The discovery of 39 bodies in a truck trailer near London on October 23rd shocked the international community. By October 25th, British police had arrested three more female suspects, bringing the total number of suspects to four, all allegedly linked to a human trafficking ring. Notably, several signs indicate that some of the victims may be Vietnamese.
While forensic experts began the process of identifying the victims, the Vietnamese Embassy in London reported receiving calls from numerous families in Vietnam reporting missing relatives. Worryingly, there are reports suggesting that at least 10 of the 39 victims could be Vietnamese.
Ms. Hoa Nghiem, a member of the Vietnam Human Rights Network, revealed that during the time the truck traveled from Belgium to the UK, Pham Thi Tra My, 26, sent a desperate text message to her family, stating that she could not breathe.
The heartbreaking message, believed to be from Ms. Tra My to her family, read: “I’m so sorry Mom and Dad. My trip abroad has failed. I love you both so much. I’m dying because I can’t breathe. Nghen town, Can Loc district, Ha Tinh province, Vietnam. Mom, I am so sorry Mom.”
According to Ms. Hoa, Ms. Tra My had traveled to China and planned to reach the UK via France. Her organization also received multiple warnings about the possibility of more Vietnamese victims among the 39 bodies found in the truck container.
Initially, British police believed the victims were Chinese, but Beijing stated that their nationalities were still being verified. The Vietnamese and Chinese Embassies have been working closely with British police to clarify the incident.
Essex Police, the force investigating the case, declined to provide further details about the identities and nationalities of the victims until the formal identification process is complete.
The truck driver, 25, remains in custody on suspicion of manslaughter. A source close to the investigation revealed the driver’s name as Mo Robinson, from the Portadown area of Northern Ireland.
On October 25th, police further arrested a 38-year-old man and woman in Warrington, North West England, and a 48-year-old man from Northern Ireland at Stansted Airport, London. All three are suspected of conspiracy to traffic people and manslaughter.
Among the 39 bodies, eight were women. The cause of death is under investigation, alongside the victim identification process.
VietHome, an organization serving the Vietnamese community in the UK, reported receiving notifications from 10 families about their missing relatives.
For years, illegal immigrants seeking entry into the UK via trucks from Europe has been a common issue. In 2000, 58 Chinese nationals died in a tomato truck at the port of Dover, highlighting the dangers and tragedy of this illegal immigration route.
UK “Has Not Fulfilled Its Responsibility”?
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying expressed hope that the UK would quickly verify the identities of the victims, clarify the facts, and punish the criminals involved.
The Global Times, a state-run Chinese newspaper, published an editorial arguing that the UK and relevant European countries bear some responsibility for this tragic incident, for failing to protect migrants from such a heartbreaking death.
Global Trailer Rentals, an Irish trailer leasing company, confirmed ownership of the trailer and stated that it had leased the trailer on October 15th without any knowledge of the lessee’s intended purpose.
The container is believed to have traveled from the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium to the UK. The Times reported that GPS tracking data showed the container arrived at the Belgian port on the afternoon of October 22nd before beginning its 10-hour sea journey to the UK.
According to police, the truck cab was driven from Dublin on October 20th, crossing the Irish Sea to England, and picked up the refrigerated trailer in Purfleet shortly after midnight on October 23rd.
Last year’s figures from the UK’s National Crime Agency showed Vietnamese nationals were third on the list of victims of modern slavery and human trafficking in the UK, although there are no statistics on the number of illegal entrants.
The case of the 39 bodies in the UK truck continues to unfold, revealing the heartbreaking dark side of human trafficking and illegal immigration. Authorities are working diligently to investigate and clarify the case, bring the perpetrators to justice, and identify the nationalities and identities of the victims, amidst growing suspicions of Vietnamese victims.
