Paveena steps in to rescue starving crew | Bangkok Post: news

Ten Myanmar and Chinese fishermen who almost starved in a vessel moored on the Chao Phraya River have been rescued after the Paveena Foundation for Children and Women intervened.

The men spent all their money renewing their 30-day visas in February and had no cash to buy food or drinking water.

Having since overstayed their visas, they were reluctant to approach authorities for assistance.

Their boat had been loaded with frozen fish at Bangkok's port in Klong Toey.

They initially had food supplies but they were used up after the vessel's owner, a Chinese businessman, was plunged into serious financial trouble and failed to fund their return journey, officials said.

The fishermen had no food and little water for several days, social worker advocate Paveena Hongsakul the foundation's chairwoman said yesterday, referring to an earlier visit to the boat by Apostleship of the Sea workers in Bangkok who found the men were in a desperate condition.

The Apostleship of the Sea is a Catholic Church agency that provides care for seafarers.

Preecha Chumsai na Ayudhya, who works with a boat agency, said he earlier spoke to immigration officials to allow the vessel, which travelled from Malaysia, to enter Thailand on Feb 2. However, after unloading the cargo, it emerged the parent company in China could not afford to fund the return trip.

An initial investigation found the Chinese owner owes more than six million baht to several boat operators and had not paid wages to the crew for several months. 

The boat was running low on fuel and the crew dared not move it for fear of arrest by Thai authorities.

Mr Preecha has now secured permission for the boat and crew to temporarily stay in Thai waters.

One fisherman, who did not want to be named, said he was thankful for the help as he and his friends had no idea where to find food and water. The crew had not been paid and were contracted to work on the boat for 10 months.

http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/paveena-steps-in-to-rescue-starving-crew-bangkok-post-news/