Cap Anamur-Gedenkstätte - Hamburg, Germany
N 53° 32.694 E 009° 58.437
32U E 564535 N 5933330
Gedenkstätte an die Schiffe Cap Anamur 1 - 3, die von 1979 bis 1987 über 11000 vietnamesische Flüchtlinge (Boatpeople) retteten.
Waymark Code: WM113HT
Location: Hamburg, Germany
Date Posted: 08/10/2019
Views: 6
Memorial in the form of a bronze book to the ships Cap Anamur 1 - 3, which rescued over 11000 Vietnamese refugees (Boatpeople) from 1979 to 1987.
The text says:
In Gratitude
To the german people, the government of Germany and the city of Hamburg, where the Cap Anamurs departed on rescue missions for the gracious reception of the vietnamese boat people who escaped from the communist regime.
Best gratitude and apprecations are dedicated to the Cap Anamur committee founded from Dr. Rupert Neudeck, who save 11.300 boat people fled over the the south china sea.
* Cap Anamur I: (Sept. 1979 - May 1982): 9507
* Cap Anamur II: (March 1986 - July 1986): 888
* Cap Anamur III: (April 1987 - July 1987): 905
In rememberance of the boat people who lost their live escaping from the communist regime to search for freedom.
The Vietnam War ended on April 30, 1975 with the victory of communist North Vietnam and the reunification of Vietnam on July 2, 1976, under the leadership of North Vietnam. People who had previously supported the government of the Republic of Vietnam were sent to re-education camps or resettled in "New Economic Zones. An estimated 2.5 million people were imprisoned mostly without any reason or for work in American companies, but quickly released, about 165,000 died in the re-education camps, thousands were tortured to death or raped by their guards, and about 200,000 South Vietnamese were executed. In addition, about 50,000 died as a result of forced labor in the "New Economic Zones. On land, however, Vietnam was surrounded exclusively by states that were hardly suitable as refugees (Cambodia, Laos, People's Republic of China). This was very probably the reason why more than 1.6 million Vietnamese tried to sail across the South China Sea (Vietnamese: "East Sea"). These people were called Boat People. In the original language area one speaks more exactly of indochinese boat people (Indochinese boat refugees), since the theater of war also affected Cambodia.
Most boats carried between 150 and 600 people; they were always overloaded and dilapidated. Often the boats capsized in the unpredictable monsoon winds or were attacked by pirates. Many of these pirates were at sea off Thailand to attack the boatpeople. Because of these risks, the refugees increasingly chose the longer sea route to Malaysia, although the dangers were greater. Often the refugees suffered from food shortages, water shortages and diseases, or the sun burned their backs. Often these boats did not reach the coast; almost 250,000 boatpeople died in the South China Sea.
The German journalist Rupert Neudeck made a significant contribution to the rescue of the Boat People. Together with like-minded people, he founded the private aid committee Ein Schiff für Vietnam (A Ship for Vietnam). Together with the committee they chartered the freighter Cap Anamur and converted it into a hospital ship. At the same time, fundraising campaigns were launched throughout the Federal Republic of Germany, which were supported by the major media. With a team of volunteer technicians, logisticians, doctors and nurses on board, the ship reached the South China Sea on 13 August 1979 under its captain Klaus Buck. Early on it became known through the media that Neudeck not only planned to rescue the refugees, but also wanted to take care of their reception in Germany. This led him to accuse him of encouraging even more Vietnamese to flee and ultimately aggravating the situation. Conflicts arose with the German authorities, but these led to a compromise because of the public interest: Germany was prepared to grant asylum to those refugees who were taken in directly by Cap Anamur, but not to those who had already been rescued and handed over by ships of other nationalities. Over 9500 boat refugees were rescued in the first three years.
Source: Wikipedia
Who placed it?: Vietnamesische Flüchtlinge in Deutschland
When was it placed?: 12. September 2009
Who is honored?: Hilfsorganisation Ein Schiff für Vietnam
Website about the Monument: [Web Link]
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