Despite Winning Freedom, Many Former Fishing Slaves Struggle

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11 July 2017 13:10 WIB

In this Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014 photo, Thai and Burmese fishing boat workers sit behind bars inside a cell at the compound of a fishing company in Benjina, Indonesia. On the day they were freed from slavery, the fishermen hugged, high-fived and sprinted through a stinging rain to line up so they wouldn't be left behind. But even as they learned they were going home, some wept at the thought of returning empty-handed and becoming one more mouth to feed. AP/Dita Alangkara

11 Juli 2017 00:00 WIB

In this April 3, 2015 file photo, Burmese fishermen prepare to board a boat during a rescue operation at the compound of Pusaka Benjina Resources fishing company in Benjina, Aru Islands, Indonesia. Two years have passed since an Associated Press investigation spurred a dramatic rescue, leading to the release of more than 2,000 enslaved fishermen trapped on several remote Indonesian islands. The euphoria the men first felt during reunions with relatives has long faded. Occasional stories of happiness and opportunity have surfaced, but their fight to start over has largely been narrated by shame and struggle. AP/Dita Alangkara

11 Juli 2017 00:00 WIB

In this April 1, 2015 file photo, a Thai official takes pictures of the graves of foreign fishermen at a cemetery in Benjina, Aru Islands, Indonesia. Fishermen were trafficked thousands of miles away to the isolated Indonesian island village of Benjina, where the Associated Press first found hundreds of captive fishermen, including some locked in a cage simply for asking to go home. They were beaten and routinely forced to work up to 22 hours a day. The unluckiest ones ended up in the sea or buried in a company graveyard under fake names, their bodies will likely never be recovered. AP/Dita Alangkara

11 Juli 2017 00:00 WIB

In this April 3, 2015 file photo, Burmese fishermen raise their hands as they are asked who among them wants to go home at the compound of Pusaka Benjina Resources fishing company in Benjina, Aru Islands, Indonesia. Some of them are lucky to find odd jobs paying pennies an hour in cramped slums and rural villages in Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos. Others must travel far from home for back-breaking labor. AP/Dita Alangkara

11 Juli 2017 00:00 WIB

In this April 8, 2017 photo, Myint Naing watches his niece Kyi Wai Hnin on a bicycle at his sister's house in Mudon, Mon State, Myanmar. Myint desperately wants to work, but he's simply not able. Muscles on the right side of his body were weakened by a stroke-like attack in Indonesia. Some suffer night terrors and trauma from the years or even decades of physical and mental abuse they endured on boats run by Thai captains. Others have fought their demons with drugs and alcohol. AP/Thein Zaw

11 Juli 2017 00:00 WIB

In this April 9, 2017 photo, Myint Naing sitting on a roof of a public transport vehicle, waves at Mudon, Mon State, Myanmar. Myint desperately wants to work, but he's simply not able. They then were trafficked thousands of miles away to the isolated Indonesian island village of Benjina, where the AP first found hundreds of captive fishermen, including some locked in a cage simply because they asked to go home. They were beaten and routinely forced to work up to 22 hours a day. The unluckiest ones ended up in the sea or buried in a company graveyard under fake names their bodies will likely never be recovered. AP/Thein Zaw

11 Juli 2017 00:00 WIB