56 sailors stranded NOT JUST ROUEN

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ref to: 
>From: <strider@xxxxxxxxxxx>
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>Date: Tue, 31 Oct 1995 18:08:29 -0800
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>
>*****
>STRANDED BURMESE SAILORS
>
>>From Anna Allott, Sorbrook Mill, Bodicote, Banbury, Oxon OX15 4AU
>Phone 01295 720 142 Fax 01295 721 664
>
>TO ALL CONCERNED WHO MAY BE ABLE TO HELP
>
>31 October 1995
A POSSIBLE NEWS ITEM FOR DVB

AMSTERDAM 02/22/95 - Seven Burmese Sailors onboard the Stainless Tanker are
stuck in Delfzijl, a small chemical-harbour in the north of The Netherlands.
ADRIATIC TANKERS, their Greek shipping company, has not paid their salaries.
The boat will shortly be sold at an auction to pay for the return air-fare
of the sailors as well as their salaries.

The seven sailors are being helped by the local churc and some trade-union
members. The boat still has oil so the heating is still working which the
crew will need as temparatures are falling below zero soon.
Another six Burmese sailors are stuck onboard their ship in Rouen, northern
France. Since this ship has no electricty nor oil to run the heating, a plee
for legal and financial support has reached the international Burma-support
movement.

Last week the seven sailors appeared in a one-hour television show at a
regional televisionnetwork and articles appeared in the regional press.
ADRIATIC TANKERS (AT) owns 116 ships which makes it a very big company to
European standards. AT has not paid salaries worldwide to an amount of five
million US dollars.

Two other Burmese were recently sent home on to Burma after spending months
in Dordrecht. A quarter of their wages was paid, as well as their air-fare.
As soon as the rest of the salary is secured it will be transferred to the
companies Burma office. Involved Trade-union workers are concerned thismoney
will never reach the sailors, something they learend from past experiences.
A total of 56 Burmese sailors were this year stuck in the same manner in The
Netherlands. If the necessary amount of money is secured, the Burmese are
sent back home.
Two sailors onboard the OCEAN BREEZER, also owned by AT, who were suffering
from the cold, threathened to set fire to the furniture. They were
transferred to the STAINLESS COMMANDER in DElfzijl, were there still is oil.
One repatriated Burmese sailor was able to return home only after
negatiations for svereal hours by Trade Union officials at the international
airport SCHIPHOL, since his passport had expired. Stranded sailors are
ussually granted a three-months visa in The netherlands.

end item 4 DVB/BCN

These sailors can probably be contacted through us, our e-mail adress is
BCN@xxxxxxxxx
visit these sights:
http://sunsite.unc.edu/freeburma/freeburma.html
http://www.uio.no/tormodl
http://danet.wicip.org/fbc/freeburma.html