Essex lorry deaths: Vietnamese families fear relatives among dead

[Yankee-stani]

The BBC knows of three Vietnamese people whose relatives are worried they may have been in the trailer.

Pham Thi Tra My, 26, has not been heard from since she sent urgent messages on Tuesday saying she could not breathe.

Two people have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and the lorry driver remains in custody on suspicion of murder.

Ms Tra My's brother, Pham Ngoc Tuan, says she had paid £30,000 to people smugglers and her last-known location had been Belgium.

ADVERTISEMENT
The smugglers are understood to have returned money to families of suspected victims.

• Essex lorry deaths: What we know

The last message they received from her was at 22:30 BST on Tuesday - two hours before the trailer arrived at the Purfleet terminal from Zeebrugge in Belgium.

Her brother told the BBC: "My sister went missing on 23 October on the way from Vietnam to the UK and we couldn't contact her. We are concerned she may be in that trailer.

"We are asking the British police to help investigate so that my sister can be returned to the family."

'Trip has failed'
Ms Tra My's family have shared the last text messages she sent to her parents.

They read: "I am really, really sorry, Mum and Dad, my trip to a foreign land has failed," she wrote.

"I am dying, I can't breathe. I love you very much Mum and Dad. I am sorry, Mother."

Ms Tra My's brother told the BBC her journey to the UK had begun on 3 October. She had told the family not to contact her because "the organisers" did not allow her to receive calls.

Image copyrightPA MEDIA
Image captionThe bodies were discovered in the early hours of Wednesday
"She flew to China and stayed there for a couple days, then left for France," he said.

"She called us when she reached each destination. The first attempt she made to cross the border to the UK was 19 October, but she got caught and turned back. I don't know for sure from which port."

The BBC has passed details of Ms Tra My, who is from Nghen town in Can Loc district of Ha Tinh province area of Vietnam, to Essex Police.

The BBC also knows of two other Vietnamese nationals who are missing - a 26-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman.

The brother of the 19-year-old said his sister called him at 07:20 Belgian local time (06:20 BST) on Tuesday, saying she was getting into a container and was turning off her phone to avoid detection.

He has not heard from her since.

He said a people smuggler returned money to the family overnight, and the family of the 26-year-old who she was travelling with also received money back.

A spokesman from the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK confirmed they were in contact with Essex Police in regard to Ms Tra My.

Media captionThirty nine bodies were found in the trailer container
The victims of the trailer were 31 men and eight women and Essex Police initially said they were all believed to be Chinese.

• How is a dead body identified?
• How are lorries checked for concealed migrants?
• 'I almost suffocated in the back of a lorry'

They were found at an industrial estate in Grays at 01:40 BST on Wednesday.

GPS data shows the refrigerated container trailer crossed back and forth between the UK and Europe in the days before it was found.

It was leased from the company Global Trailer Rentals on 15 October. The company said it was "entirely unaware that the trailer was to be used in the manner in which it appears to have been".

Essex Police said the tractor unit (the front part of the lorry) had entered the UK via Holyhead - an Irish Sea port in Wales - on Sunday 20 October, having travelled over from Dublin.

Image copyrightFACEBOOK
Image captionThe lorry driver has been named locally as Mo Robinson, from County Armagh
Police believe the tractor unit collected the trailer in Purfleet on the River Thames and left the port shortly after 01:05 on Thursday. Police were called to the industrial park where the bodies were discovered about half an hour later.

Temperatures in refrigerated units can be as low as -25C (-13F). The lorry now is at a secure site in Essex.

Detectives are still questioning the lorry driver, Mo Robinson, of County Armagh in Northern Ireland, on suspicion of murder. He was arrested on Wednesday.

Two other people were also earlier arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.

The man and woman, both 38, from Warrington, Cheshire, were earlier also held on suspicion of conspiracy to traffic.

Police officers were seen at the couple's home address in Warrington, with a police van and two squad cars parked outside.

1. Sources say the GPS data shows it left Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland on 15 October before crossing over to Northern Ireland and then returning south to Dublin
2. From Dublin, it crossed over to Holyhead in Wales overnight on 16 October
3. That evening, it travelled to continental Europe from Dover to Calais in France
4. Between 17 and 22 October, it moved between various cities in Belgium and France, including Dunkirk, Bruges and Lille
5. On 22 October, it made its final crossing from Zeebrugge to Purfleet

Image copyrightAFP
Image captionThe container made its final crossing from Zeebrugge to Purfleet on Tuesday

 

[Yankee-stani]

Human trafficking feared behind 39 deaths: expert

Chinese internet users expressed devastation upon hearing Thursday that police had confirmed the 39 people found dead in a refrigerated truck trailer in Essex, the UK were all Chinese nationals.

The news garnered more than 610 million views and 149,000 comments as of press time on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo.

Net users expressed condolences for the victims and called for a comprehensive investigation. Many wondered where the victims were from and why they were on the truck.

The Chinese Embassy in London said that it was in close contact with the British police to seek clarification and confirmation of the case in Essex. The embassy said in an earlier statement on Thursday that it had read "with heavy heart" reports.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in an online statement that it was in the process of verifying the reports. As of press time, the ministry said nothing more could be released.

The bodies were found Wednesday in the back of a refrigerated truck trailer in an industrial estate near London, ITV News reported Thursday.

Essex Police confirmed 31 of the victims were men, eight women and all were adults. Earlier reports incorrectly stated one of the victims was a teenager.

The Essex Police said in a statement Thursday that they were working on piecing together the case, which was "the largest murder investigation in our force's history."

The statement said they were undertaking extensive and thorough inquiries, meaning they "might not have all the answers straight away."

The UK National Crime Agency told the Global Times on Thursday that they were working with partners, including Essex Police and Immigration Enforcement to provide specialist support to urgently identify and take action against any organised crime groups deaths."

British police work on Thursday alongside the refrigerated truck trailer in which the bodies were found of 39 Chinese nationals Wednesday at Waterglade Industrial Park, Essex. Photo: Sun Wei/GT



Detectives said the trailer containing the victims arrived at Purfleet from Zeebrugge of Belgium at around 12:30 am on Wednesday, while the front section came from Northern Ireland, ITV News reported.

Driver Mo Robinson, 25, from Northern Ireland has been arrested on suspicion of murder, reports said.

The trailer temperature could be as low as -25 C inside, according to the Mirror, implying that the 39 victims may have frozen to death.

"I am horrified and deeply saddened by the discovery of 39 bodies in a lorry in the UK," Secretary-General of the UN António Guterres wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. "Those responsible must be swiftly brought to justice."

Smuggling atrocities

The case echoed previous human trafficking cases involving Chinese nationals.

In 2000, the bodies of 58 Chinese illegal immigrants were found in a truck in Dover. That truck was also driven from Zeebrugge to the UK and later confirmed to be a part of a Chinese gang smuggling route.

According to Liu Guofu, an immigration law expert at the Beijing Institute of Technology, going abroad has become more convenient for Chinese nationals, providing opportunities for those who seek to illegally emigrate.

"The illegal immigrants usually work in construction, restaurants or sweat factories. Some women may be forced to be sex workers abroad," Liu told the Global Times on Thursday.

Illegal immigration from China to other countries has been declining in general in recent years, Liu said.

"However, still quite a number of people are smuggling themselves into the UK and this case in Essex might reveal the tip of an iceberg of issues."

Wang Yiwei, director of the institute of international affairs at Renmin University in Beijing, said, "Some forces think they could have opportunities to enter the UK in the chaotic situation of Brexit."

Behind the illegal immigrants was "a complete chain of people smuggling," Wang told the Global Times on Thursday.

In October, more than 10 Chinese being smuggled from East China's Fujian Province died in a shipwreck in the Caribbean.

An article by Chinese Weekly in 2016 quoted an illegal immigrant in Portsmouth saying it cost 290,000 yuan (US$41,003) to be smuggled to the UK in 2008.

Many Chinese immigrants leave via Fujian and their destinations are usually the US, the UK, Western European countries or Japan.
Newspaper headline: Shocking UK truck tragedy

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1167938.shtml

 

[beijingwalker]

Human trafficking feared behind 39 deaths: expert

Chinese internet users expressed devastation upon hearing Thursday that police had confirmed the 39 people found dead in a refrigerated truck trailer in Essex, the UK were all Chinese nationals.

The news garnered more than 610 million views and 149,000 comments as of press time on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo.

Net users expressed condolences for the victims and called for a comprehensive investigation. Many wondered where the victims were from and why they were on the truck.

The Chinese Embassy in London said that it was in close contact with the British police to seek clarification and confirmation of the case in Essex. The embassy said in an earlier statement on Thursday that it had read "with heavy heart" reports.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in an online statement that it was in the process of verifying the reports. As of press time, the ministry said nothing more could be released.

The bodies were found Wednesday in the back of a refrigerated truck trailer in an industrial estate near London, ITV News reported Thursday.

Essex Police confirmed 31 of the victims were men, eight women and all were adults. Earlier reports incorrectly stated one of the victims was a teenager.

The Essex Police said in a statement Thursday that they were working on piecing together the case, which was "the largest murder investigation in our force's history."

The statement said they were undertaking extensive and thorough inquiries, meaning they "might not have all the answers straight away."

The UK National Crime Agency told the Global Times on Thursday that they were working with partners, including Essex Police and Immigration Enforcement to provide specialist support to urgently identify and take action against any organised crime groups deaths."

British police work on Thursday alongside the refrigerated truck trailer in which the bodies were found of 39 Chinese nationals Wednesday at Waterglade Industrial Park, Essex. Photo: Sun Wei/GT



Detectives said the trailer containing the victims arrived at Purfleet from Zeebrugge of Belgium at around 12:30 am on Wednesday, while the front section came from Northern Ireland, ITV News reported.

Driver Mo Robinson, 25, from Northern Ireland has been arrested on suspicion of murder, reports said.

The trailer temperature could be as low as -25 C inside, according to the Mirror, implying that the 39 victims may have frozen to death.

"I am horrified and deeply saddened by the discovery of 39 bodies in a lorry in the UK," Secretary-General of the UN António Guterres wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. "Those responsible must be swiftly brought to justice."

Smuggling atrocities

The case echoed previous human trafficking cases involving Chinese nationals.

In 2000, the bodies of 58 Chinese illegal immigrants were found in a truck in Dover. That truck was also driven from Zeebrugge to the UK and later confirmed to be a part of a Chinese gang smuggling route.

According to Liu Guofu, an immigration law expert at the Beijing Institute of Technology, going abroad has become more convenient for Chinese nationals, providing opportunities for those who seek to illegally emigrate.

"The illegal immigrants usually work in construction, restaurants or sweat factories. Some women may be forced to be sex workers abroad," Liu told the Global Times on Thursday.

Illegal immigration from China to other countries has been declining in general in recent years, Liu said.

"However, still quite a number of people are smuggling themselves into the UK and this case in Essex might reveal the tip of an iceberg of issues."

Wang Yiwei, director of the institute of international affairs at Renmin University in Beijing, said, "Some forces think they could have opportunities to enter the UK in the chaotic situation of Brexit."

Behind the illegal immigrants was "a complete chain of people smuggling," Wang told the Global Times on Thursday.

In October, more than 10 Chinese being smuggled from East China's Fujian Province died in a shipwreck in the Caribbean.

An article by Chinese Weekly in 2016 quoted an illegal immigrant in Portsmouth saying it cost 290,000 yuan (US$41,003) to be smuggled to the UK in 2008.

Many Chinese immigrants leave via Fujian and their destinations are usually the US, the UK, Western European countries or Japan.
Newspaper headline: Shocking UK truck tragedy

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1167938.shtml

My wechat moments is flooded with posts criticizing the Chinese government, I guess the Chinese government is in hot water now..

 

[Beast]

My wechat moments is flooded with posts criticizing the Chinese government, I guess the Chinese government is in hot water now..

For what?

 

[beijingwalker]

For what?

You know some people criticize the government for everything, just a bunch of losers, I just ignore them. For business reasons I have several thousand weixi contacts, most of them I don't know personally.

 

[Yankee-stani]

China should fix income inequality which it will once BRI is up and running in inland regions

 

[Beast]

You know some people criticize the government for everything, just a bunch of losers, I just ignore them. For business reasons I have several thousand weixi contacts, most of them I don't know personally.

Very likely the outcome will be non of the victim are Chinese national but group leader of the snakehead might be from China.

 

[AViet]

Ha Tinh is one of the poorest province in central Vietnam in addition, people there are traditionally not law abiding people. Most of Vietnamese workers in Korea who stay illegally and bring bad image to Vietnam come from this province. (Together with another central province of Nghe An)