Ten years ago the sands of Morecambe Bay were stained by modern slavery. The death of 23 terrified Chinese cockle pickers, left stranded as the tide swept in, shocked our country.
Smuggled into the region with the false promise of prosperity, two women and 22 men were sent to do the treacherous beach work on 5 February 2004. Their ringleaders had destroyed their passports, and, using violence, threats and the cruellest of coercion, they destroyed their lives too.
Only one survived. Li Hua spoke recently of his constant anguish. He tells of the night terrors, the panic attacks and his gut-wrenching sadness. Despite everything though, he knows he’s lucky to be alive.
In the end the principal trafficker, Triad chief Lin Liang Ren, served just four months in prison for each of the lives he ended. Others, including his then girlfriend, were convicted of immigration offences.
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