hey've Cruised A Year-But Not

Year-But Not For Pleasure

nknown to the 800 Australians on lood-time Islands cruise in the *,r “ Strathnaver” in August, there e two other 'passengers securely ced in a dark artificially-lit four th cabin in the crew’s quarters ) were travelling under less happy umstances—as stateless persons.

IE two men, Samuel Abdullah, aged 24, and Joseph Vaz, aged 22, have been shuffled round the Id in various P and O Line ships the past year, since they first yed away in Strathnaver. hey were found in that vessel ir it had sailed from Colombo Bombay. Though they claimed to Df East Punjab origin they had papers to prove it. They were ised entry to India and were isferred to another ship for re i to Colombo, t Colombo, the authorities there led all knowledge of them and ned that they must have already i in Strathnaver before her val at Colombo. bus commenced a life of mobile risonment.

From Ship to Ship

iey have been moved from ship >hip in port, or held in shore s temporarily, and taken on ses in the direction of countries :h might accept them, le shipping line was hoping ►erately that their story that they lived in Fiji for a time would iccepted and that they would be tved in, but the Suva Immigra authorities, after closely stioning the men, were convinced * they had never been to Fiji ►re and that they had no claim ntry.

Unless someone, somewhere, is prepared to sponsor them and that particular country is prepared to grant them compassionate entry, the outlook now is not particularly bright for either the men or the shipping line. The line would be liable for forfeiture of a substantial bond in most countries if the men gained illegal entry.

According to their own story, told through a barred porthole at Suva, the men were put in a ship trading round the Persian Gulf and over a period of eight months they could have taken the opportunity to slip ashore—but the Persian Gulf looked even less hospitable than a locked cabin so they declined the privilege.

Earlier this year, while in another

P and O ship, they got loose in Marseilles—no doubt to the delight of the company—but a few days later they were in London, again awaiting the hospitality of the ship ping line. They had been promptly sent off by air to London under re straint.

They commenced their second sojourn in Strathnaver early in June.

Officers in Strathnaver think that the men probably are Pakistanis.

Possibly they left just prior to the partition of India, with no evid ence of nationality. They would have been young boys then.

Now they seem to be a genuine case for United Nations attention.

men on a never-ending cruise-Samuel [?]ullah (left) and Joseph Vaz, photographed [?]rd the “Strathnaver" in Suva in August I “PIM" staff correspondent Jim Shortall.