Taipei: Advocacy groups on Thursday criticized stalled proceedings in a case involving the Taiwanese-owned fishing vessel Da Wang saying it remains unresolved nearly four years after nine people were indicted over an Indonesian fisher's death at sea.

According to Focus Taiwan, Shih Yi-hsiang, a senior researcher at the Taiwan Association for Human Rights, expressed regret that the case, which involves serious allegations against a Taiwanese distant-water fishing vessel, has yet to receive a judicial ruling. The incident dates back to June 2019 when Indonesian fisher Sunoto died after allegedly being repeatedly struck on the head by the vessel's chief mate while at sea.

Following Sunoto's death and the revelation of other suspected forced labor abuses onboard, nine Taiwanese individuals, including the captain and chief mate, were indicted in April 2022. The Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office reported on April 20, 2022, that the captain and chief mate had used "violence and coercion" to exploit migrant fishers for labor, leading to indictments for alleged violations of the Human Trafficking Prevention Act and other offenses.

Lennon Wang, director of the Serve the People Association's Department of Policies on Migrant Workers, voiced concerns over the slow progress in the case. Despite the seriousness of the human trafficking allegations, no first-instance ruling has been issued. Wang's association has been providing legal support to Manny, a Filipino fisher and victim in the case. Despite being summoned to testify at only three court hearings since the indictment, the significant gap between hearings underscores the slow judicial process.

Manny, who was aboard the Da Wang at the time of the incident and played a crucial role in exposing the alleged abuses, recounted the harsh conditions on the vessel, stating that crew members were "beaten almost every day." After Sunoto's death, the captain allegedly ignored requests to head to shore and demanded the crew continue working. Manny has remained in Taiwan since early 2020 with hopes of advancing the case and seeking justice for Sunoto.