The crew of a foreign fishing vessel could be deported…before their claims of abuse and intimidation can…be investigated. The Indonesian fishermen have received backing for their allegations by a group of Auckland academics who say they have found evidence of widespread abuse. The crew members…wait to hear if they will be deported…before they have settled a pay dispute from five months crewing a ship out of Lyttelton…One researcher...found evidence of extensive and ongoing physical and sexual abuse. "On one vessel the whole crew was lined up and hit with shovels. It's widespread amongst the Indonesians, the Filipinos and…the Chinese crews."…Another foreign charter operator rejects claims of widespread abuse, calling them "unsubstantiated" and "nothing more than a catalogue of allegations". Owners of the Oyang 75…say they have paid the seamen their full legal wage, and will co-operate with a Labour Department investigation and a…ministerial inquiry…