saying he wanted to return but didn’t know his location. Ms. Li offered to
cover his travel expenses and directed him to a populated area to catch a
bus back. Still, she never heard from him again, suspecting that whoever
had taken him away prevented him from returning. She also recalled a
police request to contact her agency regarding a crew member who had
gone missing six years prior. The family was asked to handle arrangements
following the crew member’s death from illness after he turned himself in.
“Could the government tell fishers not to run away? If they do, they are
uninsured and can’t get medical treatment if they fall ill.”
“Some crew members already plan to run away while they are still with
their Indonesian agencies,” Ms. Li explained. “Why don’t they run off
in other countries? Because overseas, they aren’t employment
opportunities on land, so they wouldn’t even think about running. But
in Taiwan, where there are many, some of them choose to run off even
before setting foot on a boat. You can’t say their flight is due to the
shipowner mistreatment of them in that case, right?”
Ms. Li believes that illegal employers should face tougher penalties to
ensure they follow proper channels when hiring foreign workers. As for
instances of fishers jumping ship at foreign ports, Ms. Li commented, “So
far, none of my crew members have done that because, honestly, there
aren’t any job opportunities abroad.”29
ii. Pre-Employment Training
Professional and safety training for migrant fishers before they board
vessels is also a key concern for the NHRC. Both civil society groups and
the industry widely agree that fishers often lack adequate training before
NHRC (March 17, 2023). “Interview Record with Ms. Li from Jin Hui Wang Fishery Co.,
Ltd.”
29
36