Sea Shepherd crew held hostage.

[Kevster]

'Sea Shepherd News
News Releases

01/15/2008

Japanese Whalers holding two Sea Shepherd crew members hostage on whaling ship

ABOARD THE STEVE IRWIN – 15 January 2008 -- 0700 GMT

The captain of the Yushin Maru No. 2 is holding two Sea Shepherd crew hostage.

Australian citizen Benjamin Potts and British citizen Giles Lane have been tied to the radar mast of the harpoon vessel.

The Captain has refused Captain Paul Watson's demand for the release of the crew.

The two crew members boarded the whaler with a message to inform them that they were illegally killing whales in the Southern Whale Sanctuary.

Sea Shepherd is demanding that Australia and Great Britain demand an immediate release of these two crew-members.

The letter stated the following:

To: The Captain of any Japanese ship
Involved with poaching operations in The Australian Antarctic Territorial Economic Exclusion Zone.

Sir,

My name is Giles David Lane

I am a British citizen and an unpaid volunteer on the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society vessel Steve Irwin

I have come onboard your ship because you have refused to acknowledge communication from our ship pertaining to your illegal activities in the waters of the Australian Antarctic Territorial Economic Exclusion Zone.

I am not boarding your ship with the intent to commit a crime, to rob you or to inflict injury upon your crew and yourself or damage to your ship. My reason for boarding is to deliver the message that you are in violation of international conservation law and in violation of the laws of Australia. It is my intent to deliver this message and then to request that you allow me to disembark from your vessel without harm or seizure.

I am empowered to act to uphold these laws in accordance with the United Nations World Charter for Nature and the laws of Australia.

I am boarding you with the request that you please refrain from any further criminal activity in these waters and cease and desist with the continued killing of endangered whales in this designated Whale Sanctuary in violation of the IWC global moratorium on commercial whaling and that you cease and desist in continued violations of Australian law by killing whales within the territorial waters of Australia without permit or permission from the government of Australia.

I am boarding you on the orders of Captain Paul Watson who requests that you treat me with respect and in accordance with the Geneva Convention.'

The hostages are now being held inside the vessel, and the Japanese have made various demands to secure their release.

'Sea Shepherd News
News Releases

01/16/2008

Japanese Whalers Make Demands for Return of Hostages

The Institute of Cetacean Research, the front group for the illegal Japanese whaling operations are making demands for the release of the two Sea Shepherd crew being held hostage onboard the Japanese whaling vessel Yushin Maru No. 2.

The whalers said they will return the hostages in return for Sea Shepherd agreeing to no longer interfere with their whaling operations.

“The Institute of Cetacean Research is acting like a terrorist organization,” said Steve Irwin’s 1st Officer Peter Brown. “Here they are taking hostages and making demands. Our policy is that we don’t respond to terrorist demands.”

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has heard reports from the media that Japan has agreed to release the hostages but the Steve Irwin has not heard anything official from either the Australian or Japanese governments.

“The activities of the Japanese whaling fleet are illegal under international conservation law. The Japanese are poachers and should be treated in the same manner as elephant or tiger poachers,” said Captain Paul Watson.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society will not negotiate with poachers and demands that the Japanese whalers release Benjamin Potts and Giles Lane as soon as possible.

The location of the Yushin Maru No. 2 with the hostages onboard is not known presently. The vessel is no longer in sight or within radar range of the Steve Irwin.'

Latest info. at www.indymedia.org.uk and www.seashepherd.org

[Marrers]

Activists must be freed: Gillard
The federal government remains steadfast in its demand that two detained anti-whaling activists be released without conditions.
http://news.smh.com.au/activists-mus...0117-1mfc.html

A tale of two ships
It's an epic battle being fought out across thousands of miles of empty ocean, with just two boats struggling to stop Japan's whaling expedition in the Antarctic. Trouble is, one belongs to Greenpeace and the other to Sea Shepherd, rival organisations that are as likely to fight each other as the whalers they are hunting down. John Vidal reports
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environmen.../whaling.japan

[eve]

Marrers, thanks for the guardian url - great article by John Vidal.

[eco]

Very good Guardian article. It's a shame that Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd are at odds with each other, lets hope that their lack of cooperation doesn't interfere with their effectiveness in saving the whales. It was bad of Greenpeace not to share coordinates with Sea Shepherd.

[Kevster]

'Australia to act on whaling row

The two activists boarded the Japanese whaler on Tuesday
Australia says it will send a ship to collect two activists from a Japanese whaling vessel, in a bid to end a two-day Antarctic stand-off.

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said a ship monitoring the whalers would retrieve the men as soon as possible. [..]'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asi...ic/7193212.stm

[John]

They're off the whaler now but that goes to show what kind of people they're dealing with and the bravery of dealing with them.

[Roxy]

I hope they weren't hurt at all.

[Sluggie]

I hope they can prosecute them for kidnapping.

[eco]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asi...ic/7193212.stm

http://www.seashepherd.org/news/media_080118_1.html

[eve]

This is an interesting article by Peter Singer in the weekend's UK Guardian, on whaling. http://www.guardian.co.uk/animalrigh...243452,00.html

[Pob]

I was at a showing of Behind the Mask last night, and the Sea Shepherd guys did a presentation, too.

Apparently they have found the Japanese fleet again, though, so hopefully they can get some revenge

[eve]

Yesterday the Japanese whaling fleet resumed its hunt in the Southern Ocean after the departure of protest ships from environmental groups Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd.

Both ships ran out of fuel, but while Greenpeace says it will not return to the Southern Ocean again this summer, Sea Shepherd says it hopes its Steve Irwin vessel will be able to return to the protest once it has refuelled.

Meanwhile the Australian environment minister held a meeting with his Japanese counterpart, and they issued a statement saying they agreed to disagree on whaling.

[eve]

By the way, correction- it was not the environment minister who met with his Japanese counterpart - it was the Australian foreign minister. Sorry about that.

[treehugga]

I've heard at least 5 mink whales have been slaughtered while the ships are refuelling so far. Aust customs vessel has done nothing to intervene

[Campbell]

By the way, correction- it was not the environment minister who met with his Japanese counterpart - it was the Australian foreign minister. Sorry about that.

Because our so-called "environment" minister (Peter Garrett) is spineless... not that Stephen Smith is much better. I wish the government would show some guts for a change! Most Australians would probably support aggressive action to stop the whaling ships.

Sorry if I offended the Peter Garrett fan club, but if he can't stop uranium mining, or the Tasmanian pulp mill, or the dredging of Port Phillip Bay, or deforestation of our water catchments, or destruction of habitat for endangered native wildlife... then he's a phoney!

[Campbell]

Peter, if you're reading this, there's still time to redeem yourself...

[treehugga]

LOL. I sense you are a tad annoyed at Pete

[eve]

aren't we all ?

[Campbell]

as for musicians becoming politicians, wouldn't john butler make a great environment minister...! I'll ask him tomorrow when I see him at Phillip Island.

[treehugga]

John would be excellent, but is probably too nice and caring. He's probably not enough of a capitolist for most people - unfortunately!

[Roxy]

Aust customs vessel has done nothing to intervene

Why won't they do something, if what the Japanese are doing is illegal?

[treehugga]

It boils down to trade and not wanting to rock the boat I think.