Indonesia urges China, South Korea to probe deaths of four seamen who were allegedly denied treatment
- Indonesian crew of Chinese-flagged Long Xing 629 tuna longliner told South Korean media crewmates were denied medical treatment and subjected to physical abuse
- They said they had to work 18 hours a day and were treated worse than Chinese crew members, and were paid only a tenth of the US$300 per month agreed salary
The request follows South Korean media reports quoting Indonesian crew members of Chinese-flagged Long Xing 629 tuna longliner as saying their crewmates were denied medical treatment and subjected to physical abuse.
Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told a press conference that she spoke with Chinese Ambassador Xiao Qian and expressed her government’s concerns “over the living conditions of the crew members on board that are … suspected to have caused the deaths of the four Indonesian crew members”.
Retno said the dead crew members were among 18 Indonesians working on Long Xing 629. Two of them died in December, one on March 30 and another one on April 27. Those who died in December and March were buried at sea.
The four dead seamen had been reportedly sick for weeks while on board but the captain repeatedly refused to go to ports for medical treatment.