Intergalactic Summit

Work Camp Central Control
Kihtaled II
Khanid Space

15.07.115

Statement:

I would like to thank interested parties for their patience regarding this report, which was much delayed by recent events and by the tempo of my duties in the warzone in Black Rise. As promised I have been repatriating prisoners of war recovered during this time - I would also like to thank the Officers and Shareholders of Pyre Falcon Defence Combine for their forbearance regarding my flagrant breach of company protocol.

I have now concluded my investigation of the workcamps in the Kihtaled system in Khanid space and am ready to make my statement regarding them.

Prisoners of war are processed at the site of capture and their loved ones and state of residence are officially notified. At this point they are then collected in a holding facility until the monthly transfer out of the warzone can be effected. This transfer is carried out be a neutral third-party to minimise the chance of loss of life due to attacks by the FDU on Caldari shipping.

From the warzone prisoners are shipped to the Central Control facility on Kihtaled II where they are inprocessed. This involves a variety of steps including background checks to ensure they are who they claim to be, any legal matters are then resolved. Those found guilty of crimes against one of the four major states are then turned over to the relevant authorities. Finally a full medical workup is given. Prisoners are than classified into four groups, A, B, C and D. Class A workers are cleared for heavy labour, Class B for light labour, Class C are deemed to need rest and treatment in the camp's medical facility before being cleared to work and Class D require major offsite medical treatment. Often Class D prisoners are made stable, fit to travel, and remanded to their home authorities for medical treatment, palliative care or whatever is suitable.

Once classified, prisoners are shipped to the surface of Kihtaled II, were they are assigned to living quarters within the camp. There is a short period of induction and then the prisoners are assigned to work details, as appropriate. Whilst some light industry and processing is done at satellite camps, most of the Class A work is in the Heavy Minerals sector. Prisoners assigned to these details are cared for by the Khanid companies that own these facilities and are accompanied by a camp liason to ensure that all details are correct.

Class A work makes up roughly 74% of the labour contracts. Work details are assigned to a contract for a period of not more than six months and then rotated back to the central facility for assessment. If required a prisoner can then be medically reclassified and, in any case, will be assigned to a different work detail and a different labour contract.

Income from the labour contracts is used to defray the costs of this system. In it's start up period it mitigates the many expenses, but it is projected that an income surplus might be shown once the start up costs are amortised in another four months.

I have examined the medical facilities and can report that they are adequate for their need. All non-elective medical needs are fully covered including dental, sight correction and other similar categories of medical treatment. I have examined the living quarters - at the main camp, satellite camps and offsite Khanid owned facilities. Surprise, surprise - the focus is on security and not on comfort. That said, the facilities are clean, well maintained and allow a reasonable degree of comfort. I've stayed in worse.

Prisoners are NEVER left in sole charge of local authorities.
Prisoners are released at the discretion of Pyre Falcon and are usually exchanged for State Protectorate or Caldari State citizen prisoners on a one for one basis in chronological order of internment.

The only case in which a Prisoner of War would end up sold into slavery would be if they had commited some egregious offence in the Khanid Kingdom or the Amarrian Empire that warranted such a punishment. These prisoners are remanded to those authorities as soon after internment as is possible - the same way that criminals wanted in Federation, State and Republic space are.

I remain available for questions should someone want to clear up any details I missed, but I hope this clears up any misunderstandings.

Are work camps for prisoners of war considered slavery? Then every empire is guilty of it.

And how many out source such camps to an entity known for its slave trade? Save your holier than thou attitude for those who care, slaver.

It is what it is, even other Caldari have said as much. PYRE are now naught but legal loop hole slavers.

And say what you will Civire. You are what you are.

The opinion of a Sansha matters in this because...?

And you feel a need to do this by giving them to slaver filth as opposed to keeping them in your own camps? Keeping them within State borders as POWs would make clear sense and I would not even bother commenting on the subject if this were the case, as that is how war plays out.

However, your 'investors' seem to enjoy the idea of making the Minmatar and Gallente squirm by giving POWs to slavers and attacking both Empire's morale as opposed to keeping them in the State, which would logically be more efficient.

How interesting, slavers AND sadists.

And why was the initial policy of simply returning POWs to their home should they not be wanted criminals not effective in solving this? It set a good example. Oh well.


It does tend to matter when slavers treat people as animals and not people. I wouldn't be surprised if regular 'medical examines' were soon brought up to ensure the POWs obtained regular doses of 'vitamins.'


No, it's your fault for starting this shame of a policy and denying what it is. Slavery.


No, because POWs are not out sourced. As I said, it appears your shareholders have a sadistic streak. Defend it all you want, others will see through it, and continue to see through it.

Of course, I expect your CEO Veikitaamo to show up and spin her usual PR CYA story with her generous application of legalese to prevent this from being labeled as it truly is because, if the contract is legal, SURELY it isn't slavery. But still, it is what it is.

PYRE are now slavers. No contract language or spouted excuse will change that.

It is if you define slaver as 'something in the Empire that outrages me' as opposed to any legal or factual definition of the word.

To be honest it seems that our policy of simply sending all POWS back home as expeditiously as possible was very wrong-headed since you now seem to view it not as an incredibly magnaminous act, but rather as something you are entitled to. It was a generous policy, one unmatched by any of the of the other organisations within the warzone and it is not surprising that our shareholders feel that captured prisoners of war now ought to be held until exchanged for Caldari crew.

Given the small size of Pyre Falcon and the disproportionately large number of POWs we pluck from space during the course of our legal duties, it ought not to be surprising that our share holders are unwilling to eat the costs for caring and feeding of enemy combatants.

You can call that Slavery if you want. I've been there. I've toured the camps.

All prisoners are held according to STATE law, as is their right. They are repatriated as soon as we can arrange an exchange with similar Caldari prisoners.

This would have been foolish. You do not return captured soldiers to their home country where they can take up arms and fight you again.

These are Caldari built facilities. They are staffed by Caldari or Caldari trained staff. They operate according to Caldari State law, with whatever accomodations have to be made to comply with Kingdom legislation.

They do work for Khanid clients whilst they're waiting for exchange and repatriation.

But don't let facts get in the way of outrage. The previous policy was championed by myself, so I'm hardly pre-disposed to cheer at it's repudiation. It's interesting to note that not ONE SINGLE FDU ENTITY matched it. Not one. Neither did ONE SINGLE TLF ENTITY match it when we were briefly deployed on the Amarr front.

I personally commited to undertaking these inspections because of the misgivings people I respect had about this policy. I have performed my investigation, I have given my report.

A mutual repatriation would simply result in both sides refusing to take prisoners at all, because that would be the only way to ensure those prisoners don't get rearmed and put into the fight again.