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  1. #1
    Thailand Expat misskit's Avatar
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    Another Indonesian Sailor Dies Aboard a Chinese Fishing Boat

    Authorities in Indonesia recovered a corpse and detained two Chinese fishing boats after receiving a tip that the body of an Indonesian sailor had been kept onboard for about a week, police said Thursday.


    The sailor’s death marked the latest case of an Indonesian who died while working aboard a China-flagged boat. At least eight deaths of Indonesians have been reported in various incidents on Chinese fishing boats since November 2019, with crew members complaining that they were subjected to harsh working conditions.


    The boats involved in the latest case were sailing off Nipa Island near Singapore when they were stopped and their crews detained by Indonesian Coast Guard ships on Wednesday, Riau Islands provincial police spokesman Harry Goldenhardt said. The boats had 32 crew members, including 10 Indonesians.


    “We received information that an Indonesian migrant worker died on one of the boats and the body had been kept in cold storage for about a week,” Goldenhardt told BenarNews.


    “We chased the boats and forced them to dock at the naval base,” he said, adding that the Indonesian’s corpse had been taken to a hospital for an autopsy.


    The dead sailor was identified as Alfriandi, 20, a resident of Lampung province on Sumatra Island, said Mohammad Abdi Suhufan, coordinator of Destructive Fishing Watch (DFW) Indonesia, an NGO.


    Previously, DFW and Indonesian authorities had expressed concern about the deaths of seven Indonesians linked to Chinese fishing boats since last November. The corpses of some of those died were thrown overboard.


    On Thursday, Arie Dharmanto, director of general crimes at the Riau provincial police, said investigators had detained the Lu Huang Yuan Yu 117 and the Lu Huang Yuan Yu 118 boats and their crews, pending a probe into Alfriandi’s death.


    “The victim’s body was found on the 117. We are still questioning the crew members and delving into the case,” Arie told BenarNews.


    Suhufan said an Indonesian working aboard the Lu Huang Yuan Yu 118 had called DFW’s 24-hour hotline to report the death of a compatriot who allegedly had been physically abused by the boat’s captain. DFW passed the tip to a team of police, naval and coast guard personnel.


    “Apparently the body was moved from one ship to the other, which is owned by the same company,” Suhufan told BenarNews on Thursday.


    The Chinese embassy in Jakarta did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BenarNews.


    Previous incidents


    On June 11, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi urged the Chinese government to conduct “transparent and fair” investigations into the deaths of Indonesian crew members who were allegedly subjected to harsh treatment akin to forced labor.


    One month earlier, she had condemned the alleged mistreatment of the Indonesian sailors and summoned China’s ambassador to Jakarta to respond to her concerns. She asked the Chinese ambassador to explain why sailors’ corpses had been thrown overboard.


    “The government has a strong commitment to resolve this case thoroughly,” she said on May 10, adding that Indonesia and China would set up a joint investigation into the allegations of abuse.


    Retno was reacting to a South Korean media report showing an Indonesian crew member who said three bodies were thrown into the sea between December 2019 and March. The report alleged that Indonesian crew members were sometimes forced to work 30 straight hours while standing and were given only six hours to eat and sleep before resuming their duties.


    More recently, two Indonesian sailors jumped from a Chinese-flagged fishing boat as it sailed in the Malacca Strait on June 5, according to officials. They were rescued off Karimun, an island in the Riau Islands, and taken there the next day after drifting for seven hours in the sea.


    Suhufan said the men were verbally and physically abused and forced to work long hours.


    Alleged human trafficking


    DFW’s Suhufan urged authorities to investigate suspected human trafficking involving PT Mandiri Tunggal Bahari (MTB), a company based in the Central Java regency of Tegal that recruited Indonesians to work on Chinese fishing boats, including those detained on Wednesday.


    “Apparently they advertised jobs on Facebook to attract sailors from outside Tegal and Central Java,” Suhufan told BenarNews.


    He said four of the 27 Indonesian sailors who were recruited by MTB to a number of Chinese-flagged fishing vessels had died, while two were missing. The others have returned safely to Indonesia safely.


    Central Java police spokesman Iskandar Fitriana Sutisna said two top executives at MTB had been formally charged with human trafficking and would stand trial.


    “Their files have been submitted to the prosecutor’s office. Just wait for the next process,” Iskandar told BenarNews on Thursday.


    In addition, investigators have named nine people as suspects in the case, including one who worked as a recruiter for MTB, according to Arie of the Riau Islands police. He said investigators are trying to track down a Singapore citizen who is suspected of being a broker as well.


    Indonesian police previously reported arresting five people from four local labor agencies in connection with previous cases.


    BenarNews was unable to contact MTB for comment on Thursday.

    Another Indonesian Sailor Dies Aboard a Chinese Fishing Boat

  2. #2
    Thailand Expat Saint Willy's Avatar
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    shocking. obviously not the end.

  3. #3
    Thailand Expat
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    Years ago I knew a fellow who drove dinner cruises on SF Bay. He told me a story about going to sea aboard an Alaskan fishing boat when he was 17 or 18.

    As the youngest and least experienced member of the crew, he was in charge of cooking dinner. The first morning at sea the captain was found dead at the wheel, probably from a heart attack. Not wanting to waste a few days of the short fishing season, they put him on ice and kept on fishing!

    Needless to say, they joked about how my friend's cooking killed the captain for the rest of the cruise!

  4. #4
    Thailand Expat misskit's Avatar
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    Chinese Boat Supervisor Charged Following Indonesian Crewman’s Death

    The supervisor of a Chinese fishing boat has been arrested on charges of assault and human trafficking after the death of an Indonesian crew member whose corpse was discovered last week, police in Indonesia’s Riau Islands said.


    Indonesian authorities detained two Chinese boats as they sailed near Singapore on July 8 after police received a tip that the body of the Indonesian sailor – later identified as Hasan Afriandi, 20 – had been kept in cold storage on one of the boats for a week.


    A Chinese national, Song Chuanyun, 50, has been named a suspect in connection with Hasan’s death and was moved to a police detention cell on Friday night, according to Arie Dharmanto, the chief criminal investigator for police in Riau Islands province.


    “The suspect is in police custody for further questioning,” Arie told BenarNews on Tuesday, adding that other crew members were being questioned as well.


    Citing information from other sailors, Arie said Song and the boat’s captain allegedly assaulted other Indonesian crew members. The captain has not been named as a suspect but is being investigated by police.


    Brig. Gen. Ferdy Sambo, director of criminal investigations at the National Police, alleged that Song had frequently mistreated crew members, including Hasan.


    “The supervisor assaulted the victim with his feet and hands,” Ferdy told BenarNews.


    Arie said Song would be tried in Indonesia because the alleged assault occurred in Indonesian waters. If convicted, Song could face up to 20 years in prison.


    Last week, a Chinese government spokesman challenged the claim to prosecute the case, saying the two boats were in international waters.


    “China asks the Indonesian side to take concrete, effective measures to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese fishing vessel and crew members, and deal with the matter as properly and quickly as possible,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian in response to a question at his press briefing on July 10.


    Hasan’s case marked the latest incident where Indonesians linked to Chinese fishing boats have died.


    Officials reported at least eight deaths since November 2019 including some where the corpses were thrown overboard. Surviving crewmen have complained of harsh conditions.


    The boats involved in the most recent incident were sailing off Nipa Island near Singapore when they were stopped and their crews detained by Indonesian Coast Guard ships last week, police said.


    Destructive Fishing Watch (DFW) Indonesia, an NGO, said an Indonesian working aboard the Lu Huang Yuan Yu 118 called its 24-hour hotline to report the death of a compatriot who allegedly had been physically abused. DFW passed the tip to a team of police, naval and coast guard personnel.


    Hasan’s body was discovered on the other boat, Lu Huang Yuan Yu 117.


    “Apparently the body was moved from one ship to the other, which is owned by the same company,” DFW coordinator Mohammad Abdi Suhufan told BenarNews last week.


    Muhammad Haris, chief physician for the Riau Islands police, said an examination of Hasan’s body found bruises, scars and a spinal injury.


    “Organs such as the lungs, heart and the appendix showed signs of chronic disease,” Haris told the Tribunnews website.


    The Chinese embassy in Jakarta did not immediately respond on Tuesday to a BenarNews request for comment.


    Previous deaths


    In May, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi condemned the alleged mistreatment of the Indonesian sailors and summoned China’s ambassador to Jakarta to respond to her concerns. She asked the Chinese ambassador to explain why sailors’ corpses had been thrown overboard.


    Retno was reacting to a South Korean media report showing an Indonesian crew member who had said three bodies were thrown into the sea between December 2019 and March. The report alleged that Indonesian crew members were sometimes forced to work 30 straight hours while standing and were given only six hours to eat and sleep before resuming their duties.


    On June 5, two Indonesian sailors jumped from a Chinese-flagged fishing boat as it sailed in the Malacca Strait, according to officials. They were rescued off Karimun, an island in the Riau Islands, and taken there the next day after drifting for seven hours.


    Six days later, Retno urged the Chinese government to conduct “transparent and fair” investigations into the deaths of Indonesian crew members who allegedly were subjected to harsh treatment akin to forced labor.


    Last week, Central Java police spokesman Iskandar Fitriana Sutisna said two top executives at a labor recruitment agency had been formally charged with human trafficking and would stand trial. The pair and others allegedly recruited Indonesians to work on the Chinese fishing boats.


    In addition, investigators have named nine people as suspects in the case, according to the Riau Islands police. Arie said investigators are trying to track down a Singapore citizen who is suspected of being a broker as well.


    Indonesian police previously reported arresting five people from four labor agencies in connection with previous cases.


    Police did not release details about those arrested.

    https://www.benarnews.org/english/ne...020174233.html

  5. #5
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    I would not be surprised if the indignant chinkies are soon whinging like stuck pigs at this perceived slight on their "integrity".

  6. #6
    Thailand Expat Saint Willy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by misskit View Post
    China asks the Indonesian side to take concrete, effective measures to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese fishing vessel and crew members, and deal with the matter as properly and quickly as possibl
    phark me, do they know no shame?

  7. #7
    Thailand Expat
    panama hat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda View Post
    I would not be surprised if the indignant chinkies are soon whinging like stuck pigs at this perceived slight on their "integrity".
    They already have

    Quote Originally Posted by TheRealKW View Post
    phark me, do they know no shame?
    HA! Mainlanders? The big fat boy is now throwing its weight around and no cause is too small to bully others for


    We lease some plantations in Tonga had to jump quite a few hurdles to do so, which meant visiting several ministries (usually consisting of a small house with a dozen employees or so only) and we met the Fisheries minister who is related to the agriculture minister at a gathering. One of the topics of conversation was how unethical Chinese business were in treating their local employees on ships (it's mandated that when you buy a license to fish that part of your crew needs to be local)

    They've had mysterious deaths on Chinese-owned ships as well . . . what lovely people, no wonder no one likes them (except OhOh and Klondyke)

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