Investigators have now rescued 550 fisherman slaves from a remote Indonesian island after returning to the scene of an earlier rescue to check nobody was left behind. A dramatic rescue earlier in the week led to 210 mainly-Burmese nationals being identified, the vast majority of whom said they were desperate to leave the island village of Benjina. Those who said they wanted to stay did so because they claimed they were owed years of back pay from their bosses. An in-depth investigation by The Associated Press published last month led to the discovery of massive rights abuses in Benjina and surrounding waters. The report traced slave-caught seafood from there to Thailand where it can then enter the supply chains of some of U.S. retailers. Slaves: A dramatic rescue earlier in the week led to many of the mainly-Burmese nationals being identified, the vast majority of whom said they were desperate to leave the the island village of Benjina . Rescued: Last week, Indonesian authorities rescued around 330 migrants from Benjina, bringing them to the island of Tual, where they are now being sheltered by the government . Many of the men interviewed said they were tricked or even kidnapped before being put on boats in Thailand and taken to Indonesia. They were forced to work almost non-stop under horrendous conditions, some brutally beaten by their Thai captains when they were sick or caught resting. Last week, Indonesian authorities rescued around 330 migrants from Benjina, bringing them to the island of Tual, where they are now being sheltered by the government. Those found Thursday by a team, which included Myanmar officials, remain in Benjina. While most fisherman found in Benjina were Burmese, there also were scores of Cambodians. The toll of 550 did not include men - many of whom also were enslaved - from poor parts of Thailand. Shocking: Many of the men interviewed said they were tricked or even kidnapped before being put on boats in Thailand and taken to Indonesia . Export: The report traced slave-caught seafood from there to Thailand where it can then enter the supply chains of some of American retailers . It's unclear who will pay for the mass repatriation. A former slave now in Tual said conditions were relatively good there. He said the men are getting medical care and enough to eat, but their living quarters are cramped and many do not have a change of clothes since they left quickly with only what they were wearing. Meanwhile, Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday told reporters in her country's capital, Naypyitaw, it was up to governments 'to protect the rights of the citizens and to bring them back out of bondage.' 'That is the most obvious and very simple solution and unavoidable duty of any responsible government,' she told reporters.
Dramatic rescue led to the mainly-Burmese nationals being identified . Vast majority of them said they were desperate to leave Benjina island . Some wanted to stay - but only to demand their bosses hand over money . Men said they were kidnapped or tricked into becoming fisherman slaves .