Castaway stowaway undaunted

Press, 28 May 1984, Page 10

Castaway stowaway undaunted

NZPA-Reuter Mombasa A Tanzanian who said that he had been one of 11 African stowaways thrown overboard from a Greek ship into the shark-infested Indian Ocean said that his ordeal had not put him off trying to stow away. “I believe I’d do it again if I had the chance,” said Deo Steven, who said that he had often tried to stow away on ships in the hope of getting a job and seeing distant lands and that he had been jailed for two years in Tanzania in 1981 for trying to stow away. Mr Steven is one of four Tanzanians who say that they were thrown from the 9778-ton Greek vessel Garifalia off the East African coast on March 17. with five

other Tanzanians and two Kenyans. The Greek master of the Garifalia and nine sailors are in jail in Athens awaiting trial on charges of causing deaths of African stowaways by throwing them into the Indian Ocean. Bruised about the face and arms and looking tired and drawn, Mr Steven said that the crew had beaten the stowawys and then had fed them fish, rice, and potatoes before casting them adrift. Mr Steven spoke to reporters aboard the Panamaregistered Rosa, due to take the four home to Tanzania today. Two Tanzanians who say that they survived a similar ordeal after being thrown from another ship

will also go home in the ship. The four Tanzanians said after arriving in Kenya last week that they had been rescued by Somali fishermen after two days in the water. Mr Steven said yesterday that the Somali authorities had thought that they were anti-Government guerrillas and that they had spent one month and 20 days in a detention camp where they were fed once a day on rice. After beginning a hunger strike to protest against the conditions in which they were living they had been allowed to see Somali immigration officers, who had made arrangements for their repatriation, Mr Steven said.