Indonesia freed 39 Vietnamese fishermen on January 6. Most of the men who had stayed behind and were held captivity on Indonesian islands as deponents at trials for their ship captains, are from Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Soc Trang, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Binh Thuan provinces.
Vietnamese fishermen before being repatriated
A day earlier, 21 Vietnamese fishermen were returned. Another eleven will be freed on January 10. Meanwhile, the embassy is working with Indonesia authorities to complete procedures to repatriate 71 others.
According to Tran Minh Cu, Counsellor at the Vietnamese Embassy, more Vietnamese fishermen would be sent home before the Tet Holiday.
Indonesia returned nearly 1,300 arrested Vietnamese fishermen in 2017.