Bidong island

Bidong Island is a small island located in the southern island of Redang.distance from the island about five miles Somerset notbefore the island became a war refugee camps viatnan.This island has put more than 10,000 refugees of war,


"face-lift" if they are to be put to use as a tourist attraction. Since all the buildingsemptiness and a strange affectionate air lingers.

Though there's little of practical value in the ruins, signboards with Vietnamese characters and names are still on display - guiding our way around the little ghost town.

The vocational school still has leftovers like television tubes, circuit boards, carpentry work-tables and tailoring guides - obviously displaying the training that UNHCR had given to refugees before sending them on to a permanent host country.

A kindergarten run by UNHCR staff looks no different than any other school. There are colorful paintings, posters and alphabets decorating the walls in the classrooms and library. Though faded by the unforgiving weather, the paintings and posters give a heartfelt feeling that there were once children learning and playing in these shacks.

Struggling past the dense weeds and mosquitoes, the narrow passage then leads deeper into the island. It seems the camp spread and scattered around every flat area of the island. This little Saigon has been turned to several villages, each with a number of long houses and its own chief.

Like a harmonious neighborhood, the "villagers" built their church adjacent to a Buddhist temple, both structures still standing today. Indeed, outside of the Philippines, Vietnam was Asia's most Catholic country due to the French colonial experience.

The flight of stairs leading to the temple from Pantai Tenggara is richly decorated with colorful plaques written with the refugees' names, social security numbers and dates they arrived. Outside the church, on a mass of cement shaped as a ship's bow, dozens of stone tablets commemorate all those who didn't make it over. Though refugees could reach Terengganu within days, the slow overcrowded boats were often attacked by pirates who, in ascending order of severity, robbed, raped, maimed and killed.

A short walk into the deep at Pantai Cina will lead to a small waterfall, said to be the favorite picnic spot of the refugees. It also served as their source of fresh water (when supplies run out) and a stopover after collecting wood at the nearby hills.

Today, the recovery is evident as the trees which were once cut down for firewood and building material have regenerated, although some scars - a reminder to visitors of the boat people - are still evident. While it has been said that the living conditions in makeshift tents for those who become refugees due to wars are deplorable, for the thousands of Vietnamese boat people who found refuge at Pulau Bidong it was, to some extent, likened to living in a tropical paradise.

The island has a spectacular backdrop ranging from various species of plants, trees and animals to clear waters surrounding it with a great view of the corals. Visitors are encouraged to join a guided tour for safety reasons because there are many "booby traps" in the form of abandoned wells about 20-metre deep dug by the Vietnamese for freshwater.

Though Bidong rarely appears in local holiday itineraries, it has been frequented either by returning Vietnamese or UNHCR volunteers. Some recent travelers claim that the island is haunted by spirits who died trying to get there - one lady recently claimed she heard something eerie issuing from one of the shop houses of the former boat people there. Whether that is fact or fiction is immaterial. If something is not done about Pulau Bidong, and soon, it will fast become nothing more than a ghost island.

The Vietnamese boat people may have faded from national consciousness, thankfully because the causes which led to such a disruptive human exodus have been dealt with. Peace and tranquility have returned to these idyllic spots in the South China Sea but Bidong will never be the same again. Similarly, some might choose to sweep this tragic story of Vietnamese refugees in Malaysia under the carpet and pretend nothing like that ever happened, but the boat people incident will always be part of Malaysia's modern history. Something should be done to retain the heritage of the boat people, once so controversially intertwined with the country's destiny. Pulau Bidong is like a gem in the South China Sea waiting for the right time for its potential to be realized.

Getting There:

Pulau Bidong is off the coast of Terengganu and accessible via the Kampung Merang jetty, a 20-minute drive from Kuala Terengganu. It takes 30 minutes to reach the island by speed boat. For details on the Bidong Island Guided Tour Package, call ping anchorage travel & tour sdn bhd