Hundreds of Slaves Freed from Indonesian Island

Hundreds of fisherman who were being kept as slaves have been freed.

The Associated Press reports that more than 300 men who had been enslaved on the remote Indonesian island of Benjina were released after the Indonesian government acted on a report the AP had published about the men's horrific situation.

The men came from a number of countries around the world, but most were from Myanmar. They had come to the island of Benjina after hearing false promises about high wages and an easy life.

After the report was published, Indonesian government officials visited the island said that anyone who wished to leave the island would be allowed to do so. A number of men came out of the island's jungles where they had been hiding from their abusive slavers. In all, around 320 men left the island.

Among the conditions the AP discovered were men kept in cages and a person whose sole job it was to beat the workers. One of the men granted his freedom was missing four teeth that his boat's captain had kicked out because the man was not working fast enough. Some of the rescued men were so weak and starved they had to be helped onto the boat that would evacuate them.

A major reason the slavery was possible is because Benjina is so isolated, there aren't any security forces on the island except for two Naval officers who are supposed to warn of any unauthorized military or naval activity in the area.

The AP notes that much of the fish caught by the slaves ended up on the plates of Western consumers, including those in the United States.