A Great Victory for the Whales in Indonesia Japanese translation:
http://seashepherd.org/news-and-media/news-090115-1.html#japaneseIt is a humiliating defeat for the Japanese whaling fleet. The Japanese harpoon ship
Yushin Maru #2 has been ordered to leave the Port of Surabaya, East Java in Indonesia without repairs. The Indonesian Forestry Authorities, the CITES Authorities and local government officials in East Java demanded the expulsion of the
Yushin Maru #2 from Surabaya harbour and from Indonesian waters.
Thanks to a combined effort on the part of Jakarta Animal Aid, Earth Island Institute, The Green Party of Australia and Senator Bob Brown, Peter Tagliaferri, the Mayor of Fremantle, Western Australia, former Australian Environment Minister Ian Campbell, the Indonesian Forestry Department and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, the whaling industry has been struck a very costly blow.
This drama began on December 20th, 2008 when the Sea Shepherd ship
Steve Irwin pursued the
Yushin Maru #2 into dense ice packs off the coast of Antarctica. As a storm moved in, the
Steve Irwin broke off the pursuit and headed South as the harpoon vessel kept running North into heavier ice conditions.
"I could see the danger coming as the ice began to push the floes tighter together," said Captain Paul Watson of the
Steve Irwin. "The harpoon vessel seemed more afraid of us at the time than of the ice, and we last saw them on a course directly into the thick of it."
The result was ice damage to the propeller that reduced the speed of the harpoon vessel from 21 knots to only 7.5 knots. It took the whaling ship 16 days to travel 3,000 miles North to Surabaya to seek repairs. Although both New Zealand and Australia were much closer, the ports of the two countries are closed to Japanese whaling vessels.
Once in Surabaya, Jakarta Animal Aid organized demonstrations and meetings with officials. Captain Paul Watson called Femke Den Haas of Jakarta Animal Aid from the Steve Irwin to encourage and support their efforts. Femke said the officials in Indonesia simply needed to see evidence of Japan's illegal whaling activities and evidence that Australia will not allow Japanese vessels to enter Australian ports for fuel or repairs. Three of the most passionate whale defending politicians in Australia responded immediately.
Former Australian Environment Minister and Sea Shepherd spokesperson Ian Campbell immediately wrote to the officials in Indonesia stating:
This communication is to provide you and the relevant authorities in the clearest possible terms that Australian law prohibits the entry to any Australian Port of Japanese Whaling vessels. This prohibition has been Australian law since the introduction of the moratorium on Whaling under the International Convention on Whaling. Japan has systematically breached this international agreement over the passed two decades, and successive Australian governments have banned these ships from our ports through special legislation and regulation.
I am happy for this advice to be forwarded to the Authorities. It can be confirmed with reference to an Australian Embassy.
Yours faithfully,
Ian Campbell
The Honourable Ian G. Campbell
Australian Government Minister for the Environment (2004-2007)(more)
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