KOCHI: The families of two fishermen from Kerala, who have been detained by Indonesia in its Aceh province since March 7 this year for trespassing into its territorial waters, are a worried lot as they haven’t heard from them for the last four weeks. Besides, they don’t have Rs 6 lakh to pay the fees for engaging a law firm in Indonesia for their release.
Jomon Johny of Marianad and Sijin Stephan of Vettuthura in Thiruvananthapuram along with six other fishermen (one from Kerala and five from Tamil Nadu) on board an Andaman-registered boat ‘Blessing’ were nabbed for trespassing into Indonesian waters after the driver lost control over the boat in rough seas.
While four fishermen including John Bosco of Kerala were repatriated from Indonesia to India on April 28, the remaining four -- Jomon Johny, Sijin Stephan, V Immanuval of Kanyakumari and boat owner Mariya Jesindhas -- weren’t released by Jakarta citing legal formalities. Meanwhile, Jesindhas died in custody on May 11 after he was allegedly denied proper medical care by Indonesian authorities.
“We dont have the money to pay for the legal fees. We have been knocking at the doors of the authorities concerned explaining our predicament. After the death of Jesindhas, the Indonesian authorities have not been allowing my husband to communicate with us. We haven’t heard from him in the last four weeks,” said Anila Sijin, 21, wife of Sijin Stephan. “We have a two-year-old daughter. We are surviving with the help of other family members. We hope the government will intervene and do the needful,” she said.
Sovidha Jomon, 22, wife of Jomon Johny, also said they don’t have the money to pay for the legal fees. “We hope the government will help us,” said Sovidha. Advocate Yash Thomas Mannully, who moved the Kerala High Court seeking a direction to the Centre to provide medical and legal assistance to the fishermen under custody in Indonesia, said the ministry of external affairs (MEA) is yet to confirm its stand on bearing financial expenses for their legal aid in Indonesia.
“In an email dated July 12, 2022, the Indian consular office in Indonesia had communicated to the wives of the fishermen that they had zeroed in on a law firm for fighting their case legally in Indonesia but had not confirmed whether the consular office will pay the fees of Rs 6 lakh to the legal firm. The families of the fishermen are poor and not in a position to raise the fees,” he said.