A wild story out of Indonesia: After an elaborate Associated Press investigation published in March revealed that some fish sold by a number of leading American brands and retailers had been caught by men tricked and coerced into slavery by Thai operators, hundreds of the men have been freed. From the AP:
Indonesian officials probing labor abuses told the migrant workers they were allowing them to leave for another island by boat out of concern for their safety. More than 300 fishermen emerged from nearby trawlers, villages and even the jungle to make the trip.
“I will go see my parents,” said Win Win Ko, 42, smiling to reveal a mouth full of missing teeth. “They haven’t heard from me, and I haven’t heard from them since I left.”
The International Organization for Migration said there could be as many as 4,000 men in the area of the AP’s investigation who had been trafficked or enslaved. You can read the whole shocking backstory here.
