On 23 November, a boatload of asylum seekers was dispatched to Nauru for offshore detention. They were found wandering the coast of Western Australia by Aboriginal people, three days earlier. This has been Australian policy for unauthorised boat arrivals since 2013; 10 arrivals in the past year. But there was a time when asylum seekers were welcome.
Such is the story of Vietnamese refugee doctor, Sang Phan, his wife Kim Chau, and their children Thanh, Lan Huong, and Tri. Of escape from Vietnam and the perils of an ocean journey in a small boat. A journey of apprehension and uncertainty – including a baby delivered by Sang Phan in the vast Indian ocean – to Indonesia, Malaysia, and finally to Brisbane, and then, Sydney.
From Vietnam to Australia, a refugee doctor's journey. By Ian Webster, P & I