ManusJustusNardus on 16 January 2008
Anti-whaling group demands return of 'seized' activists
An anti-whaling group is accusing the crew of a Japanese vessel of kidnapping two activists who climbed on board the ship to try to stop its whaling operations in Antarctic waters. Australian citizen Benjamin Potts and British citizen Giles Lane -- both members of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society -- came on board the Yushin Maru No. 2 Tuesday.
They tried to deliver a letter saying the vessel was violating international law and Australian law by killing whales.
A video from Sea Shepherd shows the two men tied to the ship's railing at one point while Japanese fishermen pace back and forth in front of them. "They were seized by the crew and assaulted," said Capt. Paul Watson, founder of Sea Shepherd.
"They're being held hostage, they've been kidnapped and the Japanese are trying to use them to try and extort an agreement out of us, which is to leave them alone ... which to me is a form of terrorism."
Sea Shepherd claims Japan's Institute for Cetacean Research -- which is backing the operations -- has said it will release the two activists if Sea Shepherd agrees to stop interfering in its whaling operations. The group says it will not agree to that demand.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/01/16/activists.ship/index.html
An anti-whaling group is accusing the crew of a Japanese vessel of kidnapping two activists who climbed on board the ship to try to stop its whaling operations in Antarctic waters. Australian citizen Benjamin Potts and British citizen Giles Lane -- both members of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society -- came on board the Yushin Maru No. 2 Tuesday.
They tried to deliver a letter saying the vessel was violating international law and Australian law by killing whales.
A video from Sea Shepherd shows the two men tied to the ship's railing at one point while Japanese fishermen pace back and forth in front of them. "They were seized by the crew and assaulted," said Capt. Paul Watson, founder of Sea Shepherd.
"They're being held hostage, they've been kidnapped and the Japanese are trying to use them to try and extort an agreement out of us, which is to leave them alone ... which to me is a form of terrorism."
Sea Shepherd claims Japan's Institute for Cetacean Research -- which is backing the operations -- has said it will release the two activists if Sea Shepherd agrees to stop interfering in its whaling operations. The group says it will not agree to that demand.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/01/16/activists.ship/index.html
I'm not exactly an environmentalist, but I dont see how killing a thousand whales can accomplish much scientific research. I also dont see why the whalers are allowed to continually hold the hostages and not return them to Australia or Britian.
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