HRAS Updates Translation of YouTube Murder Footage

By The Maritime Executive 08-25-2014 04:30:00

Human Rights at Sea (HRAS) continues an independent investigation into the murder of five seafarers in international waters, with open-source release of further analysis of the YouTube mobile phone footage that was originally posted online on 17 August 2014.

Language experts instructed by HRAS have been able to identify the following translations in both Mandarin and Cantonese. NB: Comments in [ ] square brackets are HRAS own expert’s comments.

TIME / LANGUAGE / TRANSLATION

2:20 ????????????! watch ahead, ahead, there are one or two people!

2:34 ??????? we fire or not? (in very low voice)

2:45 ????shall not we shoot? [other people, try to speak Chinese, but not very well pronounced]

2:49 ???? impossible!

3:10 ???? Swim faster!

5:55 ????????make it end faster!

6:45 ????Finish it!

7:49 ????Where?

7:53 ???? where?

7:55 ?????? I cannot see

8:02 ??????? He is coming over

8:32 ??????????????????To the front! prepare go to front! What are you doing? To the front.

8:39 ?????????To the front!

9:02 ?????????Fire, fire, fire

9:15 OK!??? The objects have been shot [the (Captain) changed into Cantonese language]

9:30 ?????5?? I have shot five bodies

Analysis

NB: The following analysis is made upon all available but limited evidence, as undertaken by HRAS instructed experts.

HRAS language experts have made a number of conclusions based on the yet unverified video that is available open-source on YouTube.

There appears to be a mixture of Mandarin, Cantonese and Vietnamese being spoken and so one issue is certain; the people involved represent a mixed crew onboard what appears from all the evidence available to date, to be Taiwanese-registered fishing vessels.

The translation appears to indicate that either the master/captain or someone with authority is directing and ordering the individual committing the acts of murder to shoot into the sea at the unarmed seafarers.

There is an apparent command relationship between the individual giving the commands, direction and guidance and the individual firing the shots; though there appears to be voiced uncertainty by that individual and/or others around as to whether or not shots should be fired, prior to the direct order to fire.

The number of dead seafarers stands at five as viewed in the footage and also confirmed by the last section of translation. This indicates that there was one firer who murdered all five victims.

If the person ordering the firing of the deadly shots is the master/captain or a senior crew member onboard, then there appears to be a joint enterprise to commit a criminal act at the very least as between those persons.