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Chinese Community Upset by Ventnor shipwreck proposal

Chinese Community Upset by Proposed Commercialisation
of Ventnor Wreck

Mr Charlie Ding, President of the Poon Fah Association of New Zealand is appalled that the Ventnor gravesite and the remains of his countryman are to be developed as an underwater tourist attraction.

Mr Ding said, “Most of the miners and others were from Poon Yu county (mandarin Panyu) in Guangdong, China, and came initially at the invitation of the Otago Provincial Government.

“The Poon Fah Association was formed from the merger of the Poon Yue Association and the original organisation that organised the disinterment and the chartering of the Ventnor, the Cheong Shing Tong. Most of the remains that were on the Ventnor are of men from our home county in China. Their descendants are among our members although the lines of descent are now blurred. Collectively the members of our Association have responsibility to our forebears in New Zealand in much the same way as the Maori people have to theirs. We have been involving the Tung Jung Association, representing the families of the ten coffins that were loaded in Wellington, plus the Otago Southland Chinese Association, where the bulk of the exhumations took place

“That local iwi have found and cared for the remains that have washed ashore and buried them with there own is a great comfort to us and for that we are truly grateful.

“This has formed an unique bond between two communities, which we hope will be strengthened over time.

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“It is therefore extremely disappointing that outsiders have intruded into that relationship and responsibility for what appears to be political, commercial and personal reasons.

“The future of the Ventnor and any remains should be a decision of the Chinese community as a whole after consultation and not merely to suit tourism or film-makers.

“At this stage we would be happy if the gravesite was left undisturbed and we were able to pay our respect regularly at the monuments that the local iwi have erected for this purpose,” Mr Ding said.

ENDS

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