch the rich on TV. This is all
they see - the western world at its most opulent. No poverty or
unemployment here."
Voice of translator: "...We were told the life in Australia was
really nice..."
Deborra Hope, reporting: "Like many in Fujian province,
19-year-old Sang Gui felt the only way to a better life was to
leave China. His destination: Australia."
Voice of translator: "I saw the people in Australia live in
beautiful houses...I thought I could do that too."
Deborra Hope, reporting: "He chose the illegal route to
Australia: a smugglers' boat. He and 51 others paid 3000 up front
to Snakeheads and the people smugglers put them on a boat they'll
never forget. Their journey was supposed to take two weeks. It
ended up taking a month."
Voice of translator: "The boat kept breaking down...people were
scared and crying...but we were too far to turn back..."
Deborra Hope, reporting: "They finally reached the Australian
coast on Christmas eve. But this would be no holiday. The boat was
trapped in the shallows off a remote stretch of the northern
coast. Sang Gui and his countrymen could see the promised land
stretched out before them. But they were still a long way from
shore."
Voice of translator: "I couldn't swim. I was very scared. One
girl was swept away and drowned...We swam for six hours....a
ranger found us on the beach."
Deborra Hope, reporting: "And took them directly to Australia's
detention centre at Port Hedland where he and the others spent two
weeks behind barbed wire. And then they were shipped back to
China. No immigration hearings for them. And no apologies from
Australia."
Phillip Ruddock, Australian Immigration Minister: "...They are
not going to be adding to our economy positively...so they are
going to be sent back..."
Deborra Hope, reporting: "So Sang Gui ends up back where he
started. But he's lucky in one sense. The Chinese government
didn't come down too hard on him."
Voice of translator: "I got 15 days in jail and a fine. So now
my family's even deeper in debt."
Deborra Hope, reporting: "If you're surprised the Chinese
government wasn't tougher on Sang Gui or others like him, some say
you shouldn't be. Because they say China's official stand against
human smuggling doesn't tell the whole story."
Mark Craig, human smuggling expert: "When they leave, the help
the unemployment problem. They send money back home, which helps
the local economy. So as a public security official, you work with
one eye open, and one eye closed."
Deborra Hope, reporting: "No question Sang Gui's eyes are wide
open. At 19, he's a criminal on both sides of the world. Would he
do it again? In a heartbeat."
Anchor reads: "Australia appears to be taking a much harder
line against these would-be immigrants than Canada has - so far at
least. Thursday night, the News Hour takes a more in-depth look at
what Australia is doing and the possible lessons there for
us."