| Pulau Bidong packages & accommodation ..
Some 250,000 refugees filtered through this camp between 1975 and 1991. When the camp closed , all remaining refugees were relocated or were returned to Vietnam.
Although the almost circular island has land space of about 2km in diameter, the camp occupied only a small area. Real estate was the career to choose at the camp. After all, like anywhere - it's location, location, location! Refugees leaving the camp would sell their shacks to new arrivals or brokers from as little as US$20 to as high as US$400.
Black market also thrived in the community. Local fishermen traded with several Vietnamese who were brave enough to swim out to the fishing boats, anchored some distance from the island. With black market came gangsters, vendors, suppliers and the rest. If there was a market, there was supply. Even prostitution was not uncommon. But not everyone worked for a 'Big Brother'..not full time, that is. There were those who were employed as labourers and administrators in the offices and were paid in food parcels - the common denomination of the island's economy.
The Red Crescent Society had an administration office at the camp. A temple was built with the help of the Malaysian government, UNCHR and the red crescent society. A school, a church, a clinic, shops and a cemetery was also set up at camp.
All left abandoned now. The wooden structures are disintegrating with the years of neglect but the stories of their lives are etched, carved and preserved on slabs and in memorials left behind by the boat people..those that lived through the ordeals and unjust punishment of a war.
The Future
There are certainly a lot of plans lined up for Pulau Bidong. From a posh, island resort to a museum to house the history of the island. Fortunately, development has not commenced at Bidong as of now but intentions are to develop the island. In the near future, when the economy revs up again.plans would be put into action and with that, much of the essence would be lost.
Let us hope that whichever proposal goes through, all parties would take into consideration, the sensitivities of Bidong's historical significance and the environmental impact. Sometimes, developers become too overzealous with their development, they forget about designing dwellings that are in harmony with the environment.
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