From: Die^~m-Ho^`ng <DHLAM@utkvx.utk.edu>
Subject: [REFUGEE] Another cry for help
Originator: daemon@media-lab.media.mit.edu
Reply-To: DHLAM@utkvx.utk.edu
Organization: SCV Relay
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1992 02:46:19 GMT

Dear netters,                         
Last week, three days before I read anh Tha<'ng's posting on the conditions
of our compatriots in the refugee camps (cuts in food rations...) , our 
Vietnamese community in Knoxville had received a letter from Sikiew (*) 
asking for help.  I post that letter here for all of you to read and share 
the suffer of our people.  This letter is yet another typical proof of the 
starvation policy of UNHCR.  These people had faced so many misfortunes on 
the way out of Vietnam (rape, death of family members...), and now they are 
being starved in the refugee camps (this starvation policy is an indirectly 
forcible repatriation introduced by UNHCR which is rather inhuman).
So, please join Boat People S.O.S., lend a hand to stop this policy and to
save our compatriots.  If you have already started to act on this humanitary
project, I have nothing else to say but my warmest thoughts to you.  
Sincerely,
DH      (IN%"DHLAM@utkvx.utk.edu")


(*)At our Vietnamese New Year Party, we had raised some money by having a 
lottery and by asking for donations, and we sent the money to the camp 
through Sister Christine Tru+o+ng My~ Ha.nh.  And probably that was how the 
writer of the letter got our address.  Unfortunately, we do not have any 
Vietnamese Catholic churches or Buddhist temples here (Knoxville is rather 
a "khi? ho, co` ga'y" place! :))   
** I do not reveal the name of the letter writer (but just the initial) 
below to protect her dignity and privacy.  If any of you would like to help 
her family privately, please contact me at the account address above.


****************************************************************************
                         Sikiew Camp 8.8.1992.
                VINH DANH THIE^N CHU'A TRE^N TRO+`I
                BI`NH AN DU+O+'I THE^' CHO NGU+O+`I THIE^.N TA^M.

Ki'nh tha(m Cha cu`ng ta^'t ca? Kito^ Hu+~u trong co^.ng ddo^`ng Knoxville#.
        Ho^m nay con cu`ng gia ddi`nh ma.o muo^.i ki'nh gu+?i la' thu+ na`y 
dde^'n Cha cu`ng ta^'t ca? Kito^ Hu+~u trong co^.ng ddo^`ng Knoxville#.  
Tru+o+'c he^'t, con ca^`u xin Thie^n Chu'a ban tra`n dda^`y ho^`ng a^n 
xuo^'ng dde^'n Cha cu`ng gia'o da^n vu`ng Knoxville#.
        Ki'nh thu+a Cha, con mo^` co^i cha tu+` ho^`i nho?, me. con kho^ng
ta'i gia', nuo^i con cho dde^'n khi kho^n lo+'n.  Sau ddo' con la^.p gia 
ddi`nh co' hai cha'u#.  Vi` so^'ng kho^ng no^?i du+o+'i su+. cai tri. ba.o 
ta`n cu?a co^.ng sa?n, ne^n vo+. cho^`ng con dda`nh ga.t le^. ro+`i bo? no+i 
cho^n rau ca('t ro^'n tre^n mo^.t thuye^`n go^~ mong manh, mang theo 120 
ngu+o+`i#.  Khi dde^'n vi.nh Tha'i Lan, kho^ng may ga(.p bo.n ha?i ta(.c.
Con dda~ bi. bo.n chu'ng ha`nh ha., la`m nhu.c tha^n xa'c.  Cho^`ng con 
tha^'y va^.y, ba^'t nha^~n, lie^`n ddu+'ng ra can thie^.p, bi. bo.n chu'ng 
ca^`m bu'a, dda^.p tu'i bu.i va`o dda^`u, che^'t ngay ta.i cho^~.  Pha^`n 
con vi` chi.u ddu+.ng kho^ng no^?i ne^n nga^'t xi?u, ba^'t ti?nh ta.i cho^~.  
Khi ti?nh da^.y thi` mo^.t so^' ngu+o+`i co`n so^'ng so't tre^n ta`u cho 
bie^'t, bo.n ha?i ta(.c dda~ ba('t ddi mo^.t so^' dda`n ba`, con ga'i#.  Sau 
ddo' ta`u cu?a con ddu+o+.c mo^.t ta`u dda'nh ca' kha'c, do mo^.t thuye^`n 
tru+o+?ng ngu+o+`i Tha'i to^'t bu.ng dde^'n cu+'u (o^ng ta tu+`ng bi. bo.n 
co^.ng sa?n Vie^.t Nam ca^`m tu`, ne^n ra^'t tho^ng ca?m vo+'i ngu+o+`i ti. 
na.n Vie^.t).  Sau ddo' con ddu+o+.c ddu+a va`o be^.nh vie^.n.  Ho+n mo^.t 
tua^`n sau con mo+'i ddu+o+.c xua^'t vie^.n va` ddu+o+.c ca?nh sa't Tha'i 
ddu+a va`o tra.i ti. na.n.  Do ha^.u qua? cu?a la^`n la`m nhu.c cu?a bo.n 
ha?i ta(.c, con dda~ mang thai va` sanh ra mo^.t cha'u trai#.  Mo+'i dda^`u 
con co' y' ddi.nh quye^n sinh dde^? ddi theo ngu+o+`i cho^`ng ye^u da^'u, 
nhu+ng con so+. pha.m va`o mo^.t trong ca'c ddie^`u ra(n cu?a Chu'a, ne^n 
con pha?i ga('ng gu+o+.ng ma` so^'ng cho qua nga`y#.
        Ki'nh thu+a cha, hie^.n nay vo+'i mo^.t hoa`n ca?nh kho^ng co' tha^n 
nha^n o+? nu+o+'c ngoa`i giu'p ddo+~, hoa`n toa`n tro^ng ca^.y va`o lu+o+ng 
thu+.c + thu+.c pha^?m cu?a cao u?y ti. na.n LHQ cung ca^'p.  O+? dda^y mo^.t 
tua^`n le^~, ho. chi? pha't thu+.c pha^?m ddu? a(n trong hai nga`y, 5 nga`y 
co`n la.i trong tua^`n thi` hoa`n toa`n tu+. tu'c.  Vi` a(n uo^'ng qua' 
thie^'u tho^'n, kho^ng mo^.t chu't dinh du+o+~ng na`o, ne^n con kho^ng co' 
su+~a cho cha'u bu'.  Nhie^`u lu'c nhi`n ca'c cha'u kho'c vi` ddo'i, con 
tha^'y kho^? ta^m la('m!  Nhu+ng vo+'i hoa`n ca?nh thie^'u tho^'n o+? tra.i 
ti. na.n kho^'n kho^? na`y#.  Tha^n dda`n ba`, con bie^'t la`m sao ho+n ba^y 
gio+`?
        Ki'nh thu+a Cha!  ho^m nay con ma.o muo^.i vie^'t la' thu+ na`y 
ki'nh gu+?i dde^'n Cha cu`ng ta^'t ca? gia'o da^n trong co^.ng ddo^`ng 
Knoxville#. Con cu`ng ca'c cha'u kha^?n thie^'t ke^u go.i lo`ng ba'c a'i, vi` 
tha nha^n cu?a Cha#.  Ki'nh xin Cha ha~y thu+o+ng xo't va` quan ta^m dde^'n 
tru+o+`ng ho+.p cu?a gia ddi`nh con.  Ki'nh xin Cha cu`ng ta^'t ca? gia'o 
da^n trong co^.ng ddo^`ng Knoxville ti`m cho con mo^.t su+. giu'p ddo+~ ve^` 
va^.t cha^'t cu~ng nhu+ an u?i ve^` tinh tha^`n.  Kho^ng bao gio+` con va` 
ca'c cha'u da'm que^n o+n va` Chu'a se~ tra? co^ng bo^.i ha^.u cho Cha cu`ng 
ta^'t ca? gia'o da^n vu`ng Knoxville#.  Thu+a Cha, dda^y la` ddie^`u ba^'t 
dda('c di~, mo^.t ddie^`u ma` con kho^ng bao gio+` muo^'n.  Ki'nh mong Cha 
ha~y tha thu+' va` tho^ng ca?m cho hoa`n ca?nh cu?a con hie^.n ta.i#.  
Tru+o+'c khi ngu+`ng bu't, con xin ca^`u nguye^.n cho Cha cu`ng ta^'t ca? 
gia'o da^n trong co^.ng ddo^`ng Knoxville luo^n so^'ng an la`nh trong vo`ng 
tay cu?a Chu'a va` me. Maria#.  Con cu`ng ca'c cha'u ra^'t mong.
                                        Ki'nh thu+
                                        Con
                                        
T.B.  DDa^y la` ddi.a chi? cu?a con :   
                        N. T. H.
                        PST 149- House B1/3- Sikiew Camp
                        Thai Red Cross Society
                        P.O. Box 1302
                        Bangkok- 10501  Thailand