Skyluck
Encyclopedia
The Skyluck was a 3,500-ton Panamanian-registered freighter
which carried a cargo of 2,700 desperate Chinese
and Vietnamese
boat people
fleeing war-ravaged Vietnam
four years after the fall of Saigon
. The ship crept into Hong Kong
harbour under the cover of darkness on 8 February 1979, but was discovered and ordered to set anchor by the Hong Kong police. Thus, began a 4½ month long stalemate as the refugees waited, in deplorable conditions on the ship, for the Hong Kong government to decide their fate. The event turned into an international humanitarian incident, which was a symbol of a much larger problem: the estimated one million refugees who risked everything to flee Laos
, Cambodia
, and Vietnam in the aftermath of the Vietnam War
.
, but it continued until eventually stopping just west of Hong Kong harbour off Lamma Island
. The ship was surrounded by police launches and boarded. Upon interrogation, the Chinese captain claimed, as had been done in previous cases, that on his way from Singapore, the freighter came across several fishing boats in danger of sinking in the high seas, and had decided to rescue the refugees. In fact, the refugees had all paid for passage in gold leaf or bars, in amounts that often represented life savings.
The refugees were not allowed to land and, instead, were confined to the ship while the Hong Kong government attempted to verify the refugee status of the passengers, and decide whether to allow them into the UNHCR-run refugee camps in the colony.
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
which carried a cargo of 2,700 desperate Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
and Vietnamese
Vietnamese people
The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...
boat people
Boat people
Boat people is a term that usually refers to refugees, illegal immigrants or asylum seekers who emigrate in numbers in boats that are sometimes old and crudely made...
fleeing war-ravaged Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
four years after the fall of Saigon
Fall of Saigon
The Fall of Saigon was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by the People's Army of Vietnam and the National Liberation Front on April 30, 1975...
. The ship crept into Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
harbour under the cover of darkness on 8 February 1979, but was discovered and ordered to set anchor by the Hong Kong police. Thus, began a 4½ month long stalemate as the refugees waited, in deplorable conditions on the ship, for the Hong Kong government to decide their fate. The event turned into an international humanitarian incident, which was a symbol of a much larger problem: the estimated one million refugees who risked everything to flee Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, and Vietnam in the aftermath of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Arrival in Hong Kong
In the early hours of Wednesday 7 February 1979, the Skyluck arrived in the then-British colony of Hong Kong unannounced. Hong Kong police ordered the ship to stop as it passed Waglan IslandWaglan Island
Waglan Island is a member of the Po Toi group of islands in Hong Kong. It hosts a ground of meteorological observation and recording.-Waglan Lighthouse:...
, but it continued until eventually stopping just west of Hong Kong harbour off Lamma Island
Lamma Island
Lamma Island , also known as Pok Liu Chau or simply Pok Liu , is the third largest island in Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the Islands District.-Name:...
. The ship was surrounded by police launches and boarded. Upon interrogation, the Chinese captain claimed, as had been done in previous cases, that on his way from Singapore, the freighter came across several fishing boats in danger of sinking in the high seas, and had decided to rescue the refugees. In fact, the refugees had all paid for passage in gold leaf or bars, in amounts that often represented life savings.
The refugees were not allowed to land and, instead, were confined to the ship while the Hong Kong government attempted to verify the refugee status of the passengers, and decide whether to allow them into the UNHCR-run refugee camps in the colony.