Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 10, 1993 TAG: 9302100269
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Los Angeles Times
DATELINE: HONOLULU LENGTH: Medium
CHINESE REFUGEES TO U.S. INCREASING
When members of the U.S. Coast Guard boarded the freighter East Wood, drifting without power in the Pacific last week, they found more than 500 Chinese would-be immigrants who had survived five weeks stowed in cargo holds with no toilets and little sustenance.The Coast Guard, which now is escorting the ship to the Marshall Islands, heard a strange tale from crew members. They said the ship had been hijacked by pirates who brought the illegal immigrants aboard after the East Wood left Hong Kong Dec. 27.
The East Wood's generators failed 1,500 miles southwest of Honolulu and the vessel began to drift. The Coast Guard received a distress call on Jan. 30 from the radio operator, who said he feared for his life, claiming that pirates had commandeered the boat and loaded hundreds of Chinese passengers into the holds. He disappeared later that day, along with the second engineer. Crew members say they jumped or were forced overboard after a "fight with Chinese bad men."
The Coast Guard discounts the tale, saying it has found evidence that the ship was prepared to handle human cargo before setting sail. But one thing is clear: The East Wood is the largest effort to smuggle undocumented Chinese into the United States in recent times.
A growing flow of refugees from the People's Republic of China has tried to enter the United States through Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Francisco and ports as far away as New Bedford, Mass. The first boat apprehended carried 131 Chinese passengers to Los Angeles in August 1991. Since then, authorities have intercepted nine vessels, mostly trawlers, with a total of 1,126 Chinese nationals aboard. Honolulu has been the most popular destination.