OUTRAGE OVER WHALING ... #2 <cont>

Latest media report. With quite a few before this. 10 am (EST) & the held men haven't been handed back to to Sea Shepherd.:

Japan to release men on whaling ship
January 16, 2008 - 9:29AM/the AGE

Japan has agreed to release two anti-whaling activists held on board a whaling ship in Antarctic waters, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith says.

Mr Smith said Japan had agreed to release Benjamin Potts, 28, of Sydney, and Giles Lane, 35, from Britain, after the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and embassy officials in Tokyo approached the Japanese government.

"Late last night I was advised the Japanese had agreed to this and they had instructed the relevant whaling ship to return the men to the Steve Irwin," he told ABC radio.

"The most important thing here is the safety and welfare of the two men concerned and we do as the Australian government want their immediate release.

"My most recent advice, which is in the last hour, is that that transfer has not yet occurred and I'm calling upon both parties, both the Steve Irwin and Sea Shepherd and the Japanese whaling vessel, to effect immediately their safe return of the two men concerned."

The activists boarded the Japanese harpoon vessel Yushin Maru No. 2 about 4pm (AEDT) on Tuesday to deliver a written plea to stop killing whales.

A witness said the pair, from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society vessel Steve Irwin, were tied to the rails of the ship and immersed up to their waists in freezing Antarctic seawater after an attempt to throw one overboard.

Mr Smith refused to be drawn on whether he considered the two men had been held hostage.

But he said Australian Federal Police (AFP) were evaluating the situation.

"From the very first day I urged all parties in this matter to exercise restraint," he said.

"It's quite clearly the case that restraint hasn't occurred here.

"If there is any illegal or unlawful activity in respect to this matter then not only do I not condone that, I condemn it.

"But I think the priority here for the Australian government and for Australians is for the immediate, safe and secure return of these men to the Steve Irwin."

Japan said the men were never tied up and had been taken to a secure room after illegally boarding the vessel.

Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson, whose is captaining the vessel of the detained crew members, said he had not been told by authorities in either Japan or Australia that his crew would be returned.

Mr Watson said since the Japanese were said to have given their commitment to return the men to the whaling vessel, they appeared to have pulled further away from his.

"I have only heard about this from you. We certainly want our crew members back, but I don't know if they are just talking. Everybody talks, but nobody does anything down here," Mr Watson told AAP.

"We haven't been notified by anybody. Not Australia, not Japan, not anybody. We are not even sure where the Yushin Maru No. 2 is.

"It has disappeared off our radar screen."

He said despite numerous attempts to contact the Japanese ship there had been no replies to his radio calls.

"We have tried many times to communicate with them but there is no answer," he said.

Mr Watson said his crew would consider a rescue mission if the men were not returned to his craft.

"It is always a possibility. I mean, we do have a reputation for being aggressive. We are non-violent, we have never injured anybody, but we are certainly not afraid of taking aggressive measures," Mr Watson said.

"We have got some ideas, but we have to look at putting them in place."

http://news.theage.com.au/japan-to-release-men-on-whaling-ship/20080116-1m6d.html

Posted 3 hours 2 minutes ago
Updated 1 hour 4 minutes ago/ABC NEWS online


Boarding party: One of the Sea Shepherd activists apparently tied up on board the Japanese whaling vessel (photo:Sea Shepherd)

....Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith says the Japanese Government has agreed to free two Sea Shepherd anti-whaling activists who are being held on board a Japanese whaling ship in Antarctic waters.

Australian Benjamin Potts and British man Giles Lane, from the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin, were detained after they boarded the whaling ship yesterday. .....

.....The Australian Government says it is too early to say if either party acted illegally and Mr Smith says the Australian Federal Police are investigating the incident. .....


http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/16/2139306.htm

WOW, msolga!

Way ta go, Australia!

Strange times we live in. This is an opinion piece, by opposition (Liberal Party) spokesperson on environmental issues. No doubt, a part of his motivation is to score a few points for his side against the Rudd government. But there is quite a bit of what he's proposing that I agree with.:

Anti-whaling stance looking like a sham
By Greg Hunt

Posted 2 hours 24 minutes ago
Updated 2 hours 4 minutes ago/ABC NEWS online


Action ... Greg Hunt says that the Howard government moved late last year to protect humpbacks. (File photo) (AFP)

Some years ago as a backpacker on a dive boat, I was fortunate to be surrounded by a pod of pilot whales. The majesty of the encounter has stayed with me ever since then.

Whales are such astonishing and awe-inspiring creatures that they appeal to our innate sense of mystery and wonder about the natural world.

It is not surprising that their destruction arouses such a justifiably passionate response among Australians.

Now, in the Southern Ocean we see that there is conflict between crew of the Sea Shepherd's Steve Irwin and the Japanese whalers. Two crew members from the Steve Irwin have been detained amid differing accounts from the environmentalists and the whalers.

Two actions are needed immediately.

First, Kevin Rudd must finally do what we have been constructively proposing for almost a month now and pick up the phone and call his Japanese counterpart Prime Minister Fukuda.

You can do that when you're the Prime Minister.

His predecessor John Howard quietly dispatched then foreign minister Alexander Downer - only four days before the election - to argue face-to-face with the new Japanese Prime Minister the case for the preservation of the great humpbacks. This was a reportedly a watershed moment in the move to protect the majestic humpbacks.

In light of this history it was particularly disappointing that Mr Rudd refused to call the Japanese personally. While I have no problem with him enjoying the cricket, his first task is to carry out the duties of state and the anti-whaling cause was abandoned during what, in years to come, will be known as "the Long Holiday".

In particular, while our new Prime Minister was at the cricket, watching the fireworks and hosting the glitterati at Kirribilli - all in violation of his pledge of November 29 not to take holidays - the Japanese whalers were at work and the Australian monitoring ship was stuck in port.

Indeed, the whole world knew that the surveillance ship remained in Fremantle Harbour for weeks and weeks and that the promised surveillance plane was also grounded.

With so little action to show for all of its big talk, the Australian Government's anti-whaling stance is beginning to look like a sham.

Now Mr Rudd needs to tell the Japanese Prime Minister directly that Australia is serious: the crew of the Steve Irwin should be released immediately; the Japanese must understand the strength Australian feelings on this issue; and that the Japanese should respect the decision of the Federal Court.

We will offer strong bi-partisan support for such an action.

Second, there must be a guarantee that the Oceanic Viking will finally arrive as promised in the Southern Ocean.

Not only did the delay break faith with the Australian people, it sent the message to Japan that the big promise was merely a domestic political stunt. In part, the month-long delay in the departure and arrival of the Oceanic Viking sub-contracted the Australian Government's monitoring pledge to non-government organisations (NGOs).

In turn, when the radio calls of the NGOs were simply rejected at Canberra's instruction, the NGOs took matters into their own hands.

In short, instead of being a cop on the beat, the Oceanic Viking became a ghost ship when it was most needed. It must now arrive to not only help monitor and protect the great whales of the south but also to help act a balance and to keep the peace on the high seas.

Finally, for the many Australians who care deeply about the unnecessary suffering inflicted on some of the world's most gentle and majestic creatures, I suggest they not wait for the Australian Government but feel part of the process and write directly to the Japanese Prime Minister.

Councils could write to sister cities and schools to sister schools politely asking the people of Japan to stand up for these great creatures of the deep.

Against this background it is worth remembering that Australia has led the world in the last decade by repeatedly forging winning coalitions of anti-whaling nations in the International Whaling Commission.

Now, if we are not to go backwards, Mr Rudd must call the Japanese Prime Minister, the Oceanic Viking must arrive in the Southern Ocean and our Government must keep its promises to help protect these great whales.

Greg Hunt is a federal MP and opposition spokesman for climate change, environment and urban water.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/16/2139372.htm

Our news media is awash with whaling-related issues today, Stradee. The two Sea Shepherd "hostages" have received a lot of air time/text space & talkback time. Still not free despite the promises. (An interesting read in one of the papers about how nicely they are being treated by their captors - clean sheets, warm beds, lovely food, no rough treatment ...! :wink: ) But thankfully, this has also been used (by some) as an opportunity to discuss whale conservation concerns & what Australia should be doing in the prevailing circumstances. Stephen Smith, government spokesperson on the issue, has talked much today about "diplomacy" with Japan on resolving the current impasse & also in regard to long-term whaling concerns. Sadly, the government's actions (or lack of!) right now certainly do not appear to match it's earlier strongly stated convictions & intentions on the issue. Unless something meaningful is happening behind the scenes. But who know?

Latest update.
(I just heard an ABC radio report in which Stephen Smith (Oz foreign affairs minister) has made a second request to the Japanese government for the release of the two being held.):

Activist handover stalled: whalers
Posted 1 hour 0 minutes ago
Updated 41 minutes ago/ABC NEWS online


All at sea: Sea Shepherd protesters Benjamin Potts (l) and Giles Lane (r) in a picture released by the Japanese whaling company (Institute of Cetacean Research)

A spokesman for the Japanese whalers who are holding two Sea Shepherd activists on board their ship say they cannot contact the men's vessel to organise their return.

Australian Benjamin Potts and British man Giles Lane, from the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin, were detained after they boarded the whaling ship yesterday.

Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith says the Japanese Government has agreed to a request to return the men to their ship.

But a spokesman for Japan's Institute for Cetacean Research, Glen Inwood, has told Sky TV that the handover is proving difficult, and accused Sea Shepherd of dragging the affair on to get extra publicity.

"Attempts have been made overnight to negotiate or to contact Sea Shepherd, but they're not answering phone calls or emails at this stage," he said.

"I believe that they want to continue this for as long as possible. They're obviously getting a fair amount of media coverage on this, but we're still making attempts to contact them."

Sea Shepherd spokesman Ian Campbell is urging the Japanese whalers to return the men to the Steve Irwin immediately.

The former Coalition environment minister says the whalers should face penalties for detaining them on board.

"They mean the Japanese whalers no harm, they should not have been deprived of their liberty," he said.

"If there are laws in place that would see the people who have deprived these people of their liberty [sanctioned], then they should be subject to those laws."

Earlier the Steve Irwin's captain Paul Watson said he had not been informed about plans for the release of the men.

He said Sea Shepherd would not accept conditions he said had been demanded by the Japanese in return for the release of the men.

"The Institute for Cetacean Research contacted us and said that there was a condition on us getting the men back and that condition was that we would refrain from harassing and interfering with their whaling operations," he said.

"That's certainly a condition we're not going to meet."

Mr Smith has urged both groups to work together to release the men as soon as possible.

"The Australian Government wants the two gentlemen released in a safe and secure condition," he said.

"And the Japanese Government also wants that to occur. What is now needed is the cooperation of the two vessels involved."

A former Australian diplomat says the situation unfolding in the Southern Ocean is a test of the new Labor Government.

Professor Richard Broinowski says the foreign ministries of Japan and Australia must work together to ensure a compromise to maintain good bilateral relations.

"There has to be a good degree of understanding," he said.

"The worst thing that can happen is to back the Japanese into a corner by putting men on their ships.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/16/2139538.htm

msolga, my guess is something meaningful is happening behind the scenes.

I do agree though that people are impatient, but politically, Australia is taking decisive action, imo.

Greenpeace's visibility is crucial also. We'll learn more from the when released Steve Irwin crewmembers.

You won't believe this, but 36 hours later & still nothing has been resolved. Amazing. I just heard Australia's deputy prime minister, Julia Gillard, interviewed by Jon Fain, on local ABC radio. He put it to her that surely by now, given that an Australian citizen has been held for so long, that the Australian government ought to be playing a more active role to resolve the "hostage" stand-off? And that the reticence being shown by the Australian government was an indication of the nature of the extreme "sensitivity" between the two governments over the whaling issue. She responded that government was involved, via the Australian police & that no "conditions" demands should be required to be met in exchange for the release ....:

Protest group pleas for hostages
James Madden and Peter Alfred
January 17, 2008/the AUSTRALIAN

THE group behind two anti-whaling protesters held on a Japanese ship in the Antarctic has urged Japan to end the "hostage situation".

Sea Shepherd international director Jonny Vasic says said he was unable to confirm reports the Japanese harpoon vessel, Yushin Maru No 2, which has detained two crew members of the anti-whaling ship the Steve Irwin, was on its way back to Japan.

"We have lost the Yushin Maru on our radar," he said.

"We feel they're probably in the area.

"We have heard the reports they are heading back to Japan but we can't confirm them.

"We're currently in the Southern Ocean in the (whale) sanctuary.

"We're hoping the Japanese government will step in and do the right thing."

Mr Vasic said discussions so far on the fate of Australian Benjamin Potts, 28, and Briton Giles Lane, 35, who have been detained on board the Yushin Maru No 2 since late Tuesday, amounted to extortion.

He said the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society could not agree to demands made by the Japanese whaling research authority, The Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR), as part of negotiations for the release of the two men.

According to Sea Shepherd, these demands include agreeing not to take any action against the whaling activities, or filming or photographing the hunt.

"They're also demanding we send a Zodiac (boat) 10 miles (16km) out from out ship with no air cover and no kind of support, and that's just dangerous for us," Mr Vasic told the Nine Network today.

"We want to talk to the Japanese government and the Australian government and find out why our crew members have not been returned to us.

"Apparently the Japanese government has told the Yushin Maru No 2 to give our crew members back and yet we still don't have them on board.

"So we want to know why they haven't been released.

"They (the Yushin Maru No 2) are making demands of us and holding two of our crew members hostage.

"That's extortion and we have no interest in negotiating with criminals.

"They are out there breaking the law.

"We want someone official from the Japanese government to take charge.

"Last I knew, when someone was taken hostage the government negotiates on their behalf, not the Institute for Cetacean Research, which doesn't hold any power or authority for the Japanese.

"The reality is that the ICR is a front for the government to try to resume commercial whaling and we have no interest in talking to them.

Mr Vasic refused to be drawn on reports that Sea Shepherd was planning "a commando style" operation to free the two crew members of the Steve Irwin.

"We cannot talk about what we may or may not do, all we're interested in is getting our crew members back," he said. ....<cont>

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23064648-2702,00.html

From the AUSTRALIAN newspaper. A cartoon comment about how well the two "hostages" are being treated by their whaling ship captors. It almost sounds like they were having a lovely time!: warm sheets, comfy beds, great food! Etc.:

Latest update.:

Whalers threaten to take activists to Japan
Posted 1 hour 5 minutes ago
Updated 58 minutes ago/ABC NEWS online


Still held: Benjamin Potts (l) and Giles Lane (r) (Institute of Cetacean Research)

A spokesman for the Japanese whaling fleet says it will have no choice but to take two detained activists back to Japan if a dispute over their release is not resolved.

Australian Benjamin Potts and Briton Giles Lane have been held for two days since boarding the Japanese ship the Yushin Maru in the Southern Ocean.

Glenn Inwood from the Institute of Cetacean Research says the activists may have to be taken to Japan.

"Two men have committed a breach of international law by illegally boarding a flagged vessel," he said.

"So really, at the moment, nobody wants those men, but they'll be taken back to Tokyo if they don't get off the boat."

The Japanese have offered to return the men, but only if their Sea Shepherd anti-whaling group stops its protests.

Sea Shepherd has rejected the demand.

The Brisbane-based mother of Mr Potts, Marianne Potts, says she is hoping for the safe release of her son but does not want to say anything which might inflame the situation.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/17/2140406.htm

And Sea Shepherd's current position:

We're dealing with terrorists: Sea Shepherd


Benjamin Potts, second right, and Giles Lane, second left, are restrained with rope.
Photo: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

Dylan Welch
January 17, 2008 - 11:19AM

The anti-whaling group in the middle of a slanging match with the Japanese whaling fleet has branded them "criminals" and "terrorists" and would not rule out trying to board the ship holding two of their crew captive.

"These guys are criminals and we must remember that," said Sea Shepherd Conservation Society spokesman Jonny Vasic.

"We have no intention of having [the whaling fleet] demanding anything from us while they are breaking international law," Mr Vasic told Sky News this morning.

He refused to comment on reports that Paul Watson, the captain of the Sea Shepherd's vessel, Steve Irwin, threatened to attempt to "rescue" his two captured sailors - Australian Benjamin Potts, 28, and Briton Giles Lane, 35 - by sending more crew to the Yushin Maru No.2, where they are still confined.

"At the moment we're not willing to talk about what we will or will not do, we just hope a diplomatic solution can be found."

Meanwhile, (Australian) foreign minister Stephen Smith says an Australian customs vessel, Oceanic Viking, may be used to transfer Potts and Lane from the whaler back to Sea Shepherd.

"I can advise the Oceanic Viking is currently within sighting distance of the Japanese whaling vessel, including the Yushin Maru,'' Mr SMith said in Perth.

Mr Watson told Macquarie Radio this morning the pursuit of the fleet of five whaling vessels would not stop until they stopped killing whales.

"The fact that they're holding hostages and making demands, that's extortion and that's the kind of activity you'd expect from a terrorist organisation and we're demanding that they release the hostages without any conditions at all."

Mr Potts and Mr Lane boarded Yushin Maru No.2 with a letter to give to the vessel's captain, Mr Watson said.

He denied reports the pair threw acid on the Japanese ship's deck.

"When our two people went on board they went peacefully with a message for the captain," he said.

"After that we tried to stop the vessel every way we could and one of the ways was to throw stink bombs onto the deck, it's really ... rotten butter, and that was in an effort to deter them to try and get them to stop so that we could get the return of our people."

The Japanese Government ordered Maru to return Mr Potts and Mr Lane to Steve Irwin, Mr Watson said.

"Japan's threatened to take them back to Japan and put them on trial for piracy, which is somewhat ludicrous, but they're coming under increasing pressure the longer they keep these people hostage," he said.

"I'm hoping they will come to their senses and release them soon otherwise it's just an ongoing international incident and I don't see Japan benefiting from that."

- with AAP

http://www.smh.com.au/news/whale-watch/these-guys-are-terrorists-sea-shepherd/2008/01/17/1200419924923.html

Letter that led to capture of anti-whaling men
January 16, 2008/SMH

The letter that led to the capture of an Australian and a British man aboard a Japanese whaling shift was hastily drafted by the captain of the Sea Shepherd vessel that had pursued it.

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society international director Jonny Vasic said Captain Paul Watson of the Steve Irwin had tried for more than an hour to hail the Yushin Maru No.2.

Captain Watson then drafted the following letter and sent Australian Benjamin Potts and Briton Giles Lane in a Zodiac boat to the Yushin Maru to hand it to the Japanese ship's captain.

It read:

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.

AAP

http://www.smh.com.au/news/whale-watch/letter-that-led-to-capture-of-antiwhaling-men/2008/01/16/1200419860017.html

A very long update!:

Rudd calls for calm over whaling stand-off
January 17, 2008 - 3:23PM/Sydney Morning Herald

Latest related coverage:
- Gillard calls for release
- Family urges quick resolution
- Japan being humiliated: ex-minister
- Captured crewmen won't go to Japan: activists

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has called on the Japanese Government and environmental activists to exercise restraint to allow the safe return of two men being detained on a Japanese whaling vessel.

Australian Benjamin Potts, 28, and Briton Giles Lane, 35, were captured by the Japanese whalers after the pair boarded the Yushin Maru No. 2 on Tuesday to deliver a letter of protest.

Whalers claim the pair boarded the craft illegally and say Sea Shepherd has damaged the Japanese vessels by entangling their propellers and pouring acid on the Yushin Maru No. 2.

They have said the men will be taken to Tokyo to face piracy charges if no deal to return them could be struck with the activists, and if an Australian Government ship failed to retrieve them.

Speaking in Brisbane today, (Australian prime minister) Mr Rudd said Foreign Minister Stephen Smith was in constant talks with Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda to procure their immediate safe return.

"That remains our intention. That remains the focus of the foreign minister's efforts," he said.

He called on activists and the Japanese Government, through those on board Yushin Maru No. 2, to exercise calm.

"I have concerns about the safety of all people involved with the operation ... therefore I would again urge restraint on the parties, full co-operation on the part of those involved to ensure the safe return of these two individuals," he told reporters.

Mr Rudd said the Australian Government still remained committed to ending commercial whaling.

"The key challenge is how do we bring about the end of commercial whaling, period, into the future, that's what I'm concerned about," he said.

"And [that is] the reason I have foreshadowed, for some time now, the absolute importance of accumulating an evidence base which underpins a possible legal action (that) has that as its single objective.

"This is not scientific whaling - this is commercial whaling."

Activists' release must be unconditional: Gillard

Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the men's release must be unconditional, locking the parties in a stalemate as the pair enter their third day held captive.

"We clearly say that that safe return must happen without any conditions," Ms Gillard told ABC Radio today.

"We have made it clear to the people on the Steve Irwin, that we want to see them co-operate with the safe return of the two individuals involved, that there should be no conditions from their side, no conditions from the Japanese side, other than conditions which may relate to the physical transfer to ensure safety."

Ms Gillard said the Government had been in continuous discussions with the Japanese Government and had been in contact with the Steve Irwin crew through the Australian Federal Police.

Family urges quick resolution

Mr Potts's parents have called for a quick resolution of the standoff.

In a statement released to the media by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Mr Potts's parents said their only concern was the welfare of their son and Mr Lane.

"We urge all parties involved in this incident to ensure that it is resolved as quickly as possible," the Potts family said.

"We are very proud of our son and support him and the anti-whaling campaign being conducted by Sea Shepherd."

The Potts family said they would not be conducting interviews and asked the media to respect their privacy.

Nisshin Maru on way back to site of whaling conflict: Greenpeace

Greenpeace says the Japanese whaling factory Nisshin Maru is on its way back to the hunting zone in the Southern Ocean.

Expedition director Karli Thomas, on board Greenpeace ship Esperanza, said the Nisshin Maru turned back towards the rest of the fleet in the whaling waters on Tuesday.

The Esperanza has been following the Japanese ship since it located the whaling fleet on Saturday.

"She turned two days ago and has started heading back but we're still outside the whaling ground," Ms Thomas told Fairfax Radio today.

"They've been running for six days now, so we're pretty pleased that that's six days of whales that they haven't been killing."

Ms Thomas said she hoped the dispute over the two activists held on the Yushin Maru No. 2 won't escalate.

"We'd be very concerned if that were to happen," she said.

"We hope that this will be resolved as quickly and calmly as possible.

"I mean, this is no place to be having a stand-off between two ships.

"It does need to be resolved and these crew need to be back on board their own ship."

Greenpeace, which favours "direct, non-violent action", occasionally boards ships during campaigns after careful consideration.

There has been no contact between the Esperanza and Australian customs ship Oceanic Viking which set sail for the whaling zone on January 8.

"We would expect them to be down here by now," Ms Thomas said.

Japan being humiliated: Campbell

Japan has been humiliated by its detention of the anti-whaling activists at sea, a former coalition environment minister says.

Ian Campbell has defended the Sea Shepherd activists who boarded the Yushin Maru No. 2 in the Southern Ocean, saying they had made a harmless attempt to deliver an anti-whaling message.

Mr Campbell last week was appointed a member of the conservation group's international advisory board.

He said direct action by Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace were an important part of the anti-whaling message.

"Extreme measures are required," he told Fairfax Radio today.

"This ensures that on television screens around the world and particularly in Japan night after night after night the Japanese are being humiliated by this stupidity and this pig-headedness.

"It will come to an end."

Mr Campbell said the two activists, whom he described as hostages, should be handed back to the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin and the Yushin Maru sent back to Japan.

"They were doing no harm at all ... they are delivering a message on behalf of the whole world to these Japanese people that whaling in the year 2008 is an outrage, that it's against the law and they're using safe methods to communicate that message.

"They should be encouraged and applauded for delivering this message."

Mr Campbell made no apologies for Sea Shepherd's tactics.

"One of the reasons that I've joined them is that they are aggressive, that they are prepared to push the envelope all the time to get the message through and making it incredibly uncomfortable for the Japanese."

Customs vessel may be used to transfer anti-whalers: Smith

An Australian customs vessel may be used to transfer the two activists, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith says.

Mr Smith said the Oceanic Viking customs vessel was being considered as a means of transferring the men from the Japanese vessel to the Steve Irwin.

"Obviously one option in surrendering assistance is the use of the Oceanic Viking and that is one of the options we are currently considering," Mr Smith told reporters in Perth today.

"I can advise the Oceanic Viking is currently within sighting distance of the Japanese whaling vessel, including the Yushin Maru ... "

Mr Smith said he had not been advised of any conditions outlined by the captain of the Japanese vessel.

Australian Government only hope for detainees: Japan

Glenn Inwood, spokesman for the Japanese whaling research authority, the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR), said if the activists would not agree to the men's release on the ICR's terms it was up to the Australian Government to retrieve them.

Failing that, the men would remain on the ship for the duration of the kill and be taken to Japan to face charges of piracy.

Under the ICR's conditions for the men's release, the activists' ship, the Steve Irwin, must remain 10 nautical miles from the whaling vessel and the two detainees would be transferred to a Zodiac inflatable boat, he said.

The protesters would be prohibited from taking any violent action against the Yushin Maru No. 2 or filming the harpoon ship.

"The conditions aren't that erroneous [sic] really, all we're asking is to park your vessel 10 nautical miles away, send the Zodiac and we'll stack them on board," Mr Inwood told AAP.

"It's rather simple really, what the ship does after that is entirely up to [Steve Irwin captain] Paul Watson.

Mr Inwood said the Oceanic Viking could alternatively intervene.

The Australian vessel was charged with monitoring the hunt in December but has so far been missing in action.

"It would be quite acceptable for the Australian government to come up alongside and collect the two men if they really want them and give them back to the Sea Shepherd," Mr Inwood said.

"Where they [the Ocean Viking] are is a mystery and if they want to assist they could.

"You could understand Japan's reluctance to pull up alongside the Sea Shepherd vessel and that's just not going to happen.

"The other option is that the men remain on board for the entire trip and come back to Japan and face charges."

In an ICR letter sent to the Sea Shepherd on Tuesday, activists were told the Japanese respected the two men's wishes to return to their vessel, provided they guaranteed the full security of the whaling ships, Mr Inwood said.

The letter said the men were treated humanely on board, had bathed, slept in comfortable beds and were not subjected to any violence, he said.

Captured crewmen won't go to Japan, vow activists

Mr Watson said he did not intend to sit by if his crew were being transported back to Japan.

"I am not going to allow them to take them back to Japan and put them on trial for piracy," Mr Watson said via satellite phone from his ship, the Steve Irwin.

"We have an obligation to get our people back one way or the other.

"We haven't got a plan yet, but we might have to make one, if the Australian Government or the British Government aren't going to help to get their citizens back then we have to do something," he said.

Mr Watson rejected claims the captured crewmen had committed piracy.

"They had a letter of intent that I specially wrote out to negate that possibility. The letter of intent said: 'We are not out here to rob you or damage your property, we are here to deliver you a message,' " Mr Watson said.

He admitted his group had tried to damage the Japanese ship, but said neither of the captured crew had taken part.

"They didn't do any such thing. After they were seized I sent a crew over to try and stop them [the whalers] and they deployed prop-fouling ropes and we threw stink bombs on board," he said.

Mr Watson accused the Japanese of behaving like terrorists for seizing his crew and making demands for their return.

"The fact that they're holding hostages and making demands, that's extortion and that's the kind of activity you'd expect from a terrorist organisation and we're demanding that they release the hostages without any conditions at all," he told Macquarie Radio this morning.

He welcomed the possibility the activists could be returned to a third party, such as the Australian Government.

"That is fine. We just want to get them off that boat. They are telling everybody that I am refusing to take their calls. I haven't received a call from the Japanese, not one," he said.

He also rejected reported Japanese claims that his vessel was travelling away from the Japanese ship and did not want to see the crew returned.

"They are in front of us. I don't know why they are saying that. In fact we have been trying to catch up with them," he said.

AAP

http://www.smh.com.au/news/whale-watch/rudd-calls-for-calm-over-whaling-standoff/2008/01/17/1200419953373.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

msolga, busy working today but found the msn article regarding the release of Irwin's crewmembers.


Australia picks up activists from whaling ship
Removal allows Japanese vessels to resume killing whales off Antarctica

updated 2 hours, 28 minutes ago
SYDNEY, Australia - An Australian vessel on Friday picked up two activists who had jumped on board a Japanese whaling ship earlier this week, prompting a tense standoff on the high seas.

Their return paves the way for the Japanese crews to resume killing whales, and for their staunchest opponents to restart their campaign of harassment to stop them.

The activists from an anti-whaling group, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, had been detained on the Japanese harpoon boat Yushin Maru 2.


The dispute underscores the high-stakes nature of the contest fought each year in the remote and dangerous seas at the far south of the world, thousands of miles from the possibility of regular emergency or rescue services.

At issue is Japan's foray into the Antarctica in November under a program that allows the killing of minke and fin whales for scientific research, despite an international ban on commercial whaling. Opponents say Japan has used the loophole to kill nearly 10,000 whales over the past two decades and sell their meat on the commercial market.

Australia's Home Minister Bob Debus confirmed that two activists from the radical Sea Shepherd Conservation Society were handed over to the customs ship, the Oceanic Viking.

Sea Shepherd said Australian Benjamin Potts, 28, and Briton Giles Lane, 35, wanted to deliver an anti-whaling letter and then leave, and accused the whalers of taking their members hostage Tuesday. Japanese whaling officials said the activists were acting like pirates.

Australia stepped in to break the impasse Thursday, offering to send the Oceanic Viking to collect the two activists and return them to their ship, the Steve Irwin.

The standoff brought Japan's whaling fleet to a temporary standstill while officials worked out the details of the men's transfer.

Glenn Inwood, a spokesman for the Japanese whaling program, told New Zealand National Radio on Friday that the whaling fleet would now resume its hunting operations.

Paul Watson, captain of the Steve Irwin, said he would resume aggravating the whalers, though it was unlikely members of his crew would again try to board one of the Japanese fleet.

"We have got them back without any conditions and now we are going to continue on harassing and chasing the Japanese fleet," Watson said.

"They are down here illegally killing whales, illegally targeting endangered species ... These people are no different than elephant poachers in Africa or tiger poachers in India," Watson had told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. earlier.

Thanks, Stradee!

Yes, the drama is over! It certainly kept radio talkback participants & any number of Oz blogs very, very busy!

A couple of Oz cartoonists' comments:

#2

(the bald fellow is Oz minister for the environment, Peter Garrett, who was strangely quiet on this (& on many other hot, current environment issues here) .... most likely because he's been gagged & not to be trusted. Especially when "diplomacy" is required! :wink: )

From today's paper. Business as usual resumes in the Southern Ocean.:

Whale fleet hostilities resume after duo's release
Andrew Darby, Hobart
January 19, 2008/the AGE


Giles Lane and Benjamin Potts pictured back on the Steve Irwin.
Photo: Reuters

THE Japanese whaling factory ship Nisshin Maru has fired its water cannon on Greenpeace campaigners as hostilities resumed in the Antarctic only hours after the release of two Sea Shepherd activists.

The mother ship returned to its whaling fleet yesterday in a bid to get the hunt back on track following the crisis sparked by activists boarding a catcher boat.

Nisshin Maru was last night steaming towards a waiting Sea Shepherd vessel that had already attacked the catcher boat, Yushin Maru No. 2., according to the Institute of Cetacean Research. And activists unsuccessfully tried to entangle with ropes on the propeller of one whaling ship.Their release was brokered by the Australian Government, which used a fast boat from Oceanic Viking as an intermediary. Sea Shepherd claimed the outcome as a public relations disaster for the whalers.

"Now that we've got world attention to this issue, we really need to drive it home," Mr Potts said.

But a spokesman for the institute, Glenn Inwood, said the pair's allegations were false. "It is all lies. They were all treated perfectly well," he said.

Since last Saturday, the factory ship Nisshin Maru has tried to shake off the Greenpeace ship Esperanza on a long run into the southern Indian Ocean. It only turned back when Mr Potts and Mr Lane leapt over the rail onto the Yushin Maru No. 2.

The director of the institite, Minoru Morimoto, urged Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace not to interfere further in Japan's research program, which it says is working to improve knowledge of Antarctic whale species and improve development of commercial whaling.

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith has called repeatedly for restraint by all parties.

He said both sides in the incident had made claims that the Australian Federal Police were investigating.

"If … legal consequences follow, then that'll be a matter for the Australian Federal Police."

Mr Potts said he was not formally interviewed and no statement taken in the few hours he was aboard the Oceanic Viking.

Australian National University professor of international law Don Rothwell said Australia had supported resolutions in the International Whaling Commission condemning violent protest.

"Australia, to maintain good faith, will certainly be investigating this incident very seriously," he said.

With AAP


http://www.theage.com.au/news/climate-watch/whaling-hostilities-resume/2008/01/18/1200620210504.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

While it was hard to avoid this issue in the press, it was my understanding that the Jap boat in question was out of Australian waters when the two activists boarded the ship, leaving them with little legal recourse.

I believe the captain of the Jap ship could have quite legally taken them back to Japan.

That said, the laws on the open ocean are literally a legal nightmare.

You have no idea how much I've read, watched & listened to about this over the last few days, Builder!
Legalities, ethics, "terrorists", "piracy", "illegal poachers" .... it goes on & on ....! (actually, I'm listening to to a report on ABC radio right now.)

Me, I'm weighing up issues of "legalities" with moral & ethical issues. I'm happy to discuss this further when I have a bit more time. (By "discuss" I don't mean responding to statements that one side or another are "retards", etc) Last time I got involved in a debate on this thread I was here for god knows how many hours. Can't do that just now. :wink:


In the meantime, anyone is most welcome to post away!



(Hey, good to see you again, Builder! )