Ghosts of Galang Island

A STATUE depicting Tinhn Loai Han, a woman who committed suicide after being raped, greeted visitors entering the Indochinese refugee camp in Galang Island, in the Riau Archipelagonow a tourism site. Inside, dilapidated structures are spread around 80 hectares of land, surrounded by trees, shrubs and manicured lawn. Former refugees' accommodations are covered with tall grass, except for one run-down wooden barrack. "The military tore them down over the years to discourage people from coming," Abdul Syukur, field coordinator of Galang Island Tourism Area, told Tempo English last week.

As many as 250,000 refugees tried to escape the war in Vietnam and Cambodia from 1979 onwards. Some fled overland to areas bordering Thailand, others crammed fishing boats and sailed southwards, in search of safety and a better life. Adnan, 49, head of the Galang refugee museum, who greeted those coming to revisit the site, would find them crying but feeling grateful. "I just met Nguyen Than Quan, a 70-year-old man who owns a successful ceramics business in the US. He was very moved to find out that the camp still existed," said Adnan. He was one of the more fortunate refugees. Many perished at sea, trying to reach Galang or died from disease and depression at the camp.

May 19, 2015