The Ministry of Agriculture’s Fisheries Agency on Sunday reiterated its commitment to protecting the rights of migrant workers on distant-water fishing boats, following reports of alleged labor abuse and deaths.
CNN reported on Saturday that an Indonesian migrant fisher, Silwanus Tangkotta, had his fingers crushed by a metal door last year while working on a Taiwanese fishing boat that was in a remote area in the Pacific.
His captain allegedly denied his request to return to port for medical help, as he was unsatisfied with the fish catch, CNN reported.
Photo: CNA
Tangkotta had to use toothpicks to pull out bone fragments himself to prevent infection, it said, adding that he was hospitalized a month later and had permanently lost some phalanges.
He was fired immediately and was denied compensation, “because his position had ended,” CNN said.
Another former Indonesian migrant fisher, Adrian Dogdodo Basar, had a similar experience.
CNN cited Basar as saying that one of his friends died while on Vanuatuan boat Long Bow No.7, the operations of which were funded by Taiwanese, out in the Pacific in 2023, after their captain allegedly refused to return to port despite his friend being seriously ill.
“When I started protesting, I was not given any food,” Basar was quoted as saying.
Overwork and delayed wages were also part of what CNN described as a “pattern of abuse” in Taiwan’s distant-water fishing industry.
Ten Indonesian migrant fishers working on the vessel You Fu (銪富號) were owed 15 months of wages in 2023, CNN said.
It also cited Yilan Migrant Fishermen Union secretary-general Allison Lee (李麗華) as saying that some migrant workers were told they would be working in a crew of 10 people, but only four were on board, so they had to work extremely long hours.
“The government responded with rhetoric, but very little was changed,” she was quoted as saying.
The agency on Sunday said that Taiwan had a zero-tolerance policy toward any form of labor exploitation, as it is a country that values freedom, democracy and human rights.
Regarding Tangkotta’s case, the agency said his captain had immediately administered emergency treatment, including bandaging his fingers and giving him anti-inflammatory painkillers, and allowed him to rest while their vessel was out at sea.
The captain reported Tangkotta’s condition to the agency for evaluation by an onshore doctor, who said that there was no immediate danger to the fisher’s life, it said.
The captain continued to care for Tangkotta based on the doctor’s recommendations until another boat to take the fisher back to port was dispatched by the shipowner, the agency said, adding that he was immediately brought to a hospital upon his arrival.
“Unfortunately, the insurance company determined that his injury was not eligible for compensation, as it did not result in a disability,” it said.
The agency added that it would investigate the insurance company’s decision and whether the employer improperly terminated Tangkotta’s contract.
Regarding the death of Basar’s friend, the agency said the captain had reported the issue to Vanuatuan authorities and informed the fisher’s family of his death immediately after he passed away.
His compensation application and body repatriation were handled by the labor intermediary and the Fijian agency, it said.
A Fijian medical institution said the fisher had died from acute pulmonary edema, the agency said, adding that his body has been returned to his family in Indonesia.
As for the delayed wages for migrant fishers on the You Fu, the agency said that when they found out about the situation on July 22 last year, they immediately took action.
It said it coordinated with the business operator, the labor intermediary and other parties involved, and referred the cases of alleged abuse to law enforcement authorities for further investigation.
All the crew members received their wages by Aug. 8 last year, the agency said.
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