They made it all the way to the UK, yet none of them will ever know that
ON October 22, 2019, they were huddled in a sweltering, pitch black container as it waited at the Belgian port of Zeebrugge, lured there by the promise of a better life.
They had travelled from Vietnam. Their lives would travel no further.
Early next morning they arrived in the UK, never knowing they made it, their final destination the morgue at a Chelmsford hospital
What followed was a tale of greed, cash and frantic text messages never sent. Those held to account will, eventually, have a chance to pick up the pieces of their lives.
Thousands of miles away, bereaved families will try to pick up the pieces of theirs. One piece will always be missing.
While those responsible have paid a price, the price paid by the families is much heavier, and the price paid by those who died “excruciatingly painful” deaths was the ultimate price of all.
The lorry had the message “The Ultimate Dream” emblazoned across the windscreen. Nothing could have be further from the truth.
Dinh Dinh Binh, just 15, had excitedly called his family to say he was going to England. He travelled with another 15-yearold, Nguyen Huy Hung, who planned to live with his parents after training as a hairdresser in Vietnam.
Nguyen Van Hiep (24) had made five failed attempts to reach the UK. His father paid £10,000 for his latest bid.
There are 36 further stories of hopes and dreams, not one with a happy ending.
What went through those minds in the last desperate hours is best not thought about, but it is important the names are remembered.