Captured: Giles Lane, left, appears to cry out while his Australian companion (right) looks on
Posted on 01/15/2008 7:43:41 PM PST by Stoat
This is the moment a British anti-whaling activist was taken captive on a Japanese harpoon ship.
Giles Lane appears to be crying out in pain as the sailors surround him and bind him.
In the dramatic pictures his companion, an Australian, is wrapped around with rope and seems powerless to help.
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Captured: Giles Lane, left, appears to cry out while his Australian companion (right) looks on
Colleagues of the pair in the Sea Shepherd marine protection organisation claim they were later tied to the radar mast in the freezing cold as the vessel sped from the area in the Antarctic.
"They have assaulted and kidnapped two of my crew," said Captain Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd vessel Steve Irwin.
The Japanese Whaling Association last night denied the men had been tied to the mast, but admitted they were being held on board the Yushin Maru.
A spokesman claimed that Mr Lane, 36, from Cuckfield, in West Sussex, and Australian Benjamin Potts had boarded the ship illegally and intended to entangle the vessel's propellers with rope and throw bottles of acid on the decks.
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Sea spray: The Yushin Maru crew turn a high pressure hose on the men as they approach
The sensational confrontation came hours after an Australian court banned Japan from whaling in its Antarctic waters.
The ruling applies to a sanctuary declared by Australia in 2000 - which Japan does not recognise.
Some of its ships are already in the area for a planned cull of 1,000 fin and minke whales for "scientific research".
When crew members on board the Steve Irwin learned of the judgment they clapped and cheered, then tried to send a radio message to a fleet they had been shadowing for three days.
The Japanese failed to respond, so Captain Watson decided to send Mr Lane and Mr Potts to one of the ships, the Yushin Maru, to deliver a letter outlining the judgment and demanding that the whaling stop immediately.
First the sailors turned high-pressure hoses on them. And Captain Watson said that as soon as the two men boarded the ship by clambering up a ladder the Japanese set upon them.
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Illegal: Japanese whalers have been banned from hunting in Australian waters by a court judgment
"First of all they tried to throw Benjamin Potts overboard, but he managed to get his way out of that," he said.
"Then they assaulted Giles Lane. He seems to be in some pain.
"They tied him up with an incredible number of ropes. It looks like some kind of bondage movie. It's ridiculous."
There are concerns now for the safety of the two men in the freezing conditions.
In Tokyo last night, Makoto Ito, spokesman for the Japanese Whaling Association denied they had been tied to a mast.
"It is illegal to board another country's vessels on the high seas. As a result, at this stage, they are being held in custody while decisions are made on their future," he said.
"This is just propaganda by Sea Shepherd," he added. "I believe the two men are on the boat but we cannot give further details at this time.
"Sea Shepherd has been harassing our research vessels, but no one is bound to the mast of the Yushin Maru."
There are also concerns that more serious confrontations will occur in coming days when an Australian government vessel arrives in the area.
The converted cruise liner has a number of weapons on board - and environmentalists believe it will try to drive the Japanese out.
The US also does not recognize Antarctic territorial claims. Should we support sinking them too? Just asking! 8 or more countries claim a piece of Antarctica.
Well, the guy looks like he’s crying. Don’t chicks go for that man who’s in touch with his feminine side?
And that's precisely why diplomats and, if necessary, standing armed forces exist....to enforce treaties among other things.
Greenpeace is not an organization that is empowered by Australia or any other Government to enforce it's laws, and when it takes it upon itself to engage in terrorist actions such as this, while pathetically attempting to wrap itself in the cloak of a 'law enforcement agency' then it's stinky and unkempt hippie membership need to expect to be treated as the terrorists that they are.
GreenPeace has used these tactics for years, but the whalers have gotten pretty good at dealing with them.
And in this case I'm hoping that the Japanese Captain will get a stern lecture from the appropriate Japanese governing bodies, as his ship could very easily have wound up as another USS Cole incident. The world has changed since the 1970's, and limp-wristed acceptance of environmental terrorism can no longer be tolerated.
Gambate Okudesai!
Bakayaro Itai desu!
Sagoy!
Banzai Pingu!
Sea Shepard has rammed and sunk ships before. They are nothing but money grubbing Eco-nazis. They should all be arrested and tried in Japan and toss in prison for terrorist attack on the ship.
How come after 12000 years of whaling we still have whales? Japan is not wiping out any species more fairy tales from the eco-Nazis.
Do you believe the Japenese to be in Australian waters? The Japanese say no. If they are not in Australian territory then why is Australian law relevant?
I don’t recognize the right of sovereign nations to roam all over the globe wiping out any species they feel like wiping out.
It seems the Japanese failed to consider your opinion for whatever reason.
Rope binding of prisoners is a part of Bujitsu, in Japan. Many Japanese study it as a part of police or military work. There are different systems of binding, as well as knots that stay secure.Some knots and systems of binding are designed to self tighten the more a prisoner struggles. Its called "Shibari" and is part of what is called"Hojo-jitsu." Whats funny is that the speaker is trying to portray the Japanese sailors as flunkies when at least one of them really knew Hojo-jitsu.
I am glad these greenie weenies have been given as good as they hand out.
Thought number one is don’t write a check your ass can’t cash. Thought number two is “appears to cry” sounds like a typical liberal.
Australian sovereignty does not necessarily extend to wherever Australia says it does. If the Aussies and the Japanese can't agree about this "sanctuary" they should sit down and settle the issue with words.
Mommy, I want my Mommy. Whaaaaaaaa.
A lot of money changes hands in Japan over whale meat.
I'd say the motivation is plain avarice.
If you wanted to stop this market, just find a few whales infected with Mad Cow disease.
I hope the japs will use some old fashion water boarding by keelhauling them!!!
“It’s not irrelevant that the Japanese ship is there in violation of Australian law, and also flagrantly lying about the purpose of the mission (putting them in violation of International Whaling Commission rules). “Scientific research” — what a crock. They are slaughtering wildlife, some of it endangered, to sell to restaurants back home for money. I don’t recognize the right of sovereign nations to roam all over the globe wiping out any species they feel like wiping out.”
—
Every country has its own international boundaries extending out into the sea from each shore. Some countries try to claim larger chunks of sea area as there territory. It will be interesting to see where the ship was; my guess is that it was not in Aussie waters but in disputable waters.
Personally, I like mongooses and don’t really care about whales all that much although a good spotted owl fricasee is pretty tasty.
What is really at issue here is two turds boarding a vessel without permission, or color of law, meaning to do harm. Piracy by any definition
A little to greasy if you ask me.
Agreed, although I would suggest that it was a matter of a bunch of hippies attempting to engage in eco-terror actions while attempting to shroud themselves in the cloak of "law-enforcers", and I'm sure that the Australian Government is none too happy about this. If any of these hippies are extradited to Australia to face charges, I hope that the punishments will be swift, severe and meaningful. The last time I checked, local police don't appreciate it at all if individual citizens set themselves up as vigilantes under the guise of enforcing the law.
The picture with the guy crying like a little baby is priceless.
Agreed on all counts :-)
Mine the waters! Perhaps then Japan will recognize Australia’s sovereignty.
Or at least allow the diplomats or, if necessary the wonderful Australian Navy to work things out, but certainly not this gang of ragtag unkempt hippies acting as though they had some sort of authority to do what they are doing, which is nothing more than eco-terrorism.
They are lucky they weren't used for katana practice or turned into bait.
Agreed. I hope that the Captain of the Japanese vessel will get a stern lecture from the appropriate Japanese overseeing bodies over this, as his vessel could very easily have been another USS Cole incident. It seems that he exercised considerable restraint in this matter, perhaps far too much.
LMAO!!
Unfortunately, I rather doubt it as they seem to crop up in so very many places.
I would imagine that the Japanese crew is having quite a good laugh over all this :-)
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