Return To Kuku Island – Snap Classic

November 14, 2019

In the 1970s, thousands of Vietnamese refugees were left on the remote Anambas Islands in Indonesia. They were stranded without food, water, and shelter, forced to survive off the land. Now, almost 40 years later, one woman wants to go back to those distant islands, one last time.

Check out the photo gallery from Kuku Island by Liz Mak.

You can also listen to Liz’s HowSound piece, Interviewing For Emotions“ about how she structured her interviews and asked questions that provided the space for people to open up to her and be vulnerable for this story.

Thank you so much to Carina Hoang. Carina is a Special Representative for Australia for UNHCR. Check out her book, “Boat People: Personal Stories from the Vietnamese Exodus 1976-1996,” available in both English and Vietnamese. 

Carina is part of an Australian Broadcasting Corporation TV series, “The Heights.” Be sure to check it out.

Our heartfelt thanks to Tony Luu; his mother Truong On, his brother, Daniel, and the rest of the Luu family.

Thanks to the Outside Podcast from Outside Magazine, where you can also hear this show. Also, check Public Radio International’s The World for a shorter version of this audio story.

This story would not have been possible without the generous support of the International Women’s Media Foundation.

Producer Credit:
Original Score: 

Artwork:
Teo Ducot

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