We didn't hope to see home: Yemen-returned fisherman

By IANS | Published: November 30, 2019 04:40 PM2019-11-30T16:40:06+5:302019-11-30T16:50:04+5:30

For 44-year-old Nissar hailing from Kollam, the sea was a passion, but after enduring untold miseries during the nine day escape voyage of 3,000 miles on a fishing boat along with eight others, he has vowed that he will not hit the sea again.

We didn't hope to see home: Yemen-returned fisherman | We didn't hope to see home: Yemen-returned fisherman

We didn't hope to see home: Yemen-returned fisherman

Speaking to , Nissar who was cleared by the Emigration officials, here said he has called time on his fishing career.

"It was a journey that began almost 10 days back from Yemen and we never even in our wildest dreams felt that we would be able to reach here, but we did and I have decided, to never again go for fishing, which has been my profession," said Nissar.

Nissar said that it was in December last year that he reached Dubai where he met some people who got him the job of a fisherman in Oman.

"After sailing for a few days, we were told that we have reached our destination and it was after two days, we realised that we were in Yemen only and not Oman. From then our travails began and it was a nightmare," said Nissar.

"We did our job catching fish on boats travelling into the sea. But, our boss never paid us on time and several times we had verbal duels with him. Finally, we decided we won't work. We never had money and had to go without food for days together. Then, we reported the matter to the police and our employer agreed to pay us, and we went back to work." added Nissar.

He said things, however, remained the same and finally nine of us gathered the moral strength and courage to undertake what could be a journey to our death in the seas.

"We knew we had to save enough fuel and that we accumulated every time we went fishing for our boss and finally when we knew we had 4,000 litres of fuel, getting whatever ration we could, we left the shores of Yemen. When we started, none of us ever thought we would make it.

"We travelled day and night and the sea was very rough and windy, but since we were not afraid to die, we were not scared. We had only for one meal a day and that was all what we had for nine days. It was day before yesterday night that the Coast Guard spotted us and from that moment till this time, we were treated with lot of compassion by all and now we have been released and we are all going our ways," said Nissar.

"I do not have the mental courage to again undergo the suffering in the seas and hence, I will no longer do this job," said Nissar.

Nissar and his team arrived on Friday on the fishing boat named Al-Thiraya 3, belonging to his Yemenese employer and all of them have been cleared and have joined with their anxious relatives who came to receive them.

Speaking to , Circle Inspector of Police attached to the Coastal Police, here, Chrispin Sam said that seven of them hail from Tamil Nadu, while two are from Kollam in Kerala.

"Their papers are in order and the emigration process is over and all of them have been released," said Sam.

"A few fishermen from Tamil Nadu informed their relatives about their journey and these relatives got in touch with the Coast Guard and other departments. Since we got the information about their travel, the sea patrol teams were also alerted and thus the boat was spotted," said Sam.

"As soon as they were spotted, the Coast Guard officials got into the boat and brought them to our station. Various departments have cleared them as all of them have valid papers on them," added Sam.

( With inputs from IANS )

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