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group of 39 Indonesian fishermen who allege they’ve been brutally mistreated on South Korean fishing boats face deportation from New Zealand this week.

In June 32, the men jumped the Oyang 75 at Lyttelton, saying they had been unpaid or badly paid, worked long hours and been beaten. Some claimed sexual abuse. They sought sanctuary in an Anglican church. A further seven quit the Shin Ji in Auckland.

Agus Sriyono, the Indonesian Ambassador to New Zealand, said he believed the men’s claims but wondered why they had continued working for the company, sometimes for years.

There was little the embassy could do other than mediate because the men and their employers had hired lawyers to take civil action. Some issues were a matter for New Zealand and Korea, he said.

He said improvements had to be made in hiring labour so Indonesian agents understood New Zealand law. The men’s contracts specified wages of around US$ 400 (Rp 3.4 million) a month, but New Zealand’s rates were higher.

“The men have been waiting for their back pay before leaving,” the ambassador said. “I’m a bit optimistic they’ll get at least half their wages. It seems the New Zealand police don’t want to be involved because the alleged offences happened outside territorial waters.”

In a media statement, the ship’s owner, Sajo Oyang Corporation, rejected the allegations, saying it was working with New Zealand authorities to resolve an “industrial dispute”.

Local people, the Anglican Diocese and the Indonesian Embassy have supported the men in Christchurch, according to community leader Ani Kartikasari. About 300 Indonesians live in the city.

Ani, who has been in New Zealand for the past eight years, has been interpreting for the men.

“New Zealanders in general have been very kind,” she said. “One church member has given NZ$ 10,000 (US$ 8233) anonymously. This has been used to support the men’s families, mainly in their Central Java hometown of Tegal.

“But the companies involved have been bad and nasty. The men have been working under slave conditions.”