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.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) put Taiwan in danger, Ma Ying-jeou Foundation director Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) said yesterday, hours after the de facto US embassy said that Beijing had misinterpreted World War II-era documents to isolate Taiwan. The AIT’s comments harmed the Republic of China’s (ROC) national interests and contradicted a part of the “six assurances” stipulating that the US would not change its official position on Taiwan’s sovereignty, Hsiao said. The “six assurances,” which were given by then-US president Ronald Reagan to Taiwan in 1982, say that Washington would not set a date for ending arm sales to Taiwan, consult
A Taiwanese academic yesterday said that Chinese Ambassador to Denmark Wang Xuefeng (王雪峰) disrespected Denmark and Japan when he earlier this year allegedly asked Japan’s embassy to make Taiwan’s representatives leave an event in Copenhagen. The Danish-language Berlingske on Sunday reported the incident in an article with the headline “The emperor’s birthday ended in drama in Copenhagen: More conflict may be on the way between Denmark and China.” It said that on Feb. 26, the Japanese embassy in Denmark held an event for Japanese Emperor Naruhito’s birthday, with about 200 guests in attendance, including representatives from Taiwan. After addressing the Japanese hosts, Wang
RSS