The nine sailors received a warm welcome from Head of the Agency for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BP2MI) Benny Rhamdani and Indonesian Workforce Minister Ida Fauziyah. However, they are required to undergo a 14-day quarantine before being reunited with their families.
"They will be quarantined before returning to their hometowns. Our healthcare protocols will be followed during their return," Rhamdani noted in a press statement that ANTARA received in Jakarta on Saturday.
Shortly after arrival, they were then transported to the Ministry for Social Affairs' Protection House and Trauma Center in Bambu Apus, East Jakarta, for undergoing the 14-day quarantine as part of the novel coronavirus pandemic protocols, Rhamdani remarked.
Their repatriation was conducted after the BP2MI received reports of their dismal working conditions, unpaid wages, overstrain, and acts of verbal and physical violence that they underwent while working for the Chinese fishing boats, Rhamdani noted.
The Indonesian ministries and government agencies will continue to synergize efforts to protect all Indonesian migrant workers and seafarers, Rhamdani stated.
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The dismal news on the deaths of three Indonesian sailors in December 2019 and March 2020 and their burials at sea recently went viral in South Korea after MBC, a local TV station, broadcast it in its news bulletin.
The news on the deaths of the Indonesians working aboard Long Xin 629 and Long Xin 604 while the fishing boats were sailing in the Pacific Ocean shocked the Indonesian public, as it occurred when Indonesians were engaged in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Another sailor died while being hospitalized in the South Korean port city of Busan. This case is still being investigated by the Indonesian Police and Chinese authorities.
The treatment meted out to these Indonesian sailors while working for Chinese fishing vessels Long Xin 605, Long Xin 629, and Tian Yu 8 was tantamount to human rights violations since they were denied basic rights to live, according to Migrant CARE.
The situation lays bare the real working conditions of Indonesian migrant workers, especially those in the maritime sector, Migrant CARE Executive Director Wahyu Susilo remarked.
Indonesian migrant workers in the maritime and fisheries sectors remain vulnerable to modern slavery practices. The Global Slavery Index, issued by Walk Free (2014-2016), an initiative that Migrant CARE was part of, also reveals this fact, Susilo pointed out.
According to the Global Slavery Index (2014-2016), several hundred thousand Indonesian crew working onboard fishing vessels remain trapped in modern slavery.
“If such practices can still be found until this present time, it means that the situation is yet the same. This reality is saddening," Susilo stated.
In 2015, the Indonesian government had launched an investigation into an alleged slavery case by Thai firm PT Pusaka Benjina Resource (PBR), based in Aru Island, Maluku Province.
However, Susilo pointed out that the government's move had yet to bring about a positive change in the lives of Indonesian seafarers working aboard foreign fishing vessels.
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Translator: Prisca TV, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2020
