ST. EUSTATIUS--What was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime turned into a nightmare for two young Ukrainian men when, halfway through a sailing trip, they found out that war had broken out in their country and it was not safe for them to return home.
As they were stranded on St. Eustatius, the situation made Vladimir (25) and Taras (26) the first ever asylum-seekers in the Dutch Caribbean, and also the first Ukranian asylum-seekers in the Kingdom of the Netherlands whose case has come to court.
They have been unable to get in contact with their parents, whom, the men hope, have found safety by fleeing the region, and they are now forced to stay in Statia until their asylum claim has been settled. They are not allowed to work, and are unable to leave the island.
Background
Vladimir and Taras are from Donetsk in the East of the Ukraine, a country located in between Russia and Europe. Their city has more than a million inhabitants.
The two men were working as contractors, doing construction work, including electrics and plumbing, and computer repairs. They both had well-paid contracts. When an acquaintance offered them the opportunity to travel to the Caribbean in between contracts, they jumped at the chance.
"The guy we knew had a sailing yacht. It was about 11 metres long. He needed crew to help navigate the ship. He asked if we wanted to come. We did not get paid, but we could travel for free," explains Vladimir.
The men left in mid-March and arrived in Marseille, France, some two weeks later to stock up on food and supplies. At the end of March, the ship left Marseille for Marigot in French St. Martin, where they were due to arrive mid-May.
The unrest in the men's country began as an internal Ukrainian crisis in November 2013, when President Viktor Yanukovych rejected a deal for greater integration with the European Union, sparking mass protests, which Yanukovych attempted to put down violently.
Russia backed Yanukovych in the crisis, while the US and Europe supported the protesters. In February, anti-government protests toppled the government and ran Yanukovych out of the country.
The ship carrying Vladimir and Taras left from Odessa, in the South, mid-March. "At that time, there were protests in Donetsk, but there was no war yet," says Vladimir. "We did not realise what would happen."
A referendum had been announced for the people of Crimea, to decide if they wanted to join Russia or reinstate the region's position as a part of the Ukraine. An overwhelming majority chose to join Russia, but a lot of people criticised the way the referendum was held.
In April, after the men said they had already left Marseille for Marigot, pro-Russia separatist rebels began seizing territory in eastern Ukraine, including Donetsk. The rebels shot down Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 on July 17, killing 298 people, probably accidentally.
Fighting between the rebels and the Ukrainian military intensified, the rebels started losing, and, in August, the Russian army overtly invaded eastern Ukraine to support the rebels.
Young men from the region, between the ages of 17 and 35, are forced to join the separatists in their fight. Many people have fled the region for surrounding countries. More than 2,500 Ukrainians have been killed so far.
Taras and Vladimir said they were unaware of the developments in their country. Russian is their first language. Although they speak English, it is not fluent, and they find it difficult to read the language, as they read Cyrillic script. "When we were on the boat, we did not have newspapers, and we did not listen to the radio," they said.
When they finally arrived in Marigot in mid-May, their goal was to stay around St. Maarten for a while, live on the boat, and visit some neighbouring islands such as St. Barths. The men said that they did not own a smart phone, and had no access to Wi-Fi, so they did not go online.
Arrival in Statia
About a week after their arrival, on May 22, the two men accompanied the captain of the boat on a sailing trip. "We were supposed to sail around the region and return to St. Martin," Vladimir said. However, events took a different turn. The men shared a drink on the boat, and the captain became drunk. Aware of the unsafe situation, the men challenged him. An argument started and the captain announced to the men that he intended to sail to Grenada instead of Marigot,
"It was already quite late," Vladimir said. "Before we went to St. Martin, we checked everything, we looked on the Internet, we knew we could go there. But we knew nothing about Grenada. We did not know if we needed a visa, or what sort of island it is."
As the argument escalated, the two men saw land. "We asked the captain to bring us to the land. We were not very far from St. Martin so we could go back the next day."
The captain took the men to the shore, and with the argument ongoing, the men were dropped on the beach of what turned out to be Statia. It was evening, and the men carried only the clothes they wore on their backs. Taras had his wallet in his pocket, but all their other possessions were still on the ship.
"It was dark already, and we were upset. We realised only then that our passports were with our other possessions on the ship. Taras didn't even have any shoes," said Vladimir.
The men decided to try and sleep, so they could go to the police station the next day to get help in retrieving their passports and make their way back to St. Maarten.
"We tried to sleep on the beach, but there was a lot of wind and ants," explain the men. "So we walked a bit and found the Stenapa building, where we slept on a wooden bench. We became too cold, so we moved to some stones, which were warmer. But then it started to rain."
The men started walking when they arrived, soaking wet and Taras being barefoot, at Fort Oranje. "There was a tunnel after the door, so we slept there," said Vladimir.
The following morning, the men first went to the supermarket. "We had to buy shoes. We did not want to go to the police without shoes, that would be a bad thing to do," they explained. At that time, the men still carried some US $1,000 in Taras' wallet.
The men then went to the police station, where they explained their predicament. The police immediately alerted the Coast Guard to look for the Soleil Noir, the ship that had carried the men, to try and retrieve the passports, but to no avail.
The men's plan had been to return to St. Maarten as soon as possible, where they believed the ship would have also returned by then, believing it unlikely that the captain would make it to Grenada.
The police helped the men find cheap accommodation, which they paid themselves out of the money left in Taras' wallet.
The next morning, they bought a cheap smart phone in order to contact their parents.
Both men are single, with no siblings, and were living with their parents. The men could not contact their parents by telephone, and received no reply to their emails. Using a Wi-Fi connection, the men checked the Internet. It was only then that they found out about the situation in the Ukraine.
They attended the police station again, this time to claim asylum. "We realised it was not safe to go back," said Vladimir. "It was war in our country and we did not want to join the separatists. But if we go to another region, the people say we are the enemy."
The two men have nothing, but praise for the police, whom they described as friendly, respectful and helpful. They were handed over to the Immigration and Naturalisation Department, which seemed to have no experience in their particular situation. "We had to fill in forms, then, we heard nothing. When we asked what our rights were, one of them said "this is not an island for asylum-seekers," said Vladimir. "They were always friendly though, but they just never call us back.
"First, we paid everything for ourselves. When our money was finished, we were moved into an apartment," Vladimir said. "Initially, we received a sandwich for breakfast and dinner, and chicken with rice for lunch. But this left us hungry, and after a month, we had health problems as we did not eat fruit or vegetables."
After the men spoke to Immigration about their health issues, an arrangement was made. The men now receive US $100 worth of vouchers a month from one particular Chinese store. "It is better that we cook for ourselves," says Vladimir. "But the Chinese store doesn't have many things. We asked if we could go to Duggins, but it was not allowed."
Other requests that were turned down by immigration officers were requests to receive Dutch or English lessons, and some pocket money to buy new shoes, after their old ones broke, clothes and a haircut. "In the Netherlands, asylum-seekers get these things, but not here."
Also, the men get bored. They swim, and Taras likes to play pool. "I would like to work," says Vladimir. "Even as a volunteer. I have seen a library. Maybe if I volunteer there, they can get me a Russian book. I like to read," he says.
The future
The Immigration Department gave a negative decision about the men's asylum request. The state secretary concluded that they are not considered fugitives because, although there is indeed war in their area, there are safe areas in Ukraine and they could travel back to their country without a problem.
The Rijksdienst Caraibisch Nederland (RCN) assisted them in finding a lawyer, and an appeal court case was recently heard, in which their lawyer explained to the judge that it was not safe for them to return.
"I want to go back to my country when it's safe," said Vladimir. "But I want to stay anywhere without a war. We can work hard. We can build a future anywhere safe. We are experienced in construction and computers. Now, we are not allowed to make money. But we are happy to volunteer."
The men also worry about their families. "We have had no contact. We don't know where they are. We hope they also got to a safe place," said the men. For now, they can do nothing, but focus on their own safety.
"We would like the Immigration Department to know more about human rights. We don't seem to have the same rights as people in the Netherlands," said Vladimir, who speaks better English than his friends. "Particularly, we would like language classes."
Both men show appreciation and gratitude for the way they have been treated by Statians. "People have given us shoes and clothes. One lady gave us tickets to see a volleyball match. We enjoyed it very much. A lady from the church asked me to read to old people. I would like that," said Vladimir.
Taras adds: "People gave me coins to play pool, and coconuts and food. We miss eating fruit, so it was very nice. The people are very friendly, we feel very safe here."
Vladimir and Taras are allowed to stay in Statia until the court reaches a decision. The next hearing will be on October 7. At this stage, it is unknown what will happen to them if the court turns down their request for a safe haven.
