A Fishy Whale's Tale
Piracy on the high seas. Terrorists, at the very least, preying on innocent fisherfolk. Turned inside out, heartless fishers intent on harpooning rare whales simply because they can, claiming whaling to be a part of its "culture". While concerned environmentalists and animal-rights activists put their lives on the line to save these intelligent creatures.
Two activists with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in inflatable dinghies approached the Japanese harpoon ship the Yushin Maru No.2, concluding a high-speed chase in the Antarctic, where the two men boarded the ship to deliver a letter of protest against Japan's whaling program. That's where the kidnapping allegations derived from as the men were held for two days.
For their part, the indignant, put-upon Japanese named the activists rather politely, as "intruders" who took it upon themselves to illegally board their ship, going on with increasing fervour to accuse them of terrorism and piracy. While the Sea Shepherd spokespeople spoke of their emissaries as being held hostage, after being kidnapped.
Words flew forth, blistering the air between Tokyo and Canberra. Australia agreed to intervene and "rescued" Giles Lane, a Brit, and Benjamin Potts, an Australian, transferring them to the safety of an Australian customs ship with the oh so romantic name of Oceanic Viking. A rendezvous was arranged with the Sea Shepherd vessel to reunite it with the activists.
"As soon as we get our crew members back, we'll be looking for the [Japanese] fleet again, and we'll be using whatever tactics we can to stop them" said a spokeswoman for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. "That's what we came down here for." Yes, indeed, they did and they most certainly will.
Japanese officials declare innocence of mistreatment, that they offered the men a cabin, showers and meals. "It became very clear ... that Sea Shepherd had no intention of retrieving their two intruders, who boarded the Yushin Maru No.2 with backpacks carrying a change of clothes, toiletries and other sundry items. They were certainly intending a long sojourn aboard our vessel and Sea Shepherd had no intention to helping to remove them."
A scurrilous charge if untrue; a charge of scurrilous intent if true. Either way plenty of harrumphing and hurt feelings as each side traded heated accusations against the other. The Sea Shepherd Society that its men were assaulted and maltreated; the Japanese authorities that they had been looked after well, and were not at all harmed.
Paul Watson, yes that one, the infamous Paul Watson, he of blustery accusations and deliberate intent here and there and everywhere in defence of our natural world, said the Institute for Cetacean Research (the Japanese research body claiming the need to hunt whales as a scientific enquiry, not a mealtime inquisition) sent a "rather juvenile ransom note" stipulating conditions for the men's return; basically that they refrain from further action.
"My answer to them was that we weren't going to recognize any demands" he said. "When you hold hostages and make demands, that's the behaviour of a terrorist organization."
However, refuted Hideki Moronuki, whaling chief of the Japanese Fisheries Agency, "We didn't attach any conditions to the handover of the two men, unlike what's reported by Sea Shepherd. But of course, we want to be sure that the handover could be carried out safely without further intrusion by them."
And here's where the plot kind of sickens; Japanese officials claiming the activists had attempted to immobilize the propeller of the whaling ship, and also tossed bottles of acid onto its decks. Not so, corrected the Sea Shepherd spokespeople, the bottles were full of rancid butter. Now to the fastidious, health-conscious, food-addicted Japanese that is tantamount to blasphemy.
Moreover, the Sea Shepherd activists are boasting that they've been highly successful in intimidating the Japanese: "They're actually quite afraid of us, and they've made that pretty obvious in the last few days with all their talk of how they don't dare approach us."
How supremely dastardly. Now, who are the terrorists?
Two activists with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in inflatable dinghies approached the Japanese harpoon ship the Yushin Maru No.2, concluding a high-speed chase in the Antarctic, where the two men boarded the ship to deliver a letter of protest against Japan's whaling program. That's where the kidnapping allegations derived from as the men were held for two days.
For their part, the indignant, put-upon Japanese named the activists rather politely, as "intruders" who took it upon themselves to illegally board their ship, going on with increasing fervour to accuse them of terrorism and piracy. While the Sea Shepherd spokespeople spoke of their emissaries as being held hostage, after being kidnapped.
Words flew forth, blistering the air between Tokyo and Canberra. Australia agreed to intervene and "rescued" Giles Lane, a Brit, and Benjamin Potts, an Australian, transferring them to the safety of an Australian customs ship with the oh so romantic name of Oceanic Viking. A rendezvous was arranged with the Sea Shepherd vessel to reunite it with the activists.
"As soon as we get our crew members back, we'll be looking for the [Japanese] fleet again, and we'll be using whatever tactics we can to stop them" said a spokeswoman for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. "That's what we came down here for." Yes, indeed, they did and they most certainly will.
Japanese officials declare innocence of mistreatment, that they offered the men a cabin, showers and meals. "It became very clear ... that Sea Shepherd had no intention of retrieving their two intruders, who boarded the Yushin Maru No.2 with backpacks carrying a change of clothes, toiletries and other sundry items. They were certainly intending a long sojourn aboard our vessel and Sea Shepherd had no intention to helping to remove them."
A scurrilous charge if untrue; a charge of scurrilous intent if true. Either way plenty of harrumphing and hurt feelings as each side traded heated accusations against the other. The Sea Shepherd Society that its men were assaulted and maltreated; the Japanese authorities that they had been looked after well, and were not at all harmed.
Paul Watson, yes that one, the infamous Paul Watson, he of blustery accusations and deliberate intent here and there and everywhere in defence of our natural world, said the Institute for Cetacean Research (the Japanese research body claiming the need to hunt whales as a scientific enquiry, not a mealtime inquisition) sent a "rather juvenile ransom note" stipulating conditions for the men's return; basically that they refrain from further action.
"My answer to them was that we weren't going to recognize any demands" he said. "When you hold hostages and make demands, that's the behaviour of a terrorist organization."
However, refuted Hideki Moronuki, whaling chief of the Japanese Fisheries Agency, "We didn't attach any conditions to the handover of the two men, unlike what's reported by Sea Shepherd. But of course, we want to be sure that the handover could be carried out safely without further intrusion by them."
And here's where the plot kind of sickens; Japanese officials claiming the activists had attempted to immobilize the propeller of the whaling ship, and also tossed bottles of acid onto its decks. Not so, corrected the Sea Shepherd spokespeople, the bottles were full of rancid butter. Now to the fastidious, health-conscious, food-addicted Japanese that is tantamount to blasphemy.
Moreover, the Sea Shepherd activists are boasting that they've been highly successful in intimidating the Japanese: "They're actually quite afraid of us, and they've made that pretty obvious in the last few days with all their talk of how they don't dare approach us."
How supremely dastardly. Now, who are the terrorists?
Labels: Environment, Inconvenient Politics, Society
posted by Pieface | 5:32 PM
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