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Govt repatriates 15 detained Indonesian crewmen from Iran: Embassy
The Indonesian Embassy in Tehran stated the crewmen had been jailed for the past four months for an illegal oil shipment and had been neglected by their employer, the shipowner who is residing in Singapore, until their release.
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A number of Indonesian crew from the virus-hit World Dream cruise ship arrive in Jakarta in March. They had just finished their quarantine for COVID-19 at Sebaru Island. (Antara/Aditya Pradana Putra)
The Indonesian Embassy in Tehran has released 15 Indonesian crewmen who had been detained at a penitentiary in Bandar Lengeh – a port city in the south of Iran – and has repatriated them to Indonesia.
According to a release from the embassy, the crewmen had been jailed for the past four months for an illegal oil shipment and had been neglected by their employer, the shipowner who is residing in Singapore, until their release.
“After they were released, the embassy also asked the shipowner to pay their salaries. The owner has agreed to pay [their salaries] gradually,” the release read.
The crewmen tested negative for COVID-19 and arrived in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Read also: Sailors’ deaths highlight lack of legal protections for migrant workers
Indonesian Ambassador to Iran Octavino Alimudin said the well-established bilateral relationship between Iran and Indonesia had been a key factor in the process of releasing the citizens.
“We have given legal assistance and provided a shelter that could expedite their release and their medical examination before they went home,” Octavino said.
He called on future Indonesian workers who aimed to work as crewmen around the Persian Gulf to ensure the credibility of their employers so that such cases would not happen again in the future.
In addition, they need to report their whereabouts to the embassy upon their arrival to Iran and not commit violations that could jeopardize their safety, Octavino added.
As of Monday, according to the Foreign Ministry, more than 14,200 Indonesian crew members had arrived in the country through four points of entry: Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta and Benoa Port in Bali.
