Family of Indonesian fisher who died on Taiwan boat settles civil case

Taipei, May 9 (CNA) The family of an Indonesian fisher who died on a Taiwanese fishing boat in 2015 has settled a civil lawsuit with the ship's captain and the chief engineer for an undisclosed amount, according to the Taiwan International Workers' Association (TIWA).

The family of Supriyanto, a 43-year-old Indonesian migrant worker who died on the Kaohsiung-registered longline fishing vessel "Fu Tsz Chiun" on Aug. 25, 2015, reached a settlement mediated by the Pingtung District Court through legal counsel Tseng Wei-kai (曾威凱) Thursday, TIWA said in a statement.

The Indonesian national died of septicemia after being allegedly assaulted by the captain and chief engineer and then not receiving treatment in a timely manner.

Several fishing worker rights groups have worked on the case over the past 10 years to help secure the settlement, said TIWA, which took on the case in December 2016.

Meanwhile, Tseng said in TIWA's statement that he felt relieved after closing an eight-year legal battle that started with the criminal case he filed in June 2017.

Supriyanto's younger sister named Rusmiati appeared in the court as a witness on Sept. 26, 2024, and was asked about whether the family was willing to settle the civil case, according to TIWA.

On Friday, Tseng told CNA that the Pingtung District Prosecutors Office running the criminal case against "Fu Tsz Chiun" captain Chen Kai-chih (陳凱治) and chief engineer Chen Chin-piao (陳金錶) will be notified of the settlement, the amount of which was not disclosed.

The Pingtung District Prosecutors Office will decide how to proceed with the criminal case it reopened in 2016, according to Tseng.

The death of Supriyanto was initially ruled "accidental" by the Pingtung District Prosecutors Office in 2015.

But the Control Yuan, the watchdog arm of the government, found video clips that showed Supriyanto's complaints of abuse were not correctly translated and not taken into account as a result.

"The captain stalked me and beat me. It's abuse!" Supriyanto said in a clip filmed by fellow crew member Mualip, according to the Control Yuan.

The Pingtung District Prosecutors Office reopened the case in December 2016, but TIWA said it has since been an arduous process to make the case that has included calling witnesses who traveled from Indonesia to Taiwan.

Indictments were handed down on Aug. 23, 2023 against the captain for negligent homicide and assault and against the chief engineer and another Indonesian fisher named Agus Setiawan for assaulting and abusing Supriyanto, which Supriyanto complained about before he died.

Indonesian Munawir Sazali, who also worked on the Taiwanese longliner and was allegedly involved in the abuse of Supriyanto, remains wanted by the authorities after he fled Taiwan, according to the statement.