Hell On The Hull

Ilustrasi foto (Arturo Rey / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - A viral video describes the poor working situation of Indonesian Indonesian crew members on a Chinese-flagged fishing vessel. The classic problem never seems to end. Last year, a group of young Indonesian citizens became slaves on a fishing boat owned by China. They were forced to work 18 hours, plus nine months of physical and mental torture.

The news of the alleged exploitation of Indonesian crew members on a Chinese fishing boat, Long Xing, was first reported by the South Korean television station, MBC News. The video explains that Indonesian citizens have to work up to 18 hours a day with minimal rest.

Not to mention that Indonesian citizens are also discriminated against, such as being given filtered sea water to drink. Meanwhile, the crew who came from China were given the mineral water they brought. MBC happened to get the news because the ship was stopping at Busan, South Korea. Indonesian citizens submitted this case to the South Korean government and asked MBC to publish the case.

The video of the funeral took place on March 30. The worker named Ari (24). He had worked for more than a year and finally died on the ship. Ari was sick for one month before he died. At first his leg was swollen before he was finally declared dead.

Ironically, five of the crew members were known to be paid only US $ 120 or around Rp1.7 million for 13 months of work. This means that their monthly salary is only Rp. 100,000.

Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is Concerned

Quoted by Kompas, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu) stated that it had paid serious attention through representatives in South Korea, China and New Zealand to the problems faced by Indonesian crews on Chinese fishing vessels, Long Xin 605 and Tian Yu 8. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed a few days then the two ships did dock in Busan, South Korea. Both of them carried 46 Indonesian crew members and 15 of them were from the Long Xin 629 Ship.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that at least three Indonesian crew members died in December 2019 and March 2020. It happened when the ships were sailing in the Pacific Ocean. Apart from the three Indonesian citizens, another Indonesian crew member is known to have died at the Busan hospital due to pneumonia.

The Indonesian Embassy in Seoul is trying to repatriate one of the bodies who died. In addition, they also sent home 11 crew members on April 24, 2020. Meanwhile, the other 14 crew members will be discharged on May 8, 2020. Meanwhile, 20 other crew members continue to work on ships Long Xin 605 and Tian Yu 8.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

"Hell" at sea

The global fishing industry is well known for being "vicious". Quoting Straits Time, the industry is full of forced labor, if not slavery. Anti-trafficking experts say not many people know how much seafood bought in stores and restaurants actually costs.

The sea laborers are subjected to forced labor, some unpaid, violence, and even death. Indonesia and Southeast Asia are major sources of such labor. Meanwhile, unscrupulous businessmen target the uneducated poor to be employed at whatever wages they want.

One of the Indonesian citizens who had experienced this "slavery" was named Rahmatullah. What happened last year, he was promised a salary of 400 US dollars per month plus a bonus per ton if he wanted to work sailing to Peruvian waters.

However, Rahmatullah is suspected of being ripped off by Indonesian recruitment agencies himself. He was taken to Somalia, where he spent nine months in hell. On board a Chinese fishing boat he works 18 hours a day.

Photo illustration of a fishing vessel (Pixabay)

"I felt like a slave," the 24-year-old told AFP. "Chinese crew members drink clean water while we have to fetch water from the air conditioner (AC). In addition, we are often beaten when our catch is lacking, even if we are sick," explained Rahmatullah.

Rahmatullah is one of 40 Indonesians who have demanded compensation after being allegedly cheated by recruiters' false promises. In their interview with AFP they described the physical and psychological abuse, hunger and dehydration they experienced. As a result of this atrocity, Rahmatullah witnessed two crew members die, unable to endure the torture.

They admit that they can only surrender to that situation. "We cannot fight back, I am from the village and I do not know anything," said Rahmatullah, who had never worked in such a place.

The youths were rescued after sending SOS messages via the mobile internet. They are owed thousands of dollars in unpaid wages.

The government is not strict

An NGO advocating for workers' rights, Migrant CARE, stated that the incident that befell the Indonesian crew members was a violation of human rights (HAM). They are deprived of their freedom, work in improper conditions, do not have the right to information, and even lose their most basic right, namely the right to live.

Meanwhile Migrant CARE criticized that the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' response was still normative and did not focus on the main issues. Especially regarding the need for pressure to carry out an investigation of human rights violations as well as a firm statement to ensure the fulfillment of the rights of the Indonesian crew members.

"Migrant CARE urges the Ministry of Manpower and the Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Agency to be pro-active ... to hold corporations accountable. Moreover, it is found that violations of the law must be continued through the applicable legal mechanism," said Executive Director of Migrant CARE Wahyu Susilo as quoted by Kompas.