Some were sent to vessels in the seas off Japan, and others to boats sailing the Somalian coast. In interviews with AFP and accounts provided to police and government officials, the men recounted beatings and psychological abuse, hunger and dehydration. Most of the men subsisted on white rice scattered with cabbage or boiled fish, while some grew so desperate for water they collected condensation from the air conditioning unit. Faced with plummeting global fish stocks due to overfishing, seafood companies have increasingly turned to vulnerable migrant workers in a bid to remain profitable, anti-trafficking advocates said. Indonesia’s manpower ministry, which is responsible for overseeing migrant workers, has recommended that the men be compensated for their ordeal, but the recruiter has so far refused to pay.

Source: The Nation Bangkok May 30, 2019 02:26 UTC