Hebei Two campaign news

The successful global campaign to free the Hebei Two concluded with the return home of captain Jasprit Chawla and chief officer Syam Chetan.



The online campaign ends, but the fight continues to clear these men of all charges, and to stop criminalization of seafarers worldwide.

The two officers have been found not guilty of destruction of the tanker Hebei Spirit by South Korea's High Court and are expected to be allowed to return to India soon. The lesser charge of not doing enough to prevent an oil leak was not overturned, despite the worldwide condemnation of it. The ITF has issued the following statement:

Commenting on the news that the Hebei Spirit officers have been found not guilty of the main charge levelled against them ITF General Secretary David Cockroft said: "We are pleased - everyone is pleased - to see these men's innocence upheld. But, like everyone in shipping, we find it unacceptable that the lesser charge against them was never removed. We commend them for their bravery these last 18 months, congratulate V Ships for standing by them so effectively, and join everyone who has struggled to get them set free in expressing relief at their imminent return home. We cannot however excuse the unfair criminalisation that they have undergone and the contradictory nature of the dual verdicts."

From ITF Seafarers Maritime News:

The South Korean supreme court has referred back the sentences imposed on the Hebei Two to a lower court for consideration, and the two Indian seafarers will have to remain in the country on bail awaiting the court's decision. Captain Jasprit Singh Chawla and chief engineer Syam Chetanhe have not yet been cleared of blame for an oil spillage from their ship, Hebei Spirit, after it collided with a barge in South Korean waters in December 2007. In December 2008 they were sentenced to 18 month and eight month jail terms respectively, and fined a total of US$14.8 million for failing to prevent the spillage.

There has been widespread condemnation of the charges against the two seafarers, who have been held in South Korea for over a year. 

source: www.itfseafarers.org

Shipping industry bodies that have campaigned for the release of the Hebei Spirit officers in Korea have responded positively to the two men's release on bail this morning. The men were let out of custody on a surety of $10,000 each, pending their appeal to be heard at the Korean Supreme Court.

The campaign coalition that has organised the forthcoming rally at the South Korean Embassy in London - V Ships (the men's employers), the ITF, Intertanko, Intercargo and IMEC - today decided to cancel the planned event, in anticipation of the exoneration in the Supreme Court of Captain Jasprit Chalwa and Chief Officer Syam Chetan. The two men have made clear their desire that their innocence be proven.

The ITF and its partners in the Free the Hebei Two campaign described today's release on bail as the first positive step towards resolving the case. The Federation pledged to continue to aid the two men until they were once again free, innocent and back with their families, and will continue campaigning at all levels for their acquital and freedom. It applauded the efforts of all those worldwide who have supported the two officers, and who have today scored a real victory in the campaign for justice for them.

See: Joint campaign statement: Hebei Spirit Two released on bail.

Edited: 01/15/2009 at 05:31 PM by EricS

 

Issued today:

London rally vents world anger at Korean jailing of innocent seafarers

Employers, trade unionists, and shipping industry representatives will rally outside the South Korean embassy in London on Friday 23 January 2009 to protest against what they describe as the politically and economically motivated imprisonment of two men in South Korea.

The rally will bring together organisations including global union federation the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), shipowners' and managers' associations INTERTANKO and Intercargo, the International Maritime Employers' Committee (IMEC), along with Indian trade unions, as well as leading ship management company V.Ships, which employs the two Indian seafarers now jailed in South Korea on charges of which they were found innocent only 6 months ago.

source: Joint ITF Press Release 14 January, 2009

Further details for the event will be released soon.

 

Edited: 01/15/2009 at 03:37 PM by EricS

10th December, 2008

Sub: M.V. "Hebei Spirit".
Unjust Judgment for Capt. Jasprit Chawla and Chief Officer Syam Chetan

The judgment today finding guilty Capt. Jasprit Chawla and Chief Officer
Syam Chetan has been condemned nationally and internationally. The two
seafarers were onboard the ship Hebei Spirit when a tug-towed crane barge
owned by Samsung Heavy Industries collided with the ship "Hebei Spirit"
which was at safe anchorage in South Korea. They have been sentenced to 1.5
years and eight months respectively.  Mr. Abdulgani Serang, NUSI General
Secretary, issued the following statement that "with this unfair judgment
the waters of South Korea have become another Gulf of Aden of Somaliya where maritime terrorist of Somaliya hijacked the ships. As Seafarers are
apprehensive to trade in the Gulf of Aden similarly with this judgment
against Capt. Jasprit Chawla and Chief Officer Syam Chetan of Hebei Spirit
seafarers will now be apprehensive to trade the South Korean waters where
they are criminalized for discharging their professional duties".

(Sunil Nair)
Public Relation Officer, NUSI

The ITF has setup an online protest letter to the South Korean Government. Click here to send a protest letter.

Captain Jasprit Chawla and Chief Officer Syam Chetan were today sentenced to 1.5 years and 8 months imprisonment respectively by a South Korean court for alleged criminal negligence after the Hebei Spirit spill, in a decision that the ITF has branded ‘incomprehensibly vindictive’. The ITF's media release is here

December 5, CAW-Canada's sent a letter, via fax and courier, to Canada's Korean Ambassador in Ottawa

Belgian affiliates managed to visit the Korean attache for Health and Social affairs. They were impressed that they attended to this in person rather than just faxing the letter and promised to pass on their concerns.

In Canada a delegation from maritime unions met with the ambassador in Vancouver, expressing their deep concern over the case and handing over the protest letter. Protest letters also went to the other embassies in the country.

German affiliates met with the Korean ambassador in Berlin; they used the opportunity to discuss the worldwide spreading of criminalisation of seafarers. The amassador agreed to pass on their concerns and the letter of protest.

More updates to follow shortly.

Breaking news. 5 December

Support for the Hebei Spirit campaign from ITF affiliates has been overwhelming. Here is a short round up of action that has taken place across the world over the last few days. There is still time to register your protest before the decision is handed down on 10th December.

India is home to a major, wide ranging campaign to support the two officers and demonstrations and associated actions are planned.

In Sri Lanka the NUSS (National Union of Seafarers Sri Lanka ) and JSS (Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya ) are delivering a letter to the Korean Embassy today.

Italy - Protest letter sent, appointment difficult to obtain (obstruction suspected)

Canada - Maritime affiliate officials are visiting the Korean Embassy in Vancouver this afternoon and are asking colleagues to make appointments for the same time at the embassies in Ottowa and Montreal.

Southern and Central Americas - all are attempting to get appointments with embassies

Hong Kong - Letter sent to Korean Ambassador

Belgium - both BTB and ACV-Transcom have made appointments to hand deliver the letter for today and Monday.

The ITF has received a copy of the letter which the TCM-UGT (The Transport, Communications and Sea Workers' Federation-UGT) has sent to the Korean Ambassador in Madrid on 2 December appealing for justice for the detained officers.







Edited: 12/05/2008 at 05:06 PM by Free the Hebei Two campaign news Moderator

New Zealand. 5 December

Wayne Butson (ITF Country Convenor and General Secretary of the Rail and Maritime Transport Union) and Trevor Hanson (General Secretary, Maritime Union of New Zealand) delivered a letter of protest to the Korean Embassy this morning in the capital, Wellington, on behalf of all New Zealand's ITF affiliates.



Edited: 12/05/2008 at 12:36 PM by NicS

Latin America. 5 December

Maritime unions planning coordinated campaign. Venezuelan parliamentarians sympathetic to Hebei Two.

Kenya 5th December

ITF African regional secretary Joseph Katende meets with Korean embassy today accompanied by trade union general secretaries from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. Maritime unions backing protests for the Hebei Two. Dockers in Mombassa meeting tomorrow will collect signatures for a petition to be delivered to the Korean Embassy.

NAUTILUS UK has visited the Korean Embassy in London to support an international campaign to support the master and chief officer of the tanker Hebei Spirit in a crucial 'criminalisation' case.
Assistant general secretary Mark Dickinson handed over a letter to Ki-tack Lim, minister-counsellor at the embassy, expressing concern at the plight of the two men ahead of an appeal court decision on December 10.
Captain Jasprit Chawla and chief officer Syam Chetan have been detained ever since the tanker - which was at anchor - was struck by a crane barge last December, resulting in South Korea's worst-ever oil spill.
Although they were cleared of all charges by a district court, they were kept under detention because the prosecution appealed. Prosecutors are seeking three-year jail terms for the two Indian seafarers, and the appeal court verdict is due to be announced on 10 December.
During the half-hour meeting at the Korean embassy, Nautilus expressed concern about the case - warning that it threatens to undermine efforts to promote the recruitment and retention of maritime professionals.
'Whilst we sympathise with Korea for the environmental effects of the incident, we strongly believe that the two seafarers have been unfairly caught up in the efforts to address the crisis caused by the oil spill,' said Mr Dickinson.
'The Hebei Spirit highlights many important issues - not least the need for accident investigation to be entirely separate from the judicial process, as well as the way in which ships and seafarers can be used as pawns in bugger disputes over liability and compensation,' he added.
Mr Dickinson described the meeting as positive, and said Nautilus was given assurances that its concerns will be taken onboard by the Korean authorities.

Edited: 12/05/2008 at 12:33 PM by Free the Hebei Two campaign news Moderator

We have received the following information from 'All Japan Seamen's Union (JSU)':

We have received the following update from ITF affiliates in Indonesia: