The blogger at monsoonmaritimeservices recalls the late 70s encounters with the Vietnamese boat people. “During those time, those of us on merchant ships plying the South China Sea would have seen these decrepit boats overloaded with hundreds of “boat people” – We were in a dilemma, do we risk taking onboard these refugees knowing that most neighbouring countries including Singapore will not allowed them to be landed ashore?”. The “boat people” were the escapees from the communist regime in Vietnam following the Vietnam war.