REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, TUAL -- As many as 38 Cambodians who were former members of a ship crew employed by PT Pusaka Benjina Resources were deported to their home country on Saturday morning (24/5).
They were among the 284 foreign crew members who were rescued from Benjina on Aru Island and moved to a fishing port in Tual, Southeast Maluku, three days ago. They were evacuated by members of a taskforce set up by the Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs with the assistance of 30 police personnel.
The 38 crew members were taken to Jakarta aboard a Garuda airplane from Karel Satsuibun Ibra Airport in Southeast Maluku at 10 a.m., escorted by two immigration officers. They were later flown from Jakarta to Cambodia.
Head of the Immigration Office in Tual Rudiara Kosasih said he had coordinated with the immigration office in Ambon and the directorate general of immigration in Jakarta over the deportation of the citizens of Myanmar and Thailand who are still in PPN Tual.
"Currently, there are still 259 crew members from Myanmar, eight from Laos and 42 from Thailand who have yet to return to their home countries," he revealed.
Since the first evacuation of victims of slavery in Benjina was carried on April 4, some 600 foreigners from Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand have been accommodated at PPN Tual.
Earlier, the immigration office in Tual had deported 68 crew members from Cambodia and 128 from Myanmar.
Of the hundreds of crew members still at PPN Tual, 45 have been interrogated by the police for their alleged involvement in human trafficking.
The case was confirmed following investigation by the police, and seven have been named as suspects so far, with five of them being Thai nationals.
The Benjina case was first brought to light by an Associated Press report titled "Was Your Seafood Caught by Slaves?"
The video report shows detention cells and cemeteries believed to be meant for burying slaves on the island of Benjina, which is the headquarters of PT Pusaka Benjina Resources.
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