Taiwan claims 'zero tolerance' for fisher abuse amid criticism

Taipei, July 14 (CNA) Following a CNN article exposing the abuse of migrant fishers by their Taiwanese employers, the Fisheries Agency on Sunday insisted that Taiwan has "zero tolerance" for such mistreatment, despite evidence that suggests otherwise.

The agency asserted that Taiwan -- which operates one of the world's largest distant-water fishing fleets -- was "one of the few" countries in Asia to have implemented a "concrete action plan on fisheries and human rights."

It also reiterated its pledge to protect distant-water migrant fishers, who, unlike most workers in Taiwan, are exempt from the Labor Standards Act and therefore denied basic employment rights and protections, such as overtime pay.

The Fisheries Agency said it launched the "Action Plan for Fisheries and Human Rights" in 2022, which it says aims to improve living conditions and labor rights and implement key fishing conventions adopted by the International Labor Organization.

The agency's comments came in response to a CNN article published Saturday, titled "Taiwan is held up as a bastion of liberal values. But migrant workers report abuse, injury and death in its fishing industry."

Injured at sea

CNN reported that Silwanus Tangkotta, an Indonesian migrant fisherman who worked aboard a Taiwanese vessel in the remote Pacific Ocean last year, was injured when a rolling metal door crushed two of his fingers.

Tangkotta told CNN that the boat he was working on had no internet, and with no way to call for help -- and a captain who prioritized profits -- he had no choice but to remain on board

"I felt helpless, and the pain made it hard to sleep," he told CNN. He added that he was forced to wrap the wound in tape and pick at exposed bone with a toothpick to prevent infection.

The agency expressed regret over Tangkotta's injury but maintained that the captain had provided medical care -- such as treating the wound and giving him anti-inflammatory medication.

The agency said it received a report of the incident and that a doctor on shore had determined there was "no immediate danger" to Tangkotta.

The agency added that the captain arranged for another fishing boat to pick up Tangkotta, although CNN reported that he said that vessel continued fishing instead of returning directly to shore.

Tangkotta also accused his employer of terminating his contract after the injury, which allegedly made him ineligible for compensation. The agency said it would launch a probe and provide "necessary assistance."

Left to die at sea

Adrian Dogdodo Basar, a former Indonesian migrant fisherman, is also calling for reform after he witnessed one of his closest friends die on a Taiwanese fishing vessel in 2023.

While working in the Pacific Ocean, Basar said, a fellow crew member became seriously ill, suffering from swollen legs and stomach pain. The captain refused to return to shore and provided only expired medicine. A few months later, the man died at sea, CNN reported.

The Fisheries Agency said its investigation found that after the man's death, the captain informed his relatives and arranged for his body to be sent to Fiji for a determination of the cause of death.

This contrasts with the CNN report, which quoted crew member Basar as saying, "We asked him [the captain] to just go to the nearest port to send the body home, but the captain denied us. When I started protesting, I was not given any food."

Forced labor allegations continue

The Fisheries Agency insisted it takes injuries at sea seriously and said an investigation is underway to determine whether the man received inappropriate treatment before his death.

The agency said Taiwan has "devoted resources and worked closely with the fishing industry to protect migrant fishers," but offered no further details.

The U.S. Department of Labor has flagged Taiwan's distant-water fishing industry for signs of forced labor since 2020.

In 2024, Greenpeace Taiwan released details from an investigative report titled "Netting Profits, Risking Lives - The Unresolved Human and Environmental Exploitation at Sea," which highlighted the pervasive nature of forced labor in Taiwan's distant-water fishing industry.

According to Greenpeace, fishers on nearly all vessels reported behaviors recognized as forced labor by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), including detention, retention of identity documents and debt bondage.

Also in 2024, a representative from a fishers association alleged that many migrant fishers were forced to remain on their vessels during a typhoon, despite evacuation orders and shelter provisions issued by the Pingtung government.

Furthermore, in 2023, 10 Indonesian crew members aboard the You Fu vessel were owed 15 months of wages and had no way to contact relatives or verify if they had been paid. Eventually, following media scrutiny, they were compensated.

Despite this, the Fisheries Agency claimed that the "overwhelming majority" of the 940 Taiwanese fishing boats currently working in distant waters are abiding by the law and treating employees well.

However, Allison Lee, co-founder of the Yilan Migrant Fishermen Union was quoted by CNN as saying that despite the Taiwan government's rhetoric, "very little was changed."

Taiwan's fishing industry representatives pushed back against the CNN report, saying it was unrepresentative of the sector as a whole and "lacking in objectivity."

CNN reported on cases that had already been investigated and closed, without verifying the handling of these cases and system reforms, six fishing industry associations said in a joint statement Monday.

Taiwan is among a few Asian nations in which fishing industry associations and fishermen's unions have signed Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) to ensure fair hiring practices, the statement said.

It acknowledged, however, that despite ongoing efforts to protect and improve human rights in Taiwan's fishing industry, there might still be isolated cases of misconduct that affect crew members.

The fishing industry sees those incidents as painful but valuable lessons and pledges to take them seriously and actively work to ensure that all fishermen are treated with respect and fairness, the representatives said.