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HIS3MHI Research Illustrated Essay

Modern Immigration and Refugee Crisis: Learning from our History, and the historic

choices of Australia opening its doors to refugees and the personal refugee story of the

Truong Family.

By Steven Dinh Truong

Introduction In this modern age the issues facing today’s society is similar to those faced, generations past.

However Australia and many other countries face the same issues in economics, politics and

nature. The refugee crisis is becoming dire across the globe, people are seeking sanctuary

anywhere as they flee from war, poverty, persecution or looking for an opportunity for a

better life. Many countries have taken conservative or xenophobic stances to immigration and

the resettlement of refugees. Australia particularly has a notorious record of human rights

abuse of asylum seeker/refugees. However we as a nation, especially our politicians, should

be welcoming the influx of migrants, and the safe resettlement of refugees is an act of

humanity and morality. For as it shown in our history, when we allow those displaced by war

and poverty to resettle in this great southern land; it ultimately leads to great benefits to

society. As is the case especially of Australian Vietnamese community, through this essay I

will be exploring my own family’s turbulent history from war torn Vietnam to the shores of

Australia. I will also be exploring the benefits of immigrations and allowing refugee

resettlement in this land. Particularly the history of how the Vietnamese have influenced

Australian society. For in this modern age, even with increasing political polarisation,

Australia is a shining example of a prosperous multicultural democracy, and we need to be

more accepting of migrants and refugees.

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Figure 1: The lifeless body of Aylan Kurdi lies on a Turkish beach, illustrate and impacted the debate on the consequences of the refugee crisis, and the various governments and

institutions inaction on the issue. Could this be the image that changes people’s hearts and ideology?

Background: The Vietnam War & Vietnamese Refugees.

The Vietnam War (1954-1975) was a long and bitter war between Ho Chi Minh’s communist

forces of North Vietnam and U.S. supported Southern Vietnamese forces. However as the

hostilities dragged on and by the late 60’s and early 70’s active deployment of western

forces; mainly Americans, Canadians and ANZAC forces to reinforce the South Vietnamese

Army, led to a full scale war that was highly bloody and controversial.1 With the withdrawal

key allied support, the South Vietnamese forces were over time defeated by the Viet Cong. In

April 1975, The Fall of Saigon, represented the end of the war, around this time many people

were being evacuated, South Vietnamese government officials, their families, missionaries,

orphans and the Vietnamese families of Western servicemen were the first wave of refugees.

However it is in the years to come from 1975 into the mid-80’s a great influx of Vietnamese

refugees or “Boat people” would impact the Western world’s politics and humanity. With the

fall of the South Vietnamese government and the Communist restructuring and persecution of

1 “Vietnam War”, Encyclopaedia Britannica (2015), http://www.britannica.com/event/Vietnam-War accessed 2nd of Oct. 2015.

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those who have defied them or worked for the South Vietnamese or Western Forces.

Hundreds of thousands escaped desperately as they were crammed in boats, trying to find

refuge in neighbouring nation as they escaped persecution. From the late 70’s onward many

of those displaced in refugee camps across South-East Asia, were given asylum on

humanitarian grounds in countries like the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada,

France, Switzerland, etc. 2

The White Australia Policy & Opposition to migrants, refugees and multiculturalism

In 1901, at the early days of the federation of Australia, while its laws and government was

forming, the first act passed into law, was Immigration Restriction Act 1901 (commonly

known as the White Australia Policy). This law severely limited the application of migrants,

which was basically a corrupt and racist process, utilising an unfair Dictation Test favouring

the British, and excluding applicants from Asia and Africa.3 Around the end mid 70’s, with

the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 being passed, and Frasier’s government initiative

welcoming thousands of refugees from Vietnam and across South-East Asia. These are the

final nails that ended the White Australia Policy. However Australian politics and media have

always demonised “asylum seekers” and “boat people”, an irrational xenophobic fear of

foreigners “invading, bringing crime, disease, communism and in recent year’s terrorism and

sharia law.”4 The constant rhetoric by these bigots include “we will be swamped by

2 Refugee Council of Australia, “History of Australia’s refugee program”, Refugee Council of Australia, [website], (2012), https://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/fact-sheets/australias-refugee-and-humanitarian-program/history/ accessed 2nd of Oct. 2015. ; Australia and the Vietnam War, “Australia and the Vietnam War: Aftermath”, [website], (2015), http://vietnam-war.commemoration.gov.au/aftermath/ accessed 2nd of Oct. 2015. 3 National Archive of Australia, “Immigration Restriction Act 1901” National Archives of Australia 2015, [website], (2015), http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/a-z/immigration-restriction-act.aspx accessed 4th of Oct. 2015. 4 These are common titles and news scare tactics of the media.

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Asians,”5 or “Jesus knew there was a place for everything and it’s not necessarily everyone’s

place to come to Australia.”6

However we must educate and cast away our mistrust of those from different cultures, and

instead welcome and accept the diverse differences and the benefits they bring to society.

Personal Story/ Truong Family History

My Grandparents story is unique, but also part of the infinite story of war, displacement and

finding somewhere safe to make a home and raise a family. My grandfather fought in the

Vietnam War, though there is little recognition; no medals, no records either. All that he has

left of his involvement in the war is pictures and a missing index finger on his right hand.

Figure 2; Bong Truong and War Buddies serving in South Vietnamese Army, My grandfather is the one farthest to the left in front. (Steven Truong 2015)

In 1979, my grandparents escaped Vietnam with their 9 children, and extended family on a

small boat, stranded for 14 days with minimal resource, however they were lucky compared

to other thousands of refugees who were lost at sea, attacked by pirates or the boat being

turned back.7 They ended up in a refugee camp in the Philippines for 2 years, and was finally

5 AUSTRALIANPOLITICS.COM, “Pauline Hanson’s Maiden Speech In The House Of Representatives”, AUSTRALIANPOLITICS.COM 1995-2015, http://australianpolitics.com/1996/09/10/pauline-hanson-maiden-speech.html accessed 5th of Oct. 2015. 6 News.com.au, “Tony Abbott lambasted on US TV show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”, News Limited, http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/tony-abbott-lambasted-on-us-tv-show-last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver/story-e6frfmyi-1226940367958 accessed 5th of Oct. 2015. 7 National Museum of Australia, Defining moments in Australian History: Vietnamese Refugees, National Museum Australia, http://www.nma.gov.au/online_features/defining_moments/featured/vietnamese_refugees_boat_arrival accessed 2nd Oct. 2015.

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given visas to Australia in 1981; they ended up in Melbourne’s western suburbs, living in the

Maribyrnong Detention Centre for around 6 months. It was a difficult time, in a new land, a

feeling of isolation with only family to rely on and a wider community that was still either

hostile or paranoid about Asians. However they made a home in Western suburbs in

Footscray; A historical migrant area, with a high population of Vietnamese refugees and their

families settling in the surrounding areas. Over the next 30 Years they built a home for

themselves, raised 9 children, and now have over 20 grandchildren.

Figure 3: Family Photo: Ly Dang Truong, Bong Truong, Steven Truong, Tuan Truong, Jonathan Truong (Steven Truong 2015)

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Figure 4: a boat of Vietnamese Refugees, (note: not the boat that my family took)

Figure 5: Maribyrnong Detention Centre. Many migrants who settled in the western suburbs of Melbourne, were processed through this centre, this detention centre handled many of the processing of Vietnamese refugees in Victoria.

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Figure 6: This letter is an anonymous/ message to the Australian Government, accusing my Grandparents of being communist. This highlights sectors of the community with fear, paranoia and racist (1982) (Reprinted Steven Truong 2015)

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.Vietnamese Communities Impact on Australian Society.

Tim Watts, the Federal Member for Parliament representing Gellibrand, which is home to the

Largest Vietnamese community in Victoria, perfectly summarised the Vietnamese

community that he represent,8 and why multiculturalism and acceptance of migrants and

refugees is important.

In 2015, 40 years will have passed since the arrival of Vietnamese refugees in

Australia at the end of the Vietnam War; and during this time, the Vietnamese-

Australian community has grown from approximately 700 Vietnam-born Australians

to approximately 185,000 Vietnam-born Australians, and 220,000 Australians

speaking Vietnamese at home; we acknowledges the contribution of Vietnamese-

Australians to our society in the past 40 years, with Vietnamese-Australians becoming

leading figures in business, politics, the arts, and in our communities. 2015 is the 40th

anniversary of the mass settlement of Vietnamese refugees in Australia. Only 40 years

ago, the Vietnamese community in Australia numbered just 700 people. At this time,

Australia had only recently begun peering beyond the insular, bigoted legislative

barricades of the White Australia policy to embrace the broader, more diverse world

outside. But, with the first major arrivals of Vietnamese refugees after the Vietnam

War, those barricades began to tumble down, not just in the letter of our law but in

the lived experience of Australian multiculturalism. The migration of Vietnamese

refugees to Australia 40 years ago changed our nation and changed it for the better.

I am proud to represent a seat, an electorate, that has been the welcoming mat for the

Vietnamese community in Victoria and that gave these refugees and their families the

safety, freedom and democracy that the government of Vietnam denied them. It was

the hostels of Melbourne's west that provided refuge to the Vietnamese families

finding their way in an alien world. The hostels like Wiltona and Midway in my

electorate provided them with a bed to sleep on, and the suburbs like Footscray and

Sunshine gave them the community in which to rebuild their lives.

8 Federation Chamber, PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS: Vietnamese-Australian Community, House of Representatives, 27 Oct. 2014, 12119 (Tim Watts, Member of Parliament for Gellibrand), http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;db=CHAMBER;id=chamber%2Fhansardr%2Fdb57a706-8c03-4a70-83a2-831cc00cf088%2F0280;query=Id%3A%22chamber%2Fhansardr%2Fdb57a706-8c03-4a70-83a2-831cc00cf088%2F0283%22 accessed 20th September.

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Figure 7: Footscray Market, a hub of the Footscray and Vietnamese community

This gift of safety and freedom has been repaid to our nation a thousand times over

through the contribution of the Vietnamese-Australian community in our society

today. They are now the doctors in our hospitals and the lawyers in our courts. They

are the comedians and commentators, like Anh Do and Natalie Tran, who help us to

laugh at ourselves and examine what it means to be Australian. They are the writers

and leaders like Nam Le, Carina Hoang, Khoa Do and Hieu Van Le, telling stories

about the evolving nature of what it means to be Australian. Finally, they are our

friends and family.

Figure 8: (left) Nathalie Tran, Australia, no.1 YouTube Star & (Right) Anh Do, Comedian, author, his biographical novel, The Happiest Refugee is a poignant and humorous perspective on being a migrant, Vietnamese as well as growing up in Australia.

The Vietnamese-Australian community has had an enormous impact on the way that

Australians think about themselves and those around them. In fact, the 2013 Scanlon

social cohesion survey found that, today, 84 per cent of Australians agree that

multiculturalism has been good for Australia, and 60 per cent agree that

multiculturalism strengthens the Australian way of life. As I said in my first speech,

Australian multiculturalism is one of our nation's greatest assets, and in many ways

we have the Australian-Vietnamese community to thank for embedding it in our

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community, for among the many things that the Vietnamese-Australian community has

shown and taught Australians is what a community of refugees can bring to those who

grant them refuge. In closing, I can say that in the modern, multicultural Australia we

are a forgiving people. I am immeasurably thankful for the contribution that the

Vietnamese community has made in my electorate and in the broader nation.- (Tim

Watts, MP- Gellibrand)

Extra & Conclusion

We have given you our culture to share, our food, ideas, beliefs and our hard work. The

Vietnamese community strives in its beloved new home for excellence. To all those who

oppose migration, look to us as an example of how we adapted and impacted Australian

culture, other migrants and refugees could do the same. With our hard work ethic and intense

focus on better education as a community. Also the spread of our excellent cuisine and for the

foodies, where else would you have authentic Vietnamese dishes such as Phở, Bánh mì, or

events like the lunar festival and Vietnamese New Year. Ultimately the Vietnamese-

Australians are proud of their accomplishment and hope for a harmonious and prosperous

future in Australia.

Figure 9: Phở, Vietnams National Dish. A Favourite of both foodies and critics.

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