
Indonesia seizes two Chinese boats after body of man found aboard
- The fishing vessels – Lu Huang Yuan Yu 117 and Lu Huang Yuan Yu 118 – were ‘dragged to a military base’ on Batam Island for further investigation
- An NGO said an Indonesian crew member died after being kicked in the chest by one of the boats’ Chinese captains
She said the 21 other Indonesian crew members might have also been exploited by the Chinese company owning the boats and subjected to bad working conditions.
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Body of Indonesian fisherman dumped overboard amid allegations of abuse on Chinese ship
The minister did not go into detail, but non-governmental organisation Destructive Fishing Watch Indonesia said the sailorman who died fell sick after having been kicked in the chest by one of the boats’ Chinese captains.
“He didn’t get any food while sick and (then) only received bread and milk after he was in critical condition,” Laode Hardiani, field coordinator of the organisation, said in a statement, quoting witnesses.
The Indonesian crew members were recruited by an Indonesian company providing sailormen for the Chinese fishing boats.
Indonesian fishermen who died on Chinese boats faced abuse, 21-hour days
Three executives of that company were detained by police in May in connection with the deaths of four seamen and the labour exploitation of dozens of others working on Chinese fishing boats.
They were also paid only a tenth of the US$300 per month they were entitled to receive under their work contracts.

