Message in a bottle from Chinese vessel stirs forced labor concerns in Latin America

On 29 June, a woman walking along the coast of Sauce de Portezuelo, near Uruguay's famed beaches of Punta del Este – found a bottle containing a handwritten message in a foreign language that she didn't comprehend, but which ended in three letters that she did recognize: "SOS." Recognizing it was a request for help, she immediately notified local authorities, who referred the matter to the regional prosecutor's office.

Uruguayan press reported an expert was hired to translate the text from what ended up being Chinese. The message read: “Hello, I am a crew member of the ship Lu Qing Yuan Yu 765, I was locked in the company [sic]. When you see this paper, please help me call the police! Help help.” 

Authorities then consulted Milko Schvartzman, an expert in ... 

Photo courtesy of the Uruguay Prefecture