The family of an Indonesian fisher who died on a Taiwanese fishing boat in 2015 settled with the captain and a crew member yesterday, Taiwan International Workers Association (TIWA) said today in a news release.
The 43-year-old Indonesian fisher, Supriyanto, died aboard the Kaohsiung-registered Fu Tzu Chun deep-sea fishing vessel on Aug. 25, 2015.
The captain and two crew members were indicted on charges relating to his death in 2023.
Photo: Lin Yen-tung, Taipei Times
The family, with the support of their lawyers, reached an agreement with the boat captain and chief engineer, bringing the case to a close after ten years of investigation and legal battles, TIWA said.
Supriyanto’s death drew suspicions of physical abuse, though an investigation by the Pingtung District Prosecutors’ Office ruled that he had died of injuries and an infection after falling on the boat, closing the investigation in November 2015.
Fishers’ rights groups, however, filed a petition with the Control Yuan, resulting in Pingtung prosecutors reopening the case in December 2016.
The TIWA today said that the investigation had been long and drawn out, tormenting Supriyanto’s family, lawyers and supporting organizations.
Charges were only brought against the boat captain, chief engineer and another Indonesian fisher on August 23, 2023, the TIWA added.
Boat captain Chen Kai-chih (陳凱治) was charged with criminal negligence resulting in death under Article 276 of the Criminal Code as he failed to arrange for emergency medical services and comply with fisheries regulations, leading to Supriyanto’s death.
Meanwhile, chief engineer Chen Chin-piao (陳金錶) and Indonesian fisher Agus Setiawan were indicted on charges of injuring the body or health of another person under Article 277 of the Criminal Code, for alleged physical abuse leading to the victim’s death.
Prosecutors also filed a wanted notice for Indonesian fisher Munawir Sazali who may have been involved in the case and remains missing.
The case has caused public outrage and protest, and has been stuck in the courts for ten years, the association said.
It highlighted the lack of protection for the human rights and lives of migrant fishermen working on deep-sea vessels and drew the attention of international human rights and fisheries organizations due to concerns of forced labor and violence, it added.
The association said it hopes that the compensation would help comfort the grieving family and bring peace to the deceased.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The next minimum wage hike is expected to exceed NT$30,000, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday during an award ceremony honoring “model workers,” including migrant workers, at the Presidential Office ahead of Workers’ Day today. Lai said he wished to thank the awardees on behalf of the nation and extend his most sincere respect for their hard work, on which Taiwan’s prosperity has been built. Lai specifically thanked 10 migrant workers selected for the award, saying that although they left their home countries to further their own goals, their efforts have benefited Taiwan as well. The nation’s industrial sector and small businesses lay
Quarantine awareness posters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport have gone viral for their use of wordplay. Issued by the airport branch of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, the posters feature sniffer dogs making a range of facial expressions, paired with advisory messages built around homophones. “We update the messages for holidays and campaign needs, periodically refreshing materials to attract people’s attention,” quarantine officials said. “The aim is to use the dogs’ appeal to draw focus to quarantine regulations.” A Japanese traveler visiting Taiwan has posted a photo on X of a poster showing a quarantine dog with a
RSS