Indonesian Government Successfully Repatriates Ship Crew Members from Gabon

Jakarta - The Indonesian government has successfully repatriated five Indonesian ship crew members who were stranded at Port Gentil, Gabon, according to a press release from the Foreign Affairs Ministry here on Friday. The crew members were briefly detained at the Port Gentil prison for two months (July-August 2011) because they did not have a staying permit as their company, SIFRIGAB Peche, did not send them home on time and pay them their salaries for five months, said the Foreign Ministry's Director of Information and Media, PLE Priatna. The five crew members are Kardani, Nur Rokhim, Daryono and Sahuri from Brebes, and Taufiq from Indramayu. According to the press release, the men were staying in an abandoned fishing boat in Port Gentil without food and drink supplies from the company. However, Priatna noted that the Indonesian Embassy in Dakar continues to provide logistical support. "Several Indonesian citizens who live in Port Gentil were constantly providing information about the condition of the crew to the embassy," he said. Priatna said that prior to the repatriation, the Embassy in Dakar made efforts to urge the SIFRIGAB Peche to meet its obligations. However, the shipping company has yet to display good will in promptly resolving the problems of the crew and is instead trying to escape from its responsibilities. "The Embassy in Dakar has also directly approached local authorities in Gabon, but it is still not getting results as expected," he said. (*)