Groups decry delays in case over Indonesian fisher's death at sea

Taipei, April 2 (CNA) Advocacy groups on Thursday criticized stalled proceedings in a case involving the Taiwanese-owned fishing vessel Da Wang (大旺號), saying it remains unresolved nearly four years after nine people were indicted over an Indonesian fisher's death at sea.

"It is very regrettable that a case this serious involving a Taiwanese distant-water fishing vessel has still not received a judicial ruling," Shih Yi-hsiang (施逸翔), a senior researcher at the Taiwan Association for Human Rights, said at a news conference in Taipei.

He said the case of the Da Wang -- a Vanuatu-flagged vessel owned by a Taiwanese company -- dates back to June 2019, when Indonesian fisher Sunoto died after allegedly being repeatedly struck on the head by the vessel's chief mate while at sea.

After Sunoto's death and other suspected forced labor abuses onboard came to light, nine Taiwanese, including the captain and chief mate, were indicted in April 2022, Shih added.

The Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office said on April 20, 2022 that it found the captain and chief mate had used "violence and coercion" to exploit migrant fishers for labor while at sea, and indicted them and seven others for alleged violations of the Human Trafficking Prevention Act and other offenses.

"We regret to see that progress in the case has been extremely slow, with even the first-instance ruling still not issued," said Lennon Wang (汪英達), director of the Serve the People Association's Department of Policies on Migrant Workers, an NGO based in Taoyuan.

Wang, whose association has been providing legal support to Manny, a Filipino fisher listed as a victim in the case, said the judicial authorities "do not appear to be treating this serious human trafficking case with the seriousness it deserves."

According to Wang, Manny has been summoned to testify at only three court hearings since the indictment was issued, with the third held in mid-September 2024 and the fourth scheduled for mid-May, leaving a gap of more than a year and a half between the two.

"We know that when prosecutors and judicial authorities choose to actively pursue a case, they are capable of moving quickly," Wang said.

Manny, who was onboard the Da Wang at the time and helped expose the alleged abuses, said at the press event that crew members were "beaten almost every day" on the vessel.

After Sunoto's death, "the captain still demanded that we continue working," Manny said, recalling that he and other fishers had asked the captain to head to shore first, but were ignored.

"I really want to seek justice for him," Manny said.

He has remained in Taiwan since returning from the voyage in early 2020 in the hope of helping advance the case and cooperating with the trial.