Indonesian Sailors Tell of 'Months of Abuse' Aboard Korean Ship

Jakarta Globe, July 16, 2011

Oyang 75, the Korean fishing boat which allegedly mistreated
and abused its Indonesian crew. (Photo Courtesy One News)  

           

The New Zealand government is conducting a serious investigation into a Christchurch-based Korean fishing company, Southern Storm Fishing, for allegedly abusing its Indonesian seamen and forcing them to work without proper safety conditions.

The revelation came when New Zealand's Ministry of Fisheries launched a high-level investigation into the working conditions of foreign fishing crews in the country earlier this week.

The inquiry follows allegations that foreign fishermen faced poor safety and working conditions that local fishermen would refuse to work in.

The issue came to light when three Indonesian crew members were killed after the Korean-registered fishing ship Oyang 70 capsized and sank 800 km southeast of Dunedin last year.

Southern Storm Fishing was responsible for Oyang 70. Its replacement boat, Oyang 75, is also under a multiple-agency investigation in Lyttelton after its Indonesian crew refused to continue working on it.

One of the crewmen, Sunardi, told New Zealand's One News that he and his 31 other compatriots were abused and harassed by their Korean bosses for months.

“Every day they [the Korean supervisors] call us monkey, s*** and pigs,” Sunardi said.

Another seaman, Sodikan, said he and several others were physically abused.

“They kicked everyone, including me,” he said.

The Indonesian Embassy in Wellington confirmed that the sailors are currently staying in a New Zealand immigration shelter.

“They are in good condition and are living in an immigration shelter, although some wish to return to Indonesia,” embassy spokesman Gufron Hariyanto was quoted as saying by news portal Detik.com.

In a statement, Southern Storm Fishing, the company the men worked for, says the claims are "unsubstantiated and unfounded" and that "Southern Storm Fishing has been the subject of an orchestrated campaign against it."

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