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The gangmaster who sent 23 Chinese cocklers to their deaths in Morecambe Bay two years ago was last night facing life imprisonment. Callous Lin Liangren said ‘Let God decide’ as cocklers faced rising tide Lin Liangren was convicted of 21 counts of manslaughter at the end of a seven-month trial at Preston Crown Court. The bodies of two other victims he ordered on to the treacherous sands have never been recovered. (Telegraph, 25 Mar 2006) See also The victims Phone calls of farewell as the tide closed in Only a week before the Morecambe Bay cockle-picker tragedy, Li Hua had been at home in China, brimming with excitement. (Telegraph, 25 Mar 2006) Officials accused of connivance in law-breaking Before the trial started, one of the defence barristers accused government officials of turning a blind eye to the "shadow industry" of Chinese cockle picking and allowing the illegal immigrants to remain in the UK. During legal argument Lord Carlile told the trial judge that the UK Immigration Service (UKIS) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) acted as "agents provocateurs" and created a situation in which cockling was an accepted part of British industry. (Guardian, 25 Mar 2006) One desperate man's path to his world's end The film-maker follows the life of a Chinese victim to his cruel death. ...She learnt the news with a knock on the door at 5am one day. It was her mother-in-law, who said that she had just taken a call from England, a call from her husband, Guo Bin Long. (Times, 25 Mar 2006) Lin Liang Ren's career of exploitation A heavy gambler with suspected links to China's so-called Snakehead people-smuggling gangs, gangmaster Lin Liang Ren was at the centre of a conspiracy that led to 23 deaths. ...While under arrest, he warned survivors that there would be "harmful consequences" for their loved ones at home if they cooperated with the police. (Guardian, 25 Mar 2006) Q&A: The cockling industry The BBC News website looks at the controversial cockling industry which has grown enormously in recent years. (BBC, 24 Mar 2006) Morecambe Bay: One year on A year ago 23 Chinese people lost their lives as they harvested cockles, against a rising tide in Morecambe Bay. (BBC, 5 Feb 2005) Cockling witness 'pushed to lie' The former girlfriend of one of the Morecambe Bay cockling disaster defendants was "pressured" into lying to the police, a court has heard. (BBC, 23 Sep 2005) Cocklers' desperate struggle to escape rising tide The final moments of the cockle pickers who drowned in the Morecambe Bay tragedy were revealed in harrowing detail to a jury yesterday. (Telegraph, 21 Sep 2005) Bodies of dead cocklers returned Eleven survivors are allowed to stay in the UK to help with prosecutions The bodies of the 21 cockle pickers who drowned in Morecambe Bay earlier this year have been repatriated to China. (BBC, 3 Nov 2004) The gunpowder plot Chinese migrant workers have gone from cockles to crackers, but despite the Morecambe Bay tragedy and changes in the law, Hsiao-Hung Pai finds their rights, safety and pay remain questionable. (Guardian, 3 Nov 2004) Body in bay 'not missing cockler' A body found at Morecambe Bay at the weekend is not that of a missing Chinese cockle picker, Lancashire Police have confirmed. (BBC, 14 Jul 2004) Two more charged over tragedy at Morecambe Bay Two English businessmen have been charged in connection with the Morecambe Bay cockle picking tragedy that claimed more than 20 Chinese lives in February, British police said on Thursday. (China Daily, 10 Jul 2004) 'Unscrupulous' gangmasters tackled A drive to tackle unscrupulous gangmasters has become law, signalling the end of "exploitation" for thousands of workers. The Gangmasters Licensing Act was given Royal Assent, hailed by campaigners as a "major step" in challenging criminals who pay poverty wages and charge workers for accommodation and even safety equipment. (Ananova, 8 Jul 2004) Morecambe survivor wants change Lin Guo, a survivor of the Morecambe Bay tragedy is calling for a change in immigration rules to prevent the deaths of more foreign workers. (BBC, 7 Jul 2004) Cocklers identified by jewellery and good luck charms A harrowing account was given yesterday of the deaths of 21 Chinese cocklepickers at Morecambe Bay, as police told how they were identified by good luck charms, watches, wallets, photos and jewellery found on their bodies. (Guardian, 23 Jun 2004) Drowned cocklers remembered The Chinese cocklers who drowned in Morecambe Bay after becoming caught by the tide were remembered yesterday with a two-minute silence. (Guardian, 10 May 2004) Body found near sea tragedy site A badly decomposed body has been washed up near to where at least 20 Chinese cocklers drowned earlier this year. (Ananova, 3 May 2004) Tories restore whip to 'sick joke' MP Tories have restored the party whip to Ann Winterton after she "unreservedly" apologised for a sick joke. The Congleton MP was suspended after joking about the drowning of 20 Chinese cockle-pickers at Morecambe Bay last month. (Ananova, 31 Mar 2004) MP defiant over cockle pickers joke Tory MP Ann Winterton has defied calls for an apology after she was suspended from the parliamentary Conservative Party for making an insensitive joke about the deaths of 20 Chinese cockle pickers. (Ananova, 27 Feb 2004) Chinese police aid cockling deaths investigation A group of Chinese police officers is travelling to the UK to help identify the cockle-pickers who died in Morecambe Bay, police have said. (Telegraph, 20 Feb 2004) 20th body found after bay tragedy POLICE investigating the deaths of 19 suspected Chinese immigrants who drowned while collecting shellfish off northwest England earlier this month today said a 20th body had washed ashore. (Australian, 16 Feb 2004) Cockling death toll 'really 24' Five more Chinese cocklers drowned in Morecambe Bay than the official number of 19, it has been claimed. (Ananova, 15 Feb 2004) Fishing boss furious over cockle tragedy claims A fishing boss arrested over the deaths of 19 Chinese cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay says he is being made "a scapegoat" for the tragedy. (Ananova, 13 Feb 2004) I am up to my chest in water. Tell my family to pray for me . . . I am dying As the waters on what the Chinese now call Ghost Beach rose to his shoulders, one of the cocklepickers used his mobile phone to make a last call to his wife 5,000 miles away. "I am in great danger," Guo Binglong told her. "I am up to my chest in water. Maybe I am going to die. (Telegraph, 11 Feb 2004) Subdued workers return to the cockle bay Locals, back on the sand at dawn, tell of the rivalry that has turned to sympathy. (Telegraph, 11 Feb 2004)
Police investigating the deaths of 19 Chinese cockle pickers at Morecambe Bay have carried out a series of raids. (Ananova, 8 Feb 2004) Like Turner's slaves, the Chinese cocklers were the market's innocent victims It would be difficult to think of a more pitiable death than of the Chinese cocklers in Morecambe Bay on Thursday night. (Telegraph, 7 Feb 2004) The underbelly of globalisation Morecambe Bay's famously ferocious tide may be a force of nature, but human beings bear the responsibility for yesterday's deaths of 19 Chinese workers picking cockles. (Guardian Comment, 7 Feb 2004) Rich pickings for big risks Cockle picking is a long-established and traditional industry. In Morecambe Bay, local people have long used the beach for fishing, but there has recently been an influx of outsiders hoping for rich pickings. (BBC, 6 Feb 2004) This page, formerly Morecambe Bay 21, was renamed on 4 Nov 2004. |
updated:
25 Mar
2006