Tyrone man visits Vietnam meeting relatives of Essex lorry horror

The deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants found in a lorry container in Essex three and a half years ago horrified and shocked the world.

Ten teenagers were among the dozens of bodies found dead in a refrigerated container, which was shipped from Belgium to Essex on October 23, 2019.

“They were just 39 names to some, just a number to others… but they had families who loved them.”

These are the words of John Hurson, a lorry driver from Tyrone who is currently on a goodwill mission in Vietnam to show that those who died ‘are not forgotten’.

John, 53, – a Donaghmore native who currently resides in Edendork – is meeting with family members of the 39 people who were killed.

He wants to let the victims’ families know that people in Northern Ireland are ‘still shocked and disgusted’ by the incident.

“It is essential that we humanise the victims and try and understand why they made the journey,” said John.

“Why did they take such a risk?

“In Vietnamese culture, it’s common practice that the parents rely on their children to support and provide for them in their older age,” John told the TyroneHerald.

Ahead of his trip, John reached out to a number of Vietnamese journalists on social media who were able to help him organise the visit.

He met with family members of five of the victims: 35-year-old Tran Manh Hung, 33-year-old Nguyen Van Nhan, 19-year-old Vo Nhan Du, 18-year-old Tran Khan Tho and 25-year-old Vo Van Linh.

“The saddest visit of them all was the first family I visited, who lost their only son.

“The poor mother was crying her eyes out.”

All the families of those who died live within a one mile radius of each other in a poor, rural area.

“Each house had an altar as a shrine with pictures of their lost loved ones,” continued John,

“I was invited to light incense, and share a moment with the families and, through the help of an interpreter, I was able to explain to them that the people responsible for their loved ones’ deaths are from the same area and work in the same profession as myself, but that they do not represent the feelings of the people back home.”

John is referring to the men from Northern Ireland who were jailed over the deaths.

Maurice Robinson, 26, of Laurel Drive, Craigavon, was sentenced to 13 years and four months in prison for 39 counts of manslaughter, conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and acquiring criminal property.

Christopher Kennedy 24, of Corkley Road, Darkley, Co Armagh, was sentenced to seven years in prison for conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

A third man, Ronan Hughes, 43, of Armagh, was jailed for 20 years after admitting manslaughter.

During his visit, John gifted the family members with crosses made from 5,000-year-old Irish turf, made by Island Turf Crafts, each cross representing that of the Ardboe and Donaghmore cross.

The crosses now sit on the altars of the families’ homes.

“I felt it was important to bring gifts to show the solidarity that the people of Tyrone have with grieving families,” states John.

“They really did appreciate the visit, and were thankful to the UK and Irish authorities for all the work they did in helping to repatriate their loved ones, and also for the court system for finding those responsible. guilty.”

John has described his experience in Vietnam as “completely and utterly humbling.”

However, this isn’t the first time John has volunteered for the benefit of those in need of aid.

In March 2022, John and a small local team dispatched three lorry loads of essential aid to Poland to be dropped off at the Ukraine border, following Russia’s invasion of their neighbouring country.

The three lorries left Pomeroy, bursting with generous donations from the local community, to help refugees who were fleeing a war-torn Ukraine.

“Rockwell Water in Pomeroy were kind enough to allow us to borrow three of their lorries,” said John,

“The donations from local people were outstanding. It’s amazing what you can achieve when you work together as a community.”

Arriving in Poland on March 22, 2022, John said it was a ‘privilege’ to play a ‘small role’ in helping deliver the humanitarian aid.

Currently in Vietnam, and having witnessed the landscapes of the Ukrainian border, John is no stranger to taking risks in order to provide aid to those in need.

“In 2009, George Galloway led “Lifeline 3,” John continued.

“This was a convoy carrying aid and offering solidarity to those in need, following ‘Operation Cast Lead’ on the Gaza Strip.”

The convoy, including John, left from London and made their way to the Gaza Strip via Africa and Egypt, picking up volunteers and vehicles from other countries along the way.

Between late 2009 and 2010, John would return to a war-torn Gaza Strip a total of three times, helping provide aid in support of victims of war.

“What I do only affectively works like a sticking plaster, but it helps show solidarity, raise awareness, and remind people that they are not forgotten.

“We live in an extremely divided world and unfortunately, it is what it is, but we should never look down our noses at other people.”