Joy for refugees

Press, 22 October 1980, Page 10

Joy for refugees

Nelson reporter The long arm of coincidence — stretched almost to its maximum — has brought tremendous joy to the home of a Vietnamese family now livingj-’in Nelson. ' ; & Mr Chau tak, a gold-

smith, brought his wife, two sons, a brother and a nephew, but.of Vietnam:to a refugee camp, leaving. behind, ■ and for all they, knew, long dead, their eldest son, Kim Ying. , The boy, seven years; before, aged 13, left his parents in the . blood and hell that was war-tom Vietnam, .to visit an aunt. He, and the aunt, disappeared without trace. Mr Chau and the family came to New Zealand in

one of the refugee drafts about two months' ago, and sponsored by the Annesbrook Church of Christ, settled in Nelson. While at the Mangere Transit camp, JWr Chau wrote to a former apprenOf his now living in France, advising him -1 that the ’ family was due to move to Nelson. He enclosed, a. .photograph of the whole family taken seven years earlier. The acquaintance had the photograph and- tjie ■ story of the missing -Kim Ying published in a. Viqtnamese-language newspaper, in 1 Paris. It •Jivas'; seen . By dKinr'.Yihg,.. . Chau, who is now 20, and joyous ‘ contact was established.. • ‘ ’ . Mr George Trumary u

Nelson accountant who has been involved with the family since it came to Nelson, said the Chaus spoke to their long-lost son by telephone and “were quite ecstatic.” Details of the boy’s movements after he left home seven years ago' are very sketchy. It is known that he arrived in Paris after a time in Malaysia and was in Paris on a tlwee-months working permit. It expired this month. Ha and the churchare now working towards uniting the family under: the “unification of family”* provisions of the Immigrai tion Act Kim Ying is a . mechanic, . like .-hls-unde, and the churcli has guaranteed him a job in Nelson.