KPI Urges Govt to Stop Placing Seamen on Taiwanese Ships

Jakarta (Antara) - The Association of Indonesian Seamen (KPI) has urged the government to temporarily halt the employment of sailors on Taiwanese fishing ships due to an increasing number of cases involving neglect and payment issues. In its press statement, received here on Tuesday night, the association said that besides often neglecting the seamen, Taiwanese ships have often damaged the country's reputation by using the national flag during their operations without following proper procedures. "The Indonesian government must immediately impose a moratorium to stop cases of slavery involving Indonesian seamen on Taiwanese fishing boats," KPI President Hanafi Rustandi said in response to the return of 74 seamen who were working on Taiwanese fishing vessels. The 74 seamen were repatriated from Cape Town, South Africa, following the return before of 163 Indonesian crewmembers, who had worked on Taiwanese fishing vessels operating in Trinidad and Tobago, without the proper settlement of their rights. The arrival of the seamen from Cape Town was welcomed by the secretary of the KPI executive board, Sonny Pattiselanno; a staff member from the Protocol and Consular Affairs of the Indonesian embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, Risa W.S. Wardhani; and Indonesian Consul in Cape Town Adhi Wibowo, as well as the director of mediation and advocacy of the National Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI), Teguh Hendro Cahyono. The 74 seamen have so far worked on seven Taiwanese vessels operating in international waters, including the waters controlled by South Africa. The seamen---some of whom come from the northern coastal areas of the West and Central Java provinces---arrived at Jakarta's Halim Perdanakusuma airport on Tuesday evening aboard a chartered plane provided by the South African government, using travel documents provided by the Indonesian consulate in Cape Town. (*)