25 Hawkins Road: Home to Vietnamese Refugees
The Hawkins Road camp in Sembawang was home to thousands of Vietnamese refugees until it closed in 1996. Researcher Rebecca Tan talks about how the refugees spent their days in the camp and their lives after Singapore.
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What Rebecca Talked About
00:00 – Background on the Hawkins Road camp
01:17 – Providing shelter and food
04:59 – Involvement of volunteers
06:05 – Daily routines
07:08 – Interviews with former residents
09:39 – Educational opportunities for refugees
13:12 – Stories of escape and adaptation
16:43 – Refugees’ contributions to the local community
19:18 – End of camp operations and relocation
20:42 – Legacy of the Hawkins Road camp
24:26 – Libraries and archives are...
About the Guest
Rebecca Tan is a Digital Preservation Archivist at the National Archives of Singapore. She was previously a Children and Teens Librarian at Toa Payoh Public Library, and a Digital Heritage Librarian at the National Library Singapore.
Resources
Rebecca Tan, "Remembering the Hawkins Road Refugee Camp," BiblioAsia 20, no. 3 (October–December 2024).
Credits
This episode of BiblioAsia+ was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Nookcha Films. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Rebecca for coming on the show.
About the Podcast
BiblioAsia+ is a podcast about Singapore history by the National Library Singapore.