Soune and Soi Sourivong
| First name | Soune and Soi |
|---|---|
| Last name | Sourivong |
| Country of Origin | Laos |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1986 |
| Submitted by | Pat Sourivong |
Story
This is the story of my parents. My dad worked for WHO in Vientiane, Laos, as a research doctor. My mother worked with her relatives. My parents didn’t earn a lot of money but we manage to get by. Because we manage each day and because dad worked with a foreign agency he was accused of corruption. It was either we leave or see dad being arrested for something he didn’t do and never to see him again.
We (a family of 9) left the country and escaped into Thailand’s refugee camp. We crossed the river at night using a rowing boat – my parents paid for the help. None of us could swim. We had to be arrested first by the officials before being put in a refugee camp. We were there for 1 1/2 years before we were accepted by the Australian government, through my uncle and a very helpful catholic family from Albury. Life in the camp was interesting as we lived with the barest of essentials. Dad worked in the refugee hospital with other foreign doctors and nurses.
We arrived in Melbourne on the 25 July 1986, spent 2 weeks at a detention centre for an induction period. It was cold and everything was strange; the food, the weather, the language and the people. After 2 weeks, we were sent via a train to Albury to be with the uncle and our sponsors. Here the children were sent to school and my parents found work. Now, all the children have gone through uni and found themselves a good job. Life is so great in Albury that my parents had a set of twins to celebrate our new beginning in the country!