Urgent action needed to keep Japan from reopening commercial whaling

May 21, 2006

Note: forwarded message attached.

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Bruce

5/21/2006 8:21:49 AM

Urgent!

Dear Friends,

As you may be aware, the International Whaling Commission ( IWC ) is holding their annual meeting next month and this meeting could have a terrible outcome for the world’s whales. Japan is pushing very hard to resume commercial whaling on a massive scale which will almost certainly wipe out or very seriously compromise the survival of the relatively few whales that remain in our oceans. Since commercial whaling began some 200 years ago it is estimated that 99% of the world whales have already been killed and only 1% now remains. Despite these shocking statistics Japan, Norway and Iceland continue to pressure the world community to drop the moratorium on whaling and open this industry up again on a large commercial basis.

In order to secure the votes they need to take control of the IWC, Japan has been bribing small nations to vote on their side. Even nations that are land locked and therefore have little or nothing to gain from commercial whaling are entitled to a vote providing they pay their membership dues, something Japan has been only too happy to pay for them as well as giving them other financial ‘perks’ to sway them to their side. This type of corruption and underhandedness is obscene and should obviously be illegal yet it is legal and is going on at this very moment.

It is expected that the vote to either continue the moratorium or scrap it and resume wide scale commercial whaling may come down to one or two votes. Unfortunately Belize, which is the country I am writing you from has been infiltrated by the Japanese who have promised the country ( undisclosed ) financial perks if they vote FOR the resumption of whaling. This position is completely contrary to Belize’s reputation as being a country deeply concerned with environmental and wildlife protection yet the Japanese have somehow got through to them, paid off some politicians and have them now on their side, or so it is strongly believed.

We have but one chance to change Belize’s vote which could well be the vote that the Japanese need to win a majority. Belize relies heavily on their tourism industry for foreign income and economic growth and it is here we must strike an immediate and decisive blow. What I am asking everyone to do is please take a few minutes and write to the politicians who are listed below and let them know that if they vote on the side of Japan that you will never visit this country and will boycott Belize products. The letter need not be long, just a few short sentences from enough people may be enough for these officials to realize that there could well be a serious economic backlash should they vote for the death of what little remains of the world’s whale

population.

Please write to these people immediately for this may be our only chance to save what few of these magnificent creatures that remain after hundreds of years of brutal slaughter,

Sincerely,

Bruce Foerster

Please copy:

pmbelize

vision

envirodept

minbud