So they called the island Kuku. On Kuku, there were no tools, no food reserves, no toilets. The refugees had no other option but to learn to live off of the land. Or hunt. I was scared of snakes and animals. I was afraid of going to the jungle.
Every day she would open up one packet and break it into four corners. For one meal, the three of them together would share one corner of the packet. They were doing everything they could to survive, but disease began to spread. People began to suffer from malaria and diarrhea.
But even as they grew weaker and weaker, the refugees still managed to hang on. They survived on fish and lizards and whatever else they could hunt. And we survived. All three of us. They were moved to another refugee camp on Galang for two more months before they were eventually resettled to the US.
There, they tried to put Kuku behind them. But Kuku found her. She wanted Hoang to find the body of her son, who had died there, and give him a proper burial. When someone died on the Anambas islands, the refugees marked their grave sites with whatever large rocks they could find. At the time, there was very little information about the islands or how to get there.
When Hoang had first visited the Indonesian Consulate, even the workers there had never even heard of the islands. Even today, the journey is logistically complicated, requiring a plane flight to Singapore, a boat ride to Batam, another flight to Tanjung Pinang and then three more boat rides to reach Kuku.
Hoang says each trip takes her months to plan, requiring her to notify local governments beforehand. Nobody pays her to do this work. Those who contacted Hoang also wanted to locate the bodies of their loved ones and build them proper graves.
So Hoang agreed to take one trip back to Kuku Island, which turned into two trips. Then three, four. By now, Hoang has returned seven times. This will be my last trip back to Kuku Island. Passengers sit on the deck aboard the final boat to Kuku Island. The trip is long. There is a plane flight to Singapore, a boat ride to Batam, another flight to Tanjung Pinang and then three more boat rides to finally reach Kuku.
Together, they are looking for the grave of Cao Luu, Tony Luu's father, who died on the island almost 40 years ago.
Hoang and Luu both landed in Kuku in June They were among the very first boatloads to arrive on the island and they endured some of the most difficult months there. In the dark, I washed the fish and cabbage and cooked them with sea water, and MADE my sister and brother stay awake to eat them.
The food tasted awful and full of sand, but we were thankful, for that was real source of vitamin we had in so long. I just read that Kuku refugee camp was closed in early 90s. Toward the end, life was very tough and unsafe for the refugees. They hardly received supplies, often were beat up and gang raped by Indonesian military personnel. Before they finally closed the camp, 4 more people were bury on the island.
We didn't have any permanent structures there. Even the office made out of the same materials. Someone told me in Galang that when the last person left Kuku, I believe in June of , they burned down the camp to prevent diseases Before June , Kuku Island was just one of 17, islands in Indonesia, and was probably only known to some Indonesians who live on islands nearby. Kuku island has witnessed the existence of many thousands refugees who came and gone.
Even welcome new lives, and unfortunately become home to some people, mostly died of diseases. As of today, I know of three people born on Kuku Island: One lady born in Oct , now living in Canada One lady born in Jan , now living in Australia One person male born late at night sometimes in autumn While Dr Tan and I helped the woman deliver her baby, her husband went back and forth to his hut to boil water in a small kettle and filled up a bucket so that we can have warm water to wash baby and mom with.
Before I came to Kuku, there was an European volunteer doctor working at the hospital; he died of indigestion, eating lots of saurieng and drinking spirit at a time. Another few of our fellow refugees died from diarrhoea for eating too much of them. Just 5. To get here, hop on a public ferry from Marina South Pier. For the Chinese, the tortoise is a sacred animal. There are shelters, picnic tables and even barbecue pits on Kusu Island, perfect for a idyllic day out in the sun.
This service is provided in partnership with Expedia. Do note that each booking is limited to a maximum of 6 pax in total. Kusu Island. Take a day trip to Kusu Island, Singapore for a dose of fun in the sun.
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