Tokyo makes Canberra 'look ridiculous' after a

Japanese whale hunting ship ignored PM Gillard
TOKYO is making Canberra "look ridiculous," according to Greens Leader Bob Brown, after a Japanese whale hunting ship ignored Prime Minister Julia Gillard and returned inside Australian territorial waters.

Senator Brown told The Daily Telegraph Online that last night’s incursion by the Yushin Maru No. 3 into Australian waters was "very serious."

"It's international law-breaking and Tokyo is well aware that national law prohibits that harpoon ship from coming into our waters,” Senator Brown said.

"It's Tokyo making Canberra look ridiculous, and it has to be stopped. Japan doesn't run this country.”

The Yushin Maru No. 3 was roundly criticised early yesterday after it ventured into Australian territorial waters off the coast of Macquarie Island, 1500km south-east of Hobart.

Around lunch time yesterday Ms Gillard said the Federal Government had “reiterated” its view to the Japanese Government that “whaling vessels are not welcome in Australian territorial waters”.

"Now I’m aware that there has been on vessel which I’m advised has been in Australian territorial waters and I’m advised that it will leave Australian territorial waters,” Ms Gillard said yesterday.

"Now, it’s been a long standing view that whaling ships are not welcome in our waters, and we’ve said that to the Japanese Government before but we’ve reiterated it yesterday.”

But last night, around 10:50pm, in an effort to not lose sight of the Sea Shepherd anti-whaling vessel the Bob Barker, the whale hunter ventured back into Australian waters.

Bob Barker first officer, Peter Hammarstedt, told The Daily Telegraph Online the repeated incursion was a “slap in the face to Australia”.

"This year the whalers seem to be emboldened,” he said.

"I feel like they’re testing the resolve of Australia. The Prime Minister needs to act tough on these guys.”

The Yushin Maru No. 3 is this morning still shadowing the Bob Barker.

At 8am the Sea Shepherd ship was seven kilometres off the coast of Macquarie Island, while the Japanese vessel was hugging the edge of where Australia’s territorial waters begin, around 20km from the island’s coast.

Mr Hammarstedt the Yushin Maru No. 3 simply believed it could “enter Australia at will”.

"I think it’s time for the Prime Minister to stop talking tough, and doing something,” he said.

"This is just ridiculous. The Prime Minister of Australia asked these guys to leave, and within 12 hours they’re back. These guys on the Yushin Maru No. 3 should be led out of here in handcuffs.”

Senator Brown said the government should send either a customs or a naval vessel to the world heritage area to “assert Australian law”.

“This is an absolute sanctuary for our wildlife and this harpoon ship is sailing in and out as it wishes to,” he told The Daily Telegraph Online.

He said the whalers had become "more arrogant", and that the situation was "extremely embarrassing for the Prime Minister and Australia”.

"They’re testing Australian authority here - if they come back in again they should be arrested,” he said.

The government is yet to comment this morning on the Yushin Maru No. 3’s latest breach.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/tokyo-makes-canberra-look-ridiculous-after...

Andrei.Hicks wrote on Jan 12^th, 2012 at 10:50am:



Now Australia can be serious about building a case against Japan over it's illegal activities in Australian and International Waters

Will conservatives side with the Greens, or the illegal Whalers. We already know ALP have sided with the illegal whalers.

Yet seashep has made headlines around the world and so have brought attention to the illegal activities of Japan's whale industry, and the ALP's complicity.

Seashep have an actual figure on the whales it saved last year. And for me, that means my minute financial donation is well worth repeating.

More reason to have an Australian ship down there observing and documenting actions on both sides don't you think Phil.


Perhaps more pressure should be applied from the few moderates left in the ALP, for the party to stop backing the illegal whalers and take a more neutral stance, and back the Greens' Bill. 


This way, when Japanese whalers enter Australian waters, we can arrest the captain and crew and confiscate the boat ... like we do for others that invade our waters.

Andrei.Hicks wrote on Jan 12^th, 2012 at 10:50am:





WONDER IF THEY WILL SEND THE BILL TO THE GREENS....

a patrol boat someone give me strength...24/7..

OMG I bet the Japanese are shivering in their boots..

laughing at us!!!!   OF COURSE THEY ARE BLOODY LAUGHING AT US... BUT NOT BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU THINK.

cods wrote on Jan 12^th, 2012 at 2:36pm:




If Greens pay for the whale boat, will the conservatives recoup Australians for the illegal invasions they help cause, compensate the families for the dead  and maimed members  because of their machinations, and pay compensation towards the 1,000,000 civilians dead?

Also will the conservatives pay to the Australian economy, the trillions in dollars they caused by ignoring the murray darling on their watch of 12 years.

Add to this, an advance payment on the financial cost of the catastrophic effect of coal seam gas, that Labor and Liberal want to inflict on all Australians just so they can remain the bitches of their pimps, the coal lobby.


Who should we send the bill to cods?

The world faces economic upheaval and the Greens talk about whales. not protecting them of course but photgraphing them using (ironically) japanese cameras. What do you expect to prove? That the japanese kill whales? we already know that.

typical pointless idiotic peripheral issue greens.