The Boat People: A PRAYER FOR LAND (19)
Tran Tu Uyen
(Bruce Grant)
An 'Age' Investigation
=========================================================================
Editorial note:
All dollar amounts are in US dollars.
In the case of some refugees interviewed for this book, who believe
their may be repercussions on their relatives, pseudonyms have been
used.
=========================================================================
A PRAYER FOR LAND
Lost in the tempests
Out on the open seas
Our small boats drift.
We seek for land
During endless days and endless nights.
We are the foam
Floating on the vast ocean.
We ate the dust
Wandering in endless space.
Our cries are lost
In the howling wind.
Without food, without water
Our children lip exhausted
Until they cry no more.
We thirst for land
But are turned back from every shore.
Our distress signals rise and rise again
But the passing ships do not stop.
How many boats have perished,
How many families lie beneath the waves?
Lord Jesus, do you hear the prayer of our flesh?
Lord Buddha, do you hear our voice
From the abyss of death?
O solid shore,
We long for you!
We pray for mankind to be present today!
We pray for land to stretch its arms to us!
We pray that hope be given us
Today, from any land.
(A poem written by an unknown Vietnamese at a refugee camp in 1978)
>>>>> To be contimued <<<<<
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Sr. Chan Khong
----- Original Message -----
From: Tran Tu Uyen <trant...@yahoo.com>
To: Tho Va(n <tho...@freeviet.org>; Chi'nh Lua^.n
<Chin...@yahoogroups.com>; Ho^.i Nghi. <Hoi...@egroups.com>; Nghi. Lua^.n
<NGHI...@egroups.com>; SCV <soc.culture...@mailgate.org>; SGHN
<SaigonH...@egroups.com>; Tie^'ng Chuo^ng <tiengc...@egroups.com>
Sent: Monday, February 26, 2001 8:24 AM
Subject: [ChinhLuan] The Boat People: A PRAYER FOR LAND (19)
----- Original Message -----
From: Sent: March 2, 2001 1:24 AM
Subject: [author of the poem A PRAYER FOR LAND (19)
> The Boat People: A PRAYER FOR LAND (19)
> (Bruce Grant)
> An 'Age' Investigation
> =========================================================================
> To whom it may concern
Many of you have wondered who is the author of this poem ( A Prayer for
Land) that many journalist found in a refugee camp. The author is the
vietnamese zen master Thich Nhat Hanh who wrote that poem during his
realisation of A Rescue Project to help boat people in January1977 1 called
Mau Chay Ruot Mem. He prepared that poem in Vietnamese and in English trying
to express how desperate the boat people are and of course he cannot put his
name on the poem. He then gave the sheet of poem to every refugee in the 2
ships Roland and Leapdal and prepared to bring the 2 boats to Australia. He
advised the refugees that as soon as they arrive to Perth (Australia) they
will give the poem to journalists and let journalists write articles about
the fate of boat poeple, it will move the heart of good heart australians
who will make pressure so that the Australian Government must accept the
boat people in their country. At that moment no country accept Viet Refugees
yet. The US quota to accept refugees is 1000 persons PER YEAR to the USA !
And Australia zero refugee per year ! Unfortunately , the project to send
the 2 ships illegally to Australia failed. Many embassies like Australian,
USA embassies worked together with the UNHCR to stop that project. At mid
night on February 3rd 1977, 16 Singaporian policemen jumped on the roof and
surrounded the office where Thich Nhat Hanh and a dozen of his assistants
stayed and worked for boat people. (They suspected we hide illegal boat
people)> They confiscated Thich NhatHanh and his assistants'passports and
forced them to leave Singapore in 48 hours . They can take back their
passports only at the airport when they have a ticket to leave Singapore.
Otherwise there will be put in jail ! Then all the refugees Thich Nhat Hanh
rescued on the 2 ships Roland and Leapdal, instead of sailing to Australia
were forced to land on many refugee camps in Malaysia. Refugees still hold
these sheet of poem do not know who was the author. Because the author
wished to speak out the voice of a boat people
The story behind this poem is found in the book entitled Thu Tim Dau Chan
Tren Cat , Journal of Sister Chan Khong (author of Learning True Love,
Parrallax Press Berkeley USA www.parallax.org ). If you reallly care to have
that book Thu Tim Dau Chan Tren Cat, you can write to her
chan...@plumvillage.org and ask for the book, she may have a few copies
left.But in the Book Learning True Love, there is also a chapter about
BoatPeople and she mentionned also this poem.
May I attach the 10 documents of that part of the book Thu Tim Dau Chan Tren
Cat, of La Boi Press, that book is out of print but if you e mail Laboi
Press at : la...@langmai.org the publishing house could provide you a
collection of poems of Thich Nhat Hanh entitled Tho tung om va mat troi tung
hat . There, you can find the poem at the page 72 -73. Otherwise Parallax
Press has published that collection of poems in english entitled CALL ME BY
MY TRUE NAMES, you can visit Parallax home page to buy the mentioned
collection of poetry book.
Please read the attached 10 pages documents ( I failed to attached today,
because I am too ignorant on e mail, but tomorow with the help of my
brother. I will send the 10 pages of documents to you.)
>
>
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