Japan 'warship plan' to guard whaling fleet, 12-31-05

[Guest guest]

[Despicable Japan just keeps getting more despicable!

Rick.]

 

Japan 'warship plan' to guard whaling fleet, 12-31-05

Sat, 31 Dec 2005 10:56:09 -0800

 

Japan 'warship plan' to guard whaling fleet

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/japan-warship-plan-to-guard-whaling-f

leet/2005/12/30/1135915692177.html

Email Print Normal font Large font By Andrew Darby,

Hobart

December 31, 2005

 

HARDLINE anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd claims Japan

may be sending a

warship to the Southern Ocean to protect its whaling

fleet from

interference.

 

Dogged by Greenpeace ships, threatened with attack

from Sea Shepherd,

and

enduring bad weather, the fleet's factory ship has not

processed a

whale for

a week.

 

Sea Shepherd, whose ship Farley Mowat has had one

brush with the fleet,

alleges a " reliable source " in Japan gave the tip-off

that a warship

had

left for the Southern Ocean.

 

Japanese Government representatives could not be

reached for comment,

but a

spokesman drew attention to Sea Shepherd's extremism.

 

The group claimed in an internet statement that the

fleet's actions

this

week indicated it might be waiting for help. " The

fleet seems to be

running

in circles, stopping and going in different

directions, " the statement

said.

 

Yesterday Nisshin Maru, with Greenpeace ship Esperanza

tailing it, was

sailing west at about 15 knots far south of Perth. The

fleet's catcher

boats

had not been seen for two days, Greenpeace expedition

leader Shane

Rattenbury said.

 

" They have had a couple of days where conditions have

been perfectly

good

for whaling, and so far it has not resumed, " Mr

Rattenbury said.

Greenpeace

had considered that the high-speed run could be an

attempt to use up

fuel,

forcing the activists to leave the whaling fleet,

which can be

refuelled at

sea.

 

" We are confident that we have the endurance to stay

with them for some

time, " he said.

 

Mr Rattenbury said that if Sea Shepherd's claim proved

true, it would

be a

significant escalation in the crisis.

 

" It would not deter us, but it would pose the question

of what to do to

the

anti-whaling governments, " he said.

 

Environment Minister Ian Campbell reiterated that Sea

Shepherd's

threats to

attack the fleet risked setting back the cause of

whale conservation

many

years.

 

On December 21, Greenpeace located and engaged the

Japanese fleet

working in

waters the Australian Government has declared a whale

sanctuary. Since

then

the fleet has dipped in and out of the 200 nautical

mile limit off the

Australian Antarctic Territory.

 

Japan is among nations that do not recognise this

Australian limit.

Under

the Antarctic Treaty, which suspends all territorial

claims, Australia

cannot press its limit on foreigners.

 

Nevertheless, calls have come from Greens leader Bob

Brown for the

Australian Government to send a vessel to observe the

whalers.

 

Sea Shepherd believes Japan has been preparing the

ground for seizing

any

attacking vessel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

for Good - Make a difference this year.

http://brand./cybergivingweek2005/