CHINESE FISHERMEN STRANDED IN TAKORADI (PAGE 29)

Some unemployed, frustrated and stranded Chinese fishermen who were contracted by their Ghanaian counterparts in Sekondi became hostile towards their hosts after they had allegedly taken locally brewed alcohol, “Akpeteshi”, and other hard liquors.
Community and immigration officials said the jobless Chinese fishermen were impatient and violent, as they claimed their entitlements had not been paid to them by their Ghanaian employers for more than a year.
The situation is getting out of hand as they claim their Ghanaian employers, who relieved them of their fishing jobs, also refused to pay them their entitlements to enable them to return to China.
Out of frustration some of them have taken to alcohol, especially at night, and disturb their hosts and fight with anybody who tries to stop them.
Some of the Chinese told the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) personnel that they were employed and brought into the country by C G Elmina, Loma and Legon Fisheries which have their head offices in Tema but their employers failed to pay them their entitlement after they were laid off ,and eventually sold the trawlers .
Some of the Chinese fishermen the Ghana Immigration Service in Sekondi questioned after the police had arrested them gave their names as Ye Zhiquan, Wu Zhan Am, Shin Xin Xing, Luo Qao, Momo Zhaoyi Wan Zhaoyi and Wan Rargang.
They said they wanted to go back to China. “As we speak, we are not doing anything here, we are poor, we help other fishermen to carry things for food and that is not good enough, we want to go back to our country, the companies that brought us here should pay us to go back home,” they complained
At the moment, some of them have cases of violent behaviour pending at the Bosomtwe Sam Fishing Harbour Police Station and there is the need to ensure that their conduct does not degenerate into something else.
The hosts and people living in and around European Town found the behaviour of the fishermen dangerous.
“One of the serious problems is that they cannot speak any English, therefore, even when you are trying to help them they become very aggressive , especially when they are drunk,” one fishmonger said and pleaded that whoever brought them down should pay them off.
When contacted, the Western Regional Director of the GIS, Mr Robert Quartey, said the problem at the moment was how to locate their employers.
He said, they had had reports of confrontation between them and their hosts, upon which some were handed over to the police.
The regional director said their employers had agreed to come over to the GIS offices.
However, residents are of the view that if nothing was done to address the situation it would not be good.
When the Daily Graphic contacted their employers at Tema they said as far as they were concerned they had no business with them.
Those contacted admitted contracting the Chinese fishermen but explained that when they were making losses the Chinese resorted to selling part of the catch at sea.
They said they were left with no option but to ground the operations of the vessels which were currently berthed at the Albert Bosomtwe-Sam Fishing Harbour in Takoradi.