Indonesia: Media reports separate incidents of alleged forced labour, trafficking, & killings involving Chinese fishing vessels; incl. co. response
Recent media reports cite separate incidents of alleged forced labour, trafficking, and killings involving Chinese fishing vessels. The first report by The Guardian concerns Long Xing 629 crew members, Sepri and Ari, who allegedly died after being subjected to 18-hour workdays without adequate food or water. According to the report, Long Xing 629 is owned by Dalian Ocean Fishing Company. The report stated that the company did not respond to a request for comment.
The second report by the South China Morning Post involves Lu Huang Yu 117 and Lu Huang Yu 118, with one carrying the dead body of an Indonesian crew member. The boats were seized by the Indonesian authorities for alleged exploitation of crew members. The report did not indicate the name of company that owns the vessels. Business and Human Rights Resource Centre attempted to find information concerning the vessels' ownership but none is available.
In November 2022, Mongabay investigation reveals association of DOF with Japanese company Mitsubishi Corporation and its seafood arm Toyo Reizo and claims that the relationship for two decades encouraged human rights violations, labour abuse and environment crimes of DOF. Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited DOF and Mitsubishi to respond to the investigation. DOF did not reply. Mitsubishi responded and its response is available below.