Two crew of the Sea Shepherd who illegally boarded the Japanese whaling ship Yushin Maru No. 2 in the Antarctic have been captured. According to the Director General of the Institute of Cetacean Research, Mr Minoru Morimoto, Ben Potts and Giles Lane (both of the Sea Shepherd) attempted to entangle the screw of the vessel using ropes and threw bottles of acid onto the decks before boarding.
Ben Potts
Giles Lane
“Any accusations that we have tied them up or assaulted them are completely untrue,” Mr Morimoto said. “It is illegal to board another country’s vessels on the high seas. As a result, at this stage, they are being held in custody while decisions are made on their future.”
Acid Bottle Smashed on Deck
Acid Bottle Thrown by Pirates
More than 3,000 messages at 2ch on the story of "Sea Shepherd activists (terrorists) treated with 'Tempura'. Their own room, and even a '3 pm snack' each day'. (Plus thousands more messages on other similar threads)
Yet the Aussie mass media eagerly reported their "hunger strike" 😉
Jennifer why do you post press releases from the single-minded Institute for Cetacean Reductions but not from the SS pirates? Has the political banner for this blog replaced all pretense at even handed debate?
Have a good look!
http://oceans.greenpeace.org/raw/image_full/en/photo-audio-video/photos/the-yushin-maru-catcher-ship-o.jpg
I'm glad you find your illogical rantings funny David. They provide some entertainment for others too!
Don't be sorry Travis, I got a laugh out of it.
for some light relief:
http://www.highnorth.no/Cartoon/th-gr-in.htm
rog,
Very much so. This has worked out good for Japan - had that Australian spy vessel not been dispatched when it was, the Japanese wouldn't be able to request it's cooperation to get rid of these illegal trespassers so easily. So the spies are now aiding Japan in getting it's whaling operations underway again. I hope the Japanese at least oblige them with some "evidence" for their trouble, gotta save face for Australia since they are friends with Japan.
I said before the election that I hoped the Rudd govt be elected and I'm certainly glad of that now, now all I hope for things to be perfect is for Australia to take a case to court in accordance with advice from guys like Professor Rothwell, who sure seems to know a thing or two about law, but (to my mind) jack-all about the scientific issues involved in the dispute, which is ultimately why his legal advice will fail (same with the SBT case).
My understanding is that GP has been roped in to deliver messages.
>The Japanese media have been able to get through to us
So it is perfectly reasonable that they got the info from here.
>I believe Morimoto was refering to the circumstances in which the illegal trespassers were being held, which is probably why the photo images were released.
Sorry David, don't follow you.
From the headiness of the 2007 election campaign the neophyte ALP govt are now clearly floundering; Foreign Minister Smith just spent 10 minutes waffling on about their no1 priority - ensuring safety of "captured" Sea Shepherd persons.
Forget the original pledge to use the Aust. Navy to monitor whale catching operations and use foreign trade as a weapon; now its about beating a hasty retreat.
"If it wins office, Labor plans to use military resources, such as surveillance aircraft, to monitor the whaling vessels and gather evidence to mount a case against their so-called scientific research.
Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Robert McClelland believes Australians are "offended and distressed" by Japan's killing of whales and dolphins, which often end up on their dining tables.
"It's a live issue out there and that has to be communicated to the Japanese representatives," he told reporters.
"That is going to be a really strong point of emphasis for a future Labor government."
Mr McClelland said the issue could even be up for discussion during free trade negotiations between Australia and Japan.
"The issue is of such significance to Australians that everything has got to be on the table," he said.
Labor would begin its campaign by trying to get international rulings against whaling - using evidence gained through monitoring - but ultimately wanted to convince the Japanese that it was wrong.
"We are going to use, if appropriate, military resources to monitor the activities of the whaling vessels," Mr McClelland said.
"Currently there is no monitoring. We are dependent upon the reports that they provide, from their self-interest point of view."
Travis, I believe Morimoto was refering to the circumstances in which the illegal trespassers were being held, which is probably why the photo images were released. What do you believe?