Madagascar's Dilemma: Freedom Trapped The Nightmare Has Just Begun
In the early morning, the sun had just risen, and more than a thousand prisoners had poured out of Madagascar's prisons. They lined up in the sun to fetch water and wash themselves. Hungry, they began to prepare breakfast, while some relied on relief food to fill their stomachs. After the start of such a day, they have to wait nearly ten hours before they can return to their cells. This period is the toughest.
Madagascar is located in Africa and has hot weather all year round. In prison, cockroaches, rats and lice are everywhere, and you can be bitten by them if you are not careful. The prison is more like a refugee camp, as is common in movies. A cramped, dark bungalow was divided into three floors and barely accommodated 300 prisoners.
Due to the large number of people and not enough places to sleep, everyone can only take turns to rest, and there is no room to turn over. Four years have passed since Shen Wenbo and eight other Chinese crew members, but they are still wronged and have not seen results. All tragedies stem from a voyage five years ago.
In the summer of 2018, Shen Wenbo posted a resume online and received a reply from Dalian Huashang Shipping Co., Ltd., sending him to follow the FLYING ship to sea, with a monthly salary of 13,000 and the position of first mate. Shen Wenbo is looking forward to this sea trip, and also checked some relevant information on the Internet in advance. THE FLYING IS AN OLD SHIP BUILT IN 1997.
On August 3, Mr. Shen embarked from Hong Kong, and for the next two months there were no uneventful voyages: the ship departed from Hong Kong, loaded with scrap iron, arrived in Vietnam loaded with cassava, and returned to Dongguan.
However, things turned around two months later. One day, Mr. Shin and the rest of the crew suddenly received instructions from their shipowner to travel to Singapore to refuel, then divert to Madagascar, where they loaded some timber before returning, a voyage expected to take three months. Although this temporary change of course violates the spirit of the contract, in order to make more money, the crew unconditionally obeys the captain's instructions and acts according to the owner's requirements, which is the rule that every crew member observes. If you break the rules, there is no way to continue making money.
ON OCTOBER 26, AS THE SHIP WAS ABOUT TO ARRIVE IN MADAGASCAR, FLYING STOPPED IN THE NEARBY SEA. While repairing the vessel, the crew contacted the owner to inquire about voyage instructions and cargo handling plans, but each time the reply was that it was still negotiating, so please be patient. As a result, everyone waited for more than a week. FINALLY, ONE DAY, THE CREW SPOTTED A SMALL GRAY-WHITE BOAT APPROACHING NEARBY, CLAIMING TO BE THE MADAGASCAR NAVY AND ASKING FLYING TO STOP FOR INSPECTION. The shipowner, fearing that the other party was unidentified, demanded that the crew set sail immediately.
However, this upset some crew members, as they had never encountered an inspection at sea. FOR SOME TIME AFTERWARDS, FLYING HAS BEEN DRIFTING IN THE DEEP SEA. One morning, they saw a gray-green plane hovering over the ship. This worries the crew even more, and the owner seems to have a big problem. Why is the arrival at the port repeatedly delayed when the ship is legally loaded for transport?
According to the IMO Convention, the Automatic Ship Identification System (AIS) must be on at all times unless a vessel enters a pirate zone. BUT IN FACT, WHEN FLYING APPROACHED THE WATERS OFF MADAGASCAR, THE SHIP'S OWNERS ASKED THE CREW TO SHUT DOWN THE AIS. THE CREW BEGAN TO WONDER, WHY DID FLYING ENCOUNTER LAW ENFORCEMENT SHIPS AND THEN MILITARY AIRCRAFT? To ensure safety, the crew decided to write a statement proving that they were legal crew members and asking to see the documents and formalities. The owner's reply was timely, saying that the procedure was completely legal.
FLYING CONTINUED SAILING UNTIL DECEMBER 15, WHEN PROGRESS FINALLY CAME AND THE CREW REJOICED WHEN THE OWNER ASKED THEM TO RETURN HOME. However, they slept only one night, and the owner asked them to turn around and sail the boat to a specific location in Madagascar. This action almost killed the crew. However, before realizing that something was wrong, Shin Wenbo decisively submitted his resignation.
TWO DAYS LATER, FLYING ARRIVED AT THE LOCATION DESIGNATED BY THE OWNER, BUT THE ESCORT SHIP DID NOT APPEAR, BUT WELCOMED THE MADAGASCAR NAVY. THE OWNER HEARD THAT THE NAVY WAS COMING, ASKED FLYING TO TURN AROUND AND FLEE IMMEDIATELY, AND SAID THAT A HELICOPTER WOULD BE SENT TO THE RESCUE. After four hours of escape, the two ships got closer and closer, and the Madagascar navy began shooting and flooding after several warnings to no avail.
SUBSEQUENTLY, FLYING WAS TOWED TO A PORT IN MADAGASCAR. However, as soon as the port docked, dozens of Malagasy officials boarded the ship for inspection and questioning, and many journalists took photographs. THE CREW LEARNED THAT FLYING HAD SMUGGLED ROSEWOOD BETWEEN 2015 AND 2016, SO WHEN FLYING APPROACHED MADAGASCAR, THE NAVY NOTICED THEM AND SENT LAW ENFORCEMENT SHIPS AND MILITARY AIRCRAFT. The crew was stunned, most of the crew was boarding the ship for the first time, and the smuggling activities two years ago had nothing to do with them, they had no idea.
ONLY THE CAPTAIN, AN OLD CREW MEMBER, TOLD THE TRUTH: FLYING HAD INDEED SMUGGLED THREE TIMES, BUT EACH TIME THE OWNER SAID THAT THE FORMALITIES WERE PROPERLY COMPLETED, HE DARED TO SMUGGLE. However, the crew has been deceived by the shipowner. All the crew members were taken away by the police, and the owner's representative and second officer were injured during the round-up by the Madagascar Navy, so they were rushed to hospital after docking.
Lawyers and police then took them back to China, calling them treatment abroad. The successful return of the owner's representative and the second officer brought hope to the rest of the crew, after all, the owner's representative bears the greatest responsibility, he can return to China, and the other crew members will definitely be able to go back. However, unexpectedly, the escape of the two men completely angered the Malagasy government, and the rest of the crew were sent directly to prison.
Although in court, the crew has been explaining the cause and effect of the incident, proving that they did not know the facts of the smuggling. Shin Wenbo, in particular, who had offered his resignation and was allowed to leave, was arrested anyway. Feeling cheated, the crew posted online for help and wrote letters to the embassy, but ultimately received no good news. In order to save them, the crew's families languished at home. These crew members come from poor families and are mostly family pillars. They were expected to go to sea to earn money, but the money did not come out, and people went to prison. In order to help them fight the lawsuit, the family in China fell into a more difficult life.
What's more, the girlfriends of the crew could not accept that their boyfriend had a previous conviction and proposed to break up. Sleeping with cockroaches and mice, being bitten by mosquitoes and lice every day, unable to sleep at ease, these physical pains they can endure, but what they psychologically cannot accept is this unprovoked disaster, no way to complain, longing for hometown and endless pressure, making them breathless. They don't know how long they're going to stay here.
Reference source:
CCTV Network "Chinese Crew Trapped in Madagascar: Freedom Didn't Wait Until the Virus Came First" 2020-07-02
