14 Pinoy fishermen face trial in Myanmar

MANILA, Philippines - Fourteen Filipino fishermen detained for alleged illegal fishing in Myanmar waters may face prosecution for violation of immigration laws, a report of the Philippine Embassy in Yangon said.

In its report to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the embassy said the violation of immigration laws carries a prison term of not more than three months or a fine not exceeding $30.72.

A consular team from the embassy has visited the 14 Filipino fishermen detained at the Insein Prison. They were among the 128 fishermen on board 10 Taiwanese fishing vessels arrested last Nov. 18. Majority of the crew members are Indonesians.

During the two consular visits on Wednesday, the Filipino fishermen said all their possessions, including passports and personal documents, were confiscated by the Myanmar Navy.

Embassy personnel asked Myanmar authorities for the return of the Filipino fishermen’s passports and other belongings.

The embassy is also working on the immediate repatriation of the detained Filipinos, as well as asking the vessel owner to pay immigration fines.

Myanmar authorities have assured the embassy access to the Filipino fishermen upon request.

Stranded seafarers seek legal redress

Meanwhile, 12 Filipino seafarers stranded in Greece since July have filed a case against the Greek vessel owner and their employer, an embassy report said Thursday.

The Philippine embassy in Athens reported to the DFA that 11 of the Filipino seamen have availed of the legal services offered by the International Transport Federation (ITF) to pursue the case against their employer, while a Filipino ship engineer is represented by a Greek lawyer offered by the embassy.

The Filipino crew of M/V Aetea Sierra sought the assistance of the embassy after negotiations with the Greek vessel owner for their unpaid salaries and damages failed.

The seafarers have opted to stay in the ship until their salaries are paid, per advise of a non-government group.

The Greek government stopped the vessel from leaving port because of unpaid cargo claims.

The embassy offered the Filipino seafarers assistance for their immediate repatriation and provision of shelter at the Filipino Workers Resource Center and is coordinating with the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency for plane tickets to be used for the seafarers’ repatriation.