NZ haven for Cambodian refugee and his family
Sok Chau is starting all over again – again.
Last month his daughter Vicky, 6, spent her first night in New Zealand. They slept in a small hatchback car, with his wife, Sreykhuoch Aoem, on a street in Wellington. It was their best sleep in years. The refugee from a Thai war camp has spoken about his life, which was saved twice by New Zealand: once as a child, and this time as a father and husband.
It was 1996 when an 8-year-old Chau arrived in the country for the first time. The eldest of four siblings, he remembered his astonishment at his new country. ‘‘I could have slept holding the television I loved it so much.’’
He had as much of a normal Kiwi childhood as could be expected for a boy who was born in a tent surrounded by guns but his family were fractured.
‘‘Dinner time was frightening because that was when we used to hear bullets.’’
The horrors of the old country couldn’t be fixed by their new country and Chau’s family left New Zealand and were scattered.He was the only one who stayed.
In 2005 the 20-year-old went back to Cambodia in search of his mum. Instead, he met his wife. Vicky was born and life, although tough, was pretty good.
Ultimately, it was Chau’s New Zea- land citizenship that made life dangerous in Cambodia, he said. ‘‘They think if you have a NZ passport you have lots of money to pay a ransom.’’
Financial troubles and civil unrest in the country made it dangerous for the family who lived in fear of Vicky being kidnapped. Their landlord confiscated their passports and Chau appealed to the New Zealand Embassy for help.
Leaving Vicky and Sreykhuoch behind, Chau was rescued and flown back to Wellington where he tried to find a job to help bring his family here.
His advocate, Birthright’s Marie Hohepa, said Chau slept at the Porirua train station while he worked for a local supermarket but after he was hospitalised for a suicide attempt he lost his job.
He found shelter through social agencies and a bed at a men’s shelter while he worked on getting his wife and child out of Cambodia – they arrived last month.
Now living in a Kapiti motel, the trio hope to be in a private rental at the end of the month. Chau has a part-time job but the family still needs help.
‘‘Maybe some beds and some chairs for a house would be good for us.’’
The own nothing apart from their car, their house will have no decorations and no furniture but they are thankful to be here, Chau said. ‘‘Being homeless in New Zealand is better than a house in Cambodia.’’
Buses removed from service
Introduced last year and hailed as ‘‘top of the line’’, more than 10 double-decker buses have been taken off the roads in Auckland, after a fault in the chassis was found. A New Zealand Transport Agency spokesperson said the issue was discovered on one bus, by an operator, and the bus was immediately withdrawn from service. ‘‘As a result, all similar model buses have been inspected and have since been undergoing daily inspections,’’ the spokesperson said. Eleven Ritchies buses have been removed from service and 14 buses that were due for delivery to NZ Bus also contained the fault and would not be introduced to service until the fault was rectified.
Electric shock at school
Three people are in hospital after receiving an electric shock at Christchurch’s Hillmorton High School. Principal Ann Brokenshire said three boys in year 9 got an electric shock while working in a technology class. ‘‘They were able to walk to the sick bay afterwards but we called an ambulance, as you do in these situations, and they wanted to take them to hospital,’’ Brokenshire said. St John spokesman Gerard Campbell said the trio had moderate injuries. An ambulance was sent to the school in Hoon Hay about noon yesterday. ‘‘The room has been shut down and we are working with WorkSafe,’’ Brokenshire said. It was not yet known how the incident happened.
Cyclist seriously injured
A cyclist was seriously injured after he was hit by a car in Nelson in what police say could be a ‘‘hit and run’’. A police spokeswoman said the incident happened at 6.28am yesterday in Washington Valley, and it appeared to be a ‘‘hit and run’’. The driver of the car left the scene after the incident and later turned himself in at the police station. St John Ambulance duty shift manager Mike Casey said the 45-year-old cyclist was travelling to work on his bike. He was taken to Nelson Hospital in a serious condition. Nelson Hospital said the man was still being treated for his injuries. Nelson police said the Serious Crash Unit was investigating the incident.
Driver led police on car chase
Aman has admitted leading police on a car chase that involved speeding across empty red zone sections and crashing through fences. Andrew Shaw, a 32-year-old who now works for a contracting firm, pleaded guilty to five charges in the Christchurch District Court yesterday and was remanded on electronically-monitored bail for sentencing on November 1. Shaw had admitted burglary of a shipping container, dangerous driving, failing to stop for police, driving while prohibited, and unlawfully getting into a car.