two missing in Tonga fish trade

[clarionreef]

Shocking event in Tonga!
Two more people have died in Tonga collecting tropical fishes.
Two Boatmen...and two boats have disappeared while divers were down collecting!
No debris....nothing floating ....just vanished while divers from two seperate boats were working under the water.
One diver from Dateline and one from Coral Kingdom.
The following is a letter from Jose Genoso, one of the divers of Coral Kingdom.
Steve
------------------------------------------------------------

This is to confirm you about the incident that took place last 29 August 2008 at around 10am.

We went for diving at daff reef on that day. We docked on the shallow part of the reef and dropped the anchor of the boat accordingly. Few minutes later, we started our diving. Whe the 1st tank got empty we immediately went up to replace with the 2nd tank and continue on diving. We went up again for the 3rd tank and found that the boats were no longer there. The sea was rough at that time.

Since our tank were already empty we ca'nt continue on diving, the boats were not there so we decided to swim from the reef to the seaside. It took us four hours to reach the seaside. It was risky for us to do that since the waves were strong but were left with no option. We didnt know what happened to the boats, either they left us or whatever, we dont know until now.

Thats all what happened.

.........and nothing new has developed.
Steve

 

[Anonymous]

8O Holy smokes Steve...how many does that make in the last year? Four? How very said, my heart goes out to their families

I'm still waiting on where to send the funds for the last two, can you gather all four family contacts via text message with Jose?

 

[clarionreef]

Gresham
I will have divers in the middle of all this join us for training in Papua New Guinea w/in another two weeks.
We pulled two deep divers out already and two more are joining us this coming week.
All the facts, the names and adresses will be convenient then.
Their former employers kept them without return plane tickets, internet access and months of salaries so they have been hard to reach.

In Tonga they felt they had no worker or human rights as their bosses were too well connected.
They will all be very free to speak now.
Steve

 

[Anonymous]

......

 

[RasBobre]

Very sad.

I know your devotion to the collection trade will continue to make things better in Tonga and the rest of he world Steve. I hope you can get to the bottom of this.

 

[PeterIMA]

Steve, Is Jose Genoso the same Jose I met on Santiago Island in 1986?

Peter Rubec

 

[clarionreef]

Peter.
Yes, thats him.
25 years of net collection now since leaving cyanide.
100% of the rest of the team stayed all netcaught as well.
Steve

 

[PeterIMA]

Steve, How much will it cost per diver to get them out of Tonga?

Peter

 

[clarionreef]

Peter
We just flew MeMe home last week and Jose home to the Philippines this very morning.
[Both were denied return tickets by the Tongan employer as well as the past three months salary.]
They were basically kidnapped and stranded and forced to work for food while all the time promised trips home and pay later .
Now, after a few weeks with families, they will employ as trainers in Papua New Guinea with return tickets in their possession at all times.


Tongan exporters have lost all their best divers as of today and will now seek to import more.
Ironically, lesser divers would die more easily if pressured to go after ventralis anthias.
Steve

 

[PeterIMA]

Steve, I am happy to hear that Mie Mie and Jose have left Tonga. Actually, I thought that Mie Mie had left several months ago.

Are there any other Filippino divers still in Tonga?

Peter

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the info Steve.
I just wish we knew what actually happened to them.


Super sucks that they are missing.



Is it really called Coral Kingdom again?

 

[SlipperMan]

Wow. That is truly sad to hear about. That is one hell of a mystery.

How will the departure of so many divers effect the Tongan fish trade? If it will at all.

 

[Jaime Baquero]

Steve,

Thanks for sharing the information. I feel sad and worried for what happened to Jose. It is important to know what really happened.

Must be difficult for you, as is for us far away, to see and know how the poor collectors are abused by Tongan exporters. Seems that fish importers in NA should do something to stop this from happening.

I'm glad to know that Meme and Jose are safe and back home, to the Philippines.

Jaime

 

[Anonymous]

It's still a mystery as to what even happened.

Did they die in a freak rogue wave (wouldn't parts of the boat be seen?)?

Did pirates get them?

Did they skip out and steal the boats (they have families that are very sad and miss them, doesn't sound likely)?

Who knows if they are dead or not....but it truly is sad for their friends and family It must be totally heart breaking to not know what happened, I can't even imagine such a thing.

FWIW more then one NA importer has expressed their concern. Don't take a lack of posts on RDO to equate to them not being concerned and trying just as hard as anyone else to solve this. The trade is not limited to RDO posts after all. Many of us are willing to take the constant abuse that this forum offers, but tons aren't!

 

[Anonymous]

It's still a mystery as to what even happened.

Did they die in a freak rogue wave (wouldn't parts of the boat be seen?)?

Did pirates get them?

Did they skip out and steal the boats (they have families that are very sad and miss them, doesn't sound likely)?

Who knows if they are dead or not....but it truly is sad for their friends and family It must be totally heart breaking to not know what happened, I can't even imagine such a thing.

FWIW more then one NA importer has expressed their concern. Don't take a lack of posts on RDO to equate to them not being concerned and trying just as hard as anyone else to solve this. The trade is not limited to RDO posts after all. Many of us are willing to take the constant abuse that this forum offers, but tons aren't!

Wouldnt people diving under water feel the effects of a rogue wave? It is very bizarre that a ship would disappear that quickly.

 

[Anonymous]

It's still a mystery as to what even happened.

Did they die in a freak rogue wave (wouldn't parts of the boat be seen?)?

Did pirates get them?

Did they skip out and steal the boats (they have families that are very sad and miss them, doesn't sound likely)?

Who knows if they are dead or not....but it truly is sad for their friends and family It must be totally heart breaking to not know what happened, I can't even imagine such a thing.

FWIW more then one NA importer has expressed their concern. Don't take a lack of posts on RDO to equate to them not being concerned and trying just as hard as anyone else to solve this. The trade is not limited to RDO posts after all. Many of us are willing to take the constant abuse that this forum offers, but tons aren't!

Wouldnt people diving under water feel the effects of a rogue wave? It is very bizarre that a ship would disappear that quickly.

Depends on depth they where working at and the actual depth of the ocean in that spot. Not that I am saying that is what went down, I'm baffled and bummed. What ever happened to them the outcome is their family lost a bread winner, their friends lost a friend and no one has any clue what went down

 

[Anonymous]

Title of thread changed
from
Two More Die in Tongan Fish Trade
to
Two missing in Tongan Fish Trade

I am wary of the words death and wary of blaming the trade because we just don't know what happened. I'll be happy to change it back if we find out more info.

Thanks for everyones understanding.

 

[clarionreef]

Missing sounds great. I hope they are missing and soon to be found somehow.
It sounds a lot better.
Steve

 

[Anonymous]

Missing sounds great. I hope they are missing and soon to be found somehow.
It sounds a lot better.
Steve

As a friend I hope you take this as an intervention rather then a bash or flame...

You have RAILED and I mean RAILED on people for doing just what you are doing in this thread Steve.

SHOCKING...THIS JUST IN.....

TWO HEADED POLAR BEAR FOUND MATING WITH ALIENS....POSSIBLE CAUSE OF GLOBAL WARMING????

Your OG post just reaks of sensationalism, don't you see that?

I'm bummed for them, and their families and friends but to simply vanish brings more to mind at first then death. Like I said on the phone my first reaction is they skipped with the boats. Being shanghaid comes in close second.

If your looking for a target to blame on the title change, look no further then me.

 

[Anonymous]

Are the missing boatmen Tongan?
Is IMT called Coral Kingdom again?