Crew members who were victims of alleged TIP on the Chinese ship Fu Yuan Yu 857 were not given anything to drink while working – 2024-05-10 19:25:51

Surahman Sahjuan, 29, one of the crew members, at the Police Criminal Investigation Unit, South Jakarta, Wednesday, May 8 2024. (Dok. Medcom.id)

The crew members (ABK) who are suspected of being victims of the criminal act of trafficking in persons (TPPO) of the Chinese-flagged foreign fishing vessel Fu Yuan Yu 857 in the Singapore sea have revealed the chronology of what happened on board the foreign vessel. This incident started with recruitment in Bitung, North Sulawesi (Sulut) in early November 2023.

“At the start of recruitment, we have to fulfill the requirements to become crew members going abroad with original documents, diplomas, certificates and family cards (KK),” said Surahman Sahjuan, 29, one of the crew members, at the Police Criminal Investigation Unit, South Jakarta, Wednesday, 8 May 2024.

Then, they departed from North Sulawesi to Surabaya, East Java. Then, he was taken once more to Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta. Upon arrival in Tanjung Priok, Surahman and the other crew members were taken back by bus to the mess hall in Pemalang, Central Java.

The promised time of 45 days to leave the country is just a hoax. Some of the crew members, said Surahman, were sent to fishing vessels abroad following 4 months and 7 months in the mess.

Then, the lure of being given food and facilities as well as dollars never existed. While in the mess, their expenses for food and drink and other things are entered into a debt record which will later be deducted from their salary.

The promised salary is 350 US dollars. Then, the diploma and SKCK which were required at the start to be genuine turned out to be faked by the recruiting company, namely PT Classic Jaya Samudra (KJS). Then, the work given does not comply with the agreement.

Also read: National Police Examines 14 Crew Members Regarding TPPO

What’s even sadder, said Surahman, was that when they arrived in Singapore following a month in the mess, they were left in Lantung sleeping on the edge of the port. Likewise, on the way to the ship, they slept on the edges of the ship.

“During the 13 day journey, we didn’t eat on the ship, we went straight to work. We worked from 9 am to 9 pm, we rested. At first they gave us the first day, but on the second day and so on we started working, we asked for water but we didn’t given. We work from 9 am to 9 pm,” explained Surahman.

Surahman admitted that he only got food at 21.00 local time during his break. Then, at 23.00 local time, he worked once more removing the network until 09.00 in the morning before he was given food.

Also read: Chinese foreigner allegedly fell into the sea in the waters of Pulau Sembilan, Kotabaru

“So while we were working, we were thirsty and asked for drinking water, but the Chinese didn’t give it to us, they said no, no work, they continued to force us, there were violent acts of tug-of-war on crew members,” he said.

Because he mightn’t stand it, at night Surahman and his seven friends decided not to continue working. They asked the ship to confirm with the PT KJS recruiter and carry out a work strike.

Then, they returned to their homeland from Singapore waters. In this TIP incident, they spent one month being placed on the Fu Yuan Yu fishing boat and only worked for two days.

Also read: KKP Arrests Foreign Fishing Vessel with Malaysian Flag in the Malacca Strait

“So, we are crew members who were treated unfairly at sea abroad, that’s why we reported this to SBMI (Indonesian Migrant Workers Union),” he concluded.

Getting Violence

Apart from the rights they are not given, crew members are also said to often suffer acts of violence. Therefore, these crew members reported to the Police Criminal Investigation Unit so that the police might arrest the alleged perpetrator of TIP in this incident.

Surahman and seven other crew members came to make a report at the National Police Criminal Investigation Unit accompanied by the General Chair of the Indonesian Migrant Workers Union (SBMI) Hariyanto Suwarno and the General Chair of the Indonesian Fisheries Workers Union (SBPI) Rahmatullah. The report is registered with number: LP/B/144/V/2024/SPKT/Bareskrim Polri, dated 8 May 2024.

The alleged TIP incident is said to have occurred in Bitung, North Sulawesi; Pemalang; Tangerang; and other Indonesian jurisdictions as well as Singapore jurisdiction. Reported by Andri Wijanarko, Sri Wahyuni ​​Hawa, Ade Pemalang, Joni Karamoy, and Grace.

The respondents were charged under Article 4 of Law Number 21 of 2007 concerning the Eradication of TPPO and/or Article 81 of Law Number 18 of 2017 concerning the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (PPMI).

(Z-9)