Slave fishing crew released from Vanuatu jail

Indonesians killed the captain who oppressed them

Five Indonesians who were enslaved on a Taiwanese-owned fishing boat and later murdered their captain have been granted a pardon by the Vanuatu government.

This pardon came six years into their original 18-year prison sentence in Vanuatu. However, the circumstances surrounding another Indonesian crew member's disappearance raise questions about the injustice faced by these men at the hands of Vanuatu and a Fijian judge.

The incident involving the Vanuatu-flagged Tunago 61 sheds light on the immorality of Vanuatu's tax haven and flag of convenience scams. It is worth noting that all the pardoned men had never been to Vanuatu before; they were sent there by Fiji for their imprisonment.

In a Vila jail, the Indonesian crew of Tunago. Photo Greenpeace