> Research & Reports Human Cargo Human smuggling organizations are currently held responsible for the transport of Today, would we view the above cases Report > refugees, bounty hunters, and other migrants to the West. The Dutch Public Prosecutor’s as the result of criminal human smug- China Office works on the assumption that the movement of asylum seekers to the Netherlands is gling organizations? The answer is to a large extent ‘regulated’ by the activities of human smugglers. Although the probably ‘yes’. My doctoral research nationalities of both the smugglers and the people transported vary greatly, as do the aims to clarify the structures underly- methods used, it is generally assumed by both the public and criminologists that the ing human smuggling. When should Chinese descendants in a Dutch a in descendants Chinese pursuit of profit is an important, and probably the most important, motive for human one view ‘a little bit of help from your smuggling organizations. A turnover of billions of euros worldwide is attributed to these friends’ as smuggling? That leads me organizations. to the question of what ‘smuggling’ or ‘illegal migration’ really is, and whether By Melvin Soudijn not a recent phenomenon. In his study port. Several pedlars from Zhejiang, for everything is as closely organized as is Chineesche immigranten in Nederland instance, had indeed entered the generally supposed. The inclusion of a ithin the spectrum of human (Chinese Immigrants in the Nether- Netherlands with valid passports, but historical perspective might provide us he connection between participation in Chinese volun- Chinese in participation between connection he Wsmuggling, the smuggling of lands), published in 1936, F. van Heek ones to which they were not actually with a better understanding. < Chinese nationals provokes a lot of notes that various countries have drawn entitled. ‘In Europe, too, the Chinese nts. Peter Post screened amateur films from the 1930s pro- 1930s the from films amateur screened Post Peter nts. a, and South Africa. South and a, ive of the IIAS, and Asian Studies in Amsterdam (ASiA), at the at (ASiA), Amsterdam in Studies Asian and IIAS, the of ive interest, not only among the media, but up immigration laws to halt Chinese happily make use of such consular References field of study covers any aspect of social life among the Chinese the among life social of aspect any covers study of field also in the world of international inves- migration. As a result, attempts were benevolence. They let one another - Heek, F. van, Chineesche immigranten in tigation. There are various possible rea- made (and this is still the case today) to know where an “easy” consul is sta- Nederland, Amsterdam: J. Emmering’s sons for this. In the first place, a series circumvent these immigration laws, tioned, and send their friends who live Uitgevers (1936). of well-publicized incidents have and human smuggling thrived. Van in the country in question to the con- - Sciortino, R.M.E., A. Wessels and H.B. caused the commotion. There is virtu- Heek would not state exactly how many sulate to apply for a visa. The consulate Teng, Chinese ouderen in Amsterdam: ver- ally no study, investigation or publica- people came into the Netherlands as sometimes neglects carefully compar- slag van een onderzoek naar de leefsituatie tion concerning human smuggling stowaways, but he suspected that the ing the passport-photo with the appli- van Chinese ouderen in Amsterdam, from China which does not refer to the numbers were very large. Rotterdam, cant’s face, and the visa is issued. The Amsterdam: Stichting voor Toegepaste Golden Venture incident of 1993 ‘as an important shipping centre […], applicant sends it back to his friend Gerontologie/Vrije Universiteit Amster- and/or the Dover tragedy of 2000, two and with its hundreds of Chinese who wishes to travel to the Netherlands, dam (1993). extremely dramatic events involving inhabitants [would constitute] an ideal and soon afterwards our yellow broth- Chinese victims. Furthermore, human temporary refuge from which the Chi- er enters our country in a completely Melvin Soudijn, MA conducts his research smuggling from China, whether right- nese emigrant could try to reach the legal way’ (p. 90) (translation: MS). at the NSCR (Netherlands Institute for the ly or wrongly, is generally believed to place where he now wishes to live’ (p. In their research report Chinese oud- Study of Crime and Law Enforcement) in present several unique characteristics. 82) (translation: MS). eren in Amsterdam: verslag van een onder- Leiden. The sums of money involved are high- Van Heek also discusses the ways in zoek naar de leefsituatie van Chinese oud- [email protected] er than those paid by any other nation- which these people enter the Nether- eren in Amsterdam (Elderly Chinese ality, abuses, such as slavery, exploita- lands. They may enter with a valid pass- people in Amsterdam: research report tion, and prostitution is rife, the level port, by ship’s discharge, as a stowaway, on the living conditions of elderly Chi- of organization is extremely high and as a deserter from a ship, or clandes- nese people in Amsterdam), Sciortino there (presumably) is associated crime tinely over a land border. The method et al. discuss the case of a Chinese man, involved (directed by Triads). Finally, in of stowing away was not, however, 83 years old in 1993, who recalls how the West there seems to be a fascination wholly without its dangers. For exam- he was persuaded by a former neigh- for, and simultaneously a fear of, the ple, people hid in empty water-tanks or bour to come to Europe in 1936 (p. 12). exotic. To this one could add the enor- boilers, where the temperature could He had to pay what was then the enor- mity of China’s population, presenting soar if the ship was sailing in the trop- mous sum of 300 Chinese guilders for a huge potential market for smuggling, ics. This sometimes led to fatalities the journey. He eventually set out with and the many references in publica- (p. 82). four others from his village. His wife [email protected] , elite Chinese families in the Dutch East-Indies, thereby putting forward a fascinating new way of looking at the position of position the at looking of way new fascinating a forward putting thereby East-Indies, Dutch the in families Chinese elite , tions on Chinese communities to a ‘cul- Furthermore, Van Heek notes that in and young son remained behind. He ture of secrecy’. All this leads to the the past, staff from the Dutch con- travelled to Marseilles on a German impression that the authorities cannot sulates sometimes issued visas too eas- cargo ship and secretly went ashore. peranakan seem to get a grip on the community. ily, without ascertaining whether the From there he travelled overland to Ger- Dr Leo Douw, Douw, Leo Dr Human smuggling from China is traveller had sufficient means of sup- many and then to the Netherlands. < Malay Contacts with Sri Lanka duced by members of members by duced The Research Network for the Study of Chinese Communities in the Netherlands (RSCCN) was established in 2001 as a joint initiat joint a as 2001 in established was (RSCCN) Netherlands the in Communities Chinese of Study the for Network Research The Indonesi Suriname, Belgium, as such countries in Chinese Dutch-speaking of study the as well as Netherlands, the in communities t on Suurmond Judith by and Soudijn, Melvin by trafficking human on lectures were there meeting annual third RSCCN’s the During descenda Chinese of integration socio-political and community civic a of formation the and Netherlands the in associations tary University of Amsterdam. This informal research network aims to bring researchers together, facilitating their cooperation. The cooperation. their facilitating together, researchers bring to aims network research informal This Amsterdam. of University colonial setting. colonial The Malays have always been intrepid sailors, travelling westwards as far as Madagascar. Sailing westward from a port in the Research > Malay Peninsula or from Western Sumatra, one was likely to disembark on the eastern and southern coasts of Sri Lanka South Asia (Paranavitana, 1959): it is therefore not surprising that the Malays made contact with Sri Lankans. Evidence of early contact between Sri Lankans and Malays lies in Sinhala literary works from the Polonnaruwa Period (1098-1234) and the Dambadeniya The Research Network for the Study of Chinese Communities in the Netherlands the in Communities Chinese of Study the for Network Research The 14 March 2003 March 14 Amsterdam, Netherlands the Period (1220-1293). By Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya British referred to the Sri Lankan Malays Moluccas and the Lesser Sunda Islands. Java, Madura, Buginese, and Malay as ‘Malays’ as they spoke Batavian Malay, From 1708 onwards, Javanese princes areas. Most Malay slaves sent to Sri istorical evidence also confirms known today as Betawi or Jakarta Malay. were exiled to Sri Lanka. According to Lanka originated from the Moluccas [advertisement] Hthat there was a Malay presence The British also transported Indone- Dutch documents, these Indonesian and the Lesser Sunda Islands. in Sri Lanka in the thirteenth century. sians from the Malay Peninsula aristocrats were mainly from Java, but During the Dutch period and in the In 1247, Chandrabhanu, the Buddhist (Penang, Malacca, Singapore, Pahang, others came from Bacan, Sumatra, early British period, the Malays formed Malay King in the Malay Peninsula, Trengganu, Kelantan), Java, Madura, Macassar, Tidore, and Timor. The most of the Sri Lankan army, enlisted in attempted to invade Sri Lanka. Sinhala and North Borneo to Sri Lanka. The Dutch also exiled the King of Java, the Ceylon Rifle regiments. The last reg- literary works record that Chandrab- Indonesian soldiers in Sri Lanka were Susana Mangkurat Mas, to Sri Lanka, iment was disbanded in 1873 and the hanu’s mission was supported by Malay recruited from Jakarta in Java and there- together with his retinue: in 1723, he Malay soldiers joined the Police force.