If You Die, Your Body Is Not Brought Home; If Stay Alive, Your Salary Is Not Paid

KOMPAS/PANDU WIYOGA

Officers carry the coffin of a crew member, an Indonesian citizen, who was recently repatriated through the Port of PT Bias Delta Pratama Layup Anchorage, Galang Island, Batam, Riau Islands, Wednesday (30/12/2020).

Stories of Indonesian citizens experiencing hardships while working on foreign fishing vessels are becoming increasingly common. You never get paid, but you’re considered lucky if you’re able to return home. If you’re unlucky and die at sea, your body will never be brought home.

Two friends, Soleh, 24, and Rila Salam, 22, young men from Tegal, Central Java, had the same dream of earning a living by working on foreign ships. Two years ago, they met a man named Ali Imron, the executive director and owner of PT Raja Crew Atlantic (RCA), a company that recruits and distributes crew members (ABK) for foreign ships. Ali promised them they would be assigned to a Taiwan-flagged fishing vessel.

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The two friends prepared documents for their departure. Unfortunately, their files were considered incomplete, so their departure was postponed. Finally, Soleh chose to work on a domestic fishing vessel that sailed in the waters of Kalimantan. He and Rila separated.

Month after month passed without them sending updates to each other. One day in December 2019, Rila called Soleh. Unexpectedly, Rila reported that he was already on a Taiwan-flagged fishing boat.

"I was surprised. How come he didn't say goodbye? Suddenly, he was already on a ship. It turned out that he was offered by brokers to settle the issue regarding lacked documents, so it wouldn't be complicated. He was asked to pay Rp 4 million [US$281.36] so he could leave quickly," Soleh said from Tegal on 24 September 2021.

Unfortunately, the story that Rila shared was a sad one. Rila's monthly salary from December 2019 to May 2020, worth $50 per month, was never paid.

Despite their distance, the two high school friends exchanged news with each other. Unfortunately, the story that Rila shared was a sad one. Rila's monthly salary from December 2019 to May 2020, worth $50 per month, was never paid.

Rila's workload grew heavier when he was transferred to a Chinese-flagged trawler, Liao Dong Yu 571, in May 2020. In a day, he was only given two hours of rest.

The last time Soleh received a message from Rila was 18 July. Soleh was shocked a day later to hear that his best friend had died. Rila and a crew member from Brebes, Fathul Majid, had an accident while working on the Liao Dong Yu ship 571 and were killed.

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The Chinese-flagged trawler, Liao Dong Yu 535, in the waters of Puntland, Somalia, on the day of the evacuation of 12 Indonesian crew members, August 22, 2021.

The company that owns the Liao Dong Yu fleet, Liaoning Daping Fishery Group Co Ltd, refused to return Majid's body. He was buried in Somalia. Meanwhile, Rila's body, which reportedly fell into the sea and drowned in the waves, was not found.

Several crew members of the Liao Dong Yu fleet were more fortunate, such as Brando Brayend Tewuh, 28, from Minahasa, North Sulawesi, and Muhammad “Aab” Abdullah, 25, from Cirebon, West Java. Along with 10 other crew members, they were repatriated by the government on 28 August, alive and well.

Unpaid

However, that doesn't mean everything is over. Aab has not received his remaining salary and deposit of $1,300, while Brando has $1,050. Their money was just gone.

"Until now, it is not clear who will repay [their salary]. I really hope that our money can be reimbursed. Even if it’s just half of it; that's okay," said Aab, who wanted to start a siomai [steamed fish dumplings] kiosk, on Tuesday (14/9).

None of the former staff of PT RCA claimed to know the whereabouts of their former boss.

As many as eight of the 12 newly repatriated crew members were recruits from PT RCA. Now, they hold accountable Ali Imron, the company's executive director. However, Ali has disappeared; his whereabouts is not clear. None of the former staff of PT RCA claimed to know the whereabouts of their former boss.

Brando has reported Ali Imron to the Central Java Police and the National Police Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim), even though he is not sure there will be a settlement.

“[The police] said there were many similar cases, but they were left unprocessed because the company had changed its name. In the end, the crew still didn't get their rights," said Brando.

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The Foreign Ministry’s director of protection for Indonesian citizens and Indonesian legal entities (BHI), Judha Nugraha, said on Saturday (18/9) that he would take the necessary steps to fulfill the rights of the crew members who had been repatriated from the Chinese fishing vessel. He is quite optimistic that it can be achieved.

"There has been progress. Two months ago, we received a diplomatic note from the Chinese Embassy stating that one of the companies in Dalian that employs many [Indonesian] crew members has fulfilled some of their rights," said Judha.

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Fathul Majid, a crew member from Indonesia who had a work accident on a Chinese-flagged fishing boat, Liao Dong Yu 571 in Somali waters, on July 19, 2021 ago.

Indonesian Fisheries Workers Association (AP2I) chairman Imam Syafi'I said on Saturday (9/10) that many cases of abuse against Indonesian crew members were resolved through criminal law. Companies that recruited and distributed crew members were usually charged with Law No. 18/2017 concerning the protection of Indonesian migrant workers.

Imam hopes that the ABK recruitment companies and people behind them will also be processed under civil law so that the rights of the crew members can be fulfilled. Otherwise, they can easily create a new company after being sentenced to prison for one to two years.

(This article was translated by Kurniawan Siswoko).