10 RI seamen rushed home from China over employer mistreatment

Ten Indonesian seamen are now on their way back home to Indonesia from Dalian, China after experiencing weeks of stress due to mistreatment by their employer.

“We will assist them through this difficult situation,” the Foreign Ministry’s director of media and information, P.L.E. Priatna, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

The seamen are: Pajar Subhan, Dionisius Doni, Ilham Abdullah, Robi Ahmad, Bahri, Riky Suseno, Arifin Sakri, Akbar, Cecep Hasim and Patroni.

Priatna said that according to accounts by the seamen, their employer had reneged on their working contracts during their stay in Dalian. For example,the seamen claimed that they weren’t given proper clothing to

face the winter temperatures and weather.

“We managed to persuade the company to let them return home and we have promised them [the seamen] that the dispute will be taken care of immediately,” he said.

He said the ministry had prepared legal assistance to help the seamen in dealing with the contract dispute with their company.