Vietnamese Refugee Camp, Galang Island, Indonesia

The Vietnamese Refugee camp in Galang Island, Batam is a historical place that once inhabited by about 250,000 refugees from Vietnam in 1979-1995. The camp was built by the UNHCR, one of the organizations under the UN that takes care of victims of war, and the government of Indonesia. This refugee camp lies on an area of about 80 hectares. Just like a new 'city', this camp was equipped with various facilities, ranging from schools, places of worship (churches, temples, and mosque), hospitals, cemeteries, canteens, barracks, and even a prison.

The refugee story began with a quite long lasted civil war in Vietnam, which happened from 1959 to 1975 that also involved several other countries, eg. The United States and Russia. During and just after the war, many Vietnamese fled away their country for security reasons and for protection. Some of them sailed the South China Sea for months on wooden boats to find a safer place to live. Unfortunately, some of them died on the run, but many also made it by reaching other countries, including on several islands in Indonesia, such as in Natuna Island and Bintan Island. (This is why they were also referred as the "boat people").

 

Right in front of the museum, lies an Indonesian police office (defunct) and a jail that once used to imprison Vietnamese refugees who committed crimes, such as robbery, escaped from the camp, making liquor, and so on. There is also a Humanity Statue that is located next to the Quan Am Tu Pagoda. The statue was built to commemorate Tinh Nhan, a Vietnamese refugee woman who suicide after being raped by a fellow refugee. Not far from the Humanity Statue, there is the Ngha Trang Grave, where more than 500 refugees were buried. Today, the relatives of the people who buried here often visit the complex, as well as the former refugees themselves, who now live in many other countries, such as the United States, Australia, the Netherlands, Singapore, etc.

Location	:	around 50 kilometers from Batam downtown, Sijantung Village, Galang Baru Island
Operating hours	:	Weekdays, 7:30am-4:30pm Weekend, 7:30-5pm
Entrance fee	:	Rp. 3,000/person Rp. 5,000/motorcycle, Rp. 10,000/car Rp. 30,000/mini bus Rp. 50,000/tourist bus
Facilities	:	Mosque Church Temple Canteen Toilets English tourist guide (free)
Nearby facilities	:	Warungs Mini shop Salon
Nearby attractions	:	Melur Beach
How to get there	:	by private car or taxi. It takes less than 1 hour from Batam Centre. If you come by taxi, make sure you ask the driver to wait for you (which should already be communicated way before you take it in downtown Batam).
Remarks	:	While exploring the camp by car/motorcycle/bus, please be careful of monkeys along the road Remove your shoes or slippers before entering temples and mosques

Created By jotravelguide