Fisherman Nguyen Tuan Kiet, his wife, Huynh Thi My Van, and their two children, aged 12 and 14, were among 21 failed asylum seekers, intercepted in the Timor Sea and returned to Vietnam after attempting to reach Australia in June 2016.
Mr Kiet is currently serving a 3-year jail sentence with hard labour in Phuoc Co prison, over 50 km away from where his family lives, for helping to organise the “illegal” departure. Mrs Van received an 18-month suspended sentence, preventing her from traveling outside her local area.
She is trying to support her children and keep them in school by doing sewing work, but is only earning $2-$3 a day. She does not have enough money to buy lunch and so the family only eats one or two meals a day. Meat is almost non-existent. Mrs Van also needs to send food to her husband each month as he does not get enough to eat in jail and is in poor health, having lost a lot of weight.
For more information please see www.gofundme.com/careforthechildren