Anti-whaling activists removed from harpoon ship

TWO anti-whaling activists who boarded a Japanese harpoon ship in a protest were last night transferred to an Australian vessel.

The men were moved in a compromise agreement brokered by the Australian government after the Japanese fleet and environmental group Sea Shepherd appeared to be deadlocked over their fate.

The intervention will allow the whaling fleet resume its hunt in Antarctic waters, chased by the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin.

It was forced to put its hunt on hold after Australians Benjamin Potts, 28, and Briton Giles Lane, 35, jumped from a rubber boat onto the deck of the Yushin Maru 2 on Tuesday.

Minoru Morimoto, director general of Japan’s Institute of Cetacean Research, which is organising the hunt, confirmed the men had been moved onto the Australian customs ship Oceanic Viking.

“It became very clear Sea Shepherd had no intention of retrieving their two intruders, who boarded the Yushin Maru with backpacks carrying a change of clothes, toiletries and other sundry items. They were certainly intending for a long sojourn aboard our vessel and Sea Shepherd had no intention of helping to remove them,” he said.

“The Australian government accepted Japan’s request to assist and remove the men from our research vessel to allow us to continue our work.”

Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said: “The motivation of the Australian government is to secure the transfer so the welfare and safety of the two men concerned is put beyond doubt.”

Australia is a staunch opponent of Japan’s whaling programme, and last month sent the Oceanic Viking to collect photo and video evidence that might be used in international courts to prove the programme is a front for commercial whaling.

Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson welcomed Australia’s offer but vowed to defy any requirement that he stop harassing the whaling fleet.

“I’m not going along with any conditions,” said Mr Watson. “They are down here illegally killing whales, illegally targeting endangered species... These people are no different to elephant poachers in Africa or tiger poachers in India.”