Japanese Whalers Fall For Photo Opportunity Trick
Are they hostages, or pirates arrested while seeking to interfere with shipping in international waters?
The actions of Benjamin Potts and Giles Lane were risky to say the least, but if they intended to highlight the actions of the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean, they certainly succeeded!
It was certainly no coincidence that cameras were at the ready on the Sea Shepherd group’s ship, the Steve Irwin.
With their skipper threatening vengeance on the high seas, temperatures are certainly rising in the Southern Ocean.
Tom Watson denies that the pair were engaged piracy, and says he’s not prepared to see them taken back to Tokyo to stand trial.
The whalers claim that the pair fouled their ship’s propellers, and threw acid on the deck.
The Australian government has now offered to send its customs ship, the Oceanic Viking, to the area.
Hideki Moronuki, from Japan’s Fisheries Agency reacted positively to the suggestion.
“If concrete, Japan would greatly welcome such a move because it would be one step forward in resolving this problem,” he said.
Prime Minister Rudd has called for calm from both the Japanese and activists. Oceanic Viking was in sight of the fleet at 2.50pm Australian Eastern Summer Time.
Whatever the outcome, the situation has certainly brought whaling, and the annual hunt, into the public spotlight.
Yushin Maru ©Greenpeace/Jiri Rezac
Japan is planning to cull 1,000 whales in this season’s hunt as part of its ongoing scientific study.
Greenpeace reports that the whaling fleet has been unable to hunt for the past five days after the factory ship, Nisshin Maru was chased out of the area, although it is now reported to be heading south again.
The area that the ships are operating in has been designated as the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
Under the ‘scientific program’, which is subsidised by the Japanese government, whale meat is sold to the Japanese public, although there are massive stockpiles of the meat.
For further details, click the link to Greenpeace.org. below.
Links And Sources
Greenpeace Confronts Japanese Ships
Oceanic Viking offers to pick up ‘hostages’ – News Ltd.
Whaling Fleet prevented from Killing Whales – Greenpeace.org
Activists still held – Sky News
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