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Ady Gil Captain boards Whaling Ship to make citizen's arrest
Captain Peter Bethune has boarded the Shonan Maru No 2 to make a citizen's arrest of the captain of the vessel. Peter Bethune's ship, the New Zealand registered high speed trimaran the Ady Gil owned by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Foundation, was sunk by the Japanese whaling ship the Shonan Maru 2 on January 6 after it was purposefully rammed endangering the lives of the six crew.
In the cover of darkness Peter Bethune left the Sea Shepherd flagship, the Steve Irwin on a jet ski with another Sea Shepherd volunteer. About 6.30 am he clambered aboard the vessel that had destroyed his own ship, getting around the anti-boarding spikes and nets.
As the Captain of the Ady Gil, Peter Bethune has an invoice for $3million which he will present to the skipper of the Shonan Maru 2.
In a covering letter Bethune states: "I am here to arrest you. I am requesting that you transfer now to the Steve Irwin, where we will take you into custody, and we will deliver you to the Maritime Safety Authority and the New Zealand Police once we reach Wellington (New Zealand)."
"If you refuse to be arrested, then I am requesting that you deliver me to Wellington (New Zealand). Having sunk my vessel, and with our issuing of a mayday call, you have an obligation under maritime law to provide me with safe passage back to land."
"I will refuse to be handed over to any Sea Shepherd vessel. I will also refuse to be handed over to any New Zealand or Australian Coastguard, Customs or Naval vessel. I will only leave the Shonan Maru when you transfer with me to the Steve Irwin, or when we arrive on land, be it New Zealand or Australia."
"I am enclosing an invoice for US$3m, representing the new replacement cost of the Ady Gil. You are responsible for the collision and as such, you are also responsible for paying for its replacement."
"I commit to you that while I am on your vessel, that I will not impede or disrupt your crew and their activities."
The invoice, dated 14 February 2010, says "If payment is not forthcoming within four weeks of receiving this document, we will be proceeding with criminal charges in Japan against your company. We will be seeking punitive damages, in addition to the full replacement cost of the Ady Gil. Further to this, we will be laying criminal charges against the Captain of the Shonan Maru #2."
Peter Bethune concludes his open letter with a plea : "I am just an ordinary man with a wife and two kids, who is prepared to make a stand against something that I believe is wrong. That is why I came to Antarctica to try and stop you, and that is why I am here on your vessel today."
According to Captain Paul Watson "Captain Bethune boarded a Japanese whaling fleet security ship at high speed in total darkness, breached the spikes and anti-boarding nets and is presently onboard and the Japanese crew are still not aware that he is there. He is there to demand justice for the sinking of his ship," he said.
"The first attempt he actually fell in the water and the jet ski went back and retrieved him. (The crew) still didn't notice," Captain Watson told AAP. "It was extremely dangerous. He was boarding a ship going at 15 knots in total darkness in Southern Ocean waters, which are extremely frigid."
At dawn Peter Bethune knocked on the door of the wheel house and presented his letters of demand for the skipper to surrender. According to Captain Watson, a Japanese crew member emerged and looked for the boat on which Captain Bethune had arrived. The crew member then went back inside, leaving Captain Bethune standing there.
"Pete opened the door and walked into the wheelhouse ... that's the last we've heard of him," Captain Watson said in the AAP report.
As the Captain of the Ady Gil, Peter Bethune has an invoice for $3million which he will present to the skipper of the Shonan Maru 2.
In a covering letter Bethune states: "I am here to arrest you. I am requesting that you transfer now to the Steve Irwin, where we will take you into custody, and we will deliver you to the Maritime Safety Authority and the New Zealand Police once we reach Wellington (New Zealand)."
"If you refuse to be arrested, then I am requesting that you deliver me to Wellington (New Zealand). Having sunk my vessel, and with our issuing of a mayday call, you have an obligation under maritime law to provide me with safe passage back to land."
"I will refuse to be handed over to any Sea Shepherd vessel. I will also refuse to be handed over to any New Zealand or Australian Coastguard, Customs or Naval vessel. I will only leave the Shonan Maru when you transfer with me to the Steve Irwin, or when we arrive on land, be it New Zealand or Australia."
"I am enclosing an invoice for US$3m, representing the new replacement cost of the Ady Gil. You are responsible for the collision and as such, you are also responsible for paying for its replacement."
"I commit to you that while I am on your vessel, that I will not impede or disrupt your crew and their activities."
The invoice, dated 14 February 2010, says "If payment is not forthcoming within four weeks of receiving this document, we will be proceeding with criminal charges in Japan against your company. We will be seeking punitive damages, in addition to the full replacement cost of the Ady Gil. Further to this, we will be laying criminal charges against the Captain of the Shonan Maru #2."
Peter Bethune concludes his open letter with a plea : "I am just an ordinary man with a wife and two kids, who is prepared to make a stand against something that I believe is wrong. That is why I came to Antarctica to try and stop you, and that is why I am here on your vessel today."
According to Captain Paul Watson "Captain Bethune boarded a Japanese whaling fleet security ship at high speed in total darkness, breached the spikes and anti-boarding nets and is presently onboard and the Japanese crew are still not aware that he is there. He is there to demand justice for the sinking of his ship," he said.
"The first attempt he actually fell in the water and the jet ski went back and retrieved him. (The crew) still didn't notice," Captain Watson told AAP. "It was extremely dangerous. He was boarding a ship going at 15 knots in total darkness in Southern Ocean waters, which are extremely frigid."
At dawn Peter Bethune knocked on the door of the wheel house and presented his letters of demand for the skipper to surrender. According to Captain Watson, a Japanese crew member emerged and looked for the boat on which Captain Bethune had arrived. The crew member then went back inside, leaving Captain Bethune standing there.
"Pete opened the door and walked into the wheelhouse ... that's the last we've heard of him," Captain Watson said in the AAP report.
For more information:
http://www.seashepherd.org
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Congratulations to Sea Shepherd and Pete Bethune for their ingenuity and courage. Clearly, the Japanese have no intention of ceasing their poaching of protected whales. But thanks to Sea Shepherd, killing whales is becoming a greater and greater financial burden. Keep fighting the good fight!
For more information:
http://strikingattheroots.wordpress.com/20...
This is just another empty publicity stunt by a group that is quickly turning into a bunch of greedy media whores. I would not call them eco-terrorists anymore, now they are just incompetent morons who are just slick enough to get people who really do care about the planet to give them their money and lots of it. There is a sucker born every minute and Paul Watson has learned how to fleece them like the best of con-men.
If this works the sea shepherds should willingly pay for the 9-10 ships they destroyed!
I am reminded of a song that had a lyric something like: "We have all been here before..." Watson pulled this same kind of stunt in season 1 of his television show when he sent two crew members to illegally board a whaling ship "to deliver a letter". The Government of Australia had to intervene when Watson refused to make a rendezvous with the whalers to pick up his crew. Instead, Watson cried to any media that would listen, that his crewmembers were "kidnapped". That same season of the program, Watson tried to send an all female boarding party because as Watson stated, "The Japanese won't know what to do with them!"
For this year's television show he sends Pete Bethune, the former captain of the Ady Gil, under the pretext of presenting a bill for damages, and a demand for the whaling Captain to submit to arrest. Watson's theory is that a NZ citizen can make a citizen's arrest under NZ law. Fine and dandy if one happens to be in NZ, trouble is that NZ law does not apply to foreign nationals in international waters.
Once again Watson attempts to rally the governments of NZ and Australia to come fight his battles with the whalers. We have all been here before...and we're getting a little tired of it, Paul.
For this year's television show he sends Pete Bethune, the former captain of the Ady Gil, under the pretext of presenting a bill for damages, and a demand for the whaling Captain to submit to arrest. Watson's theory is that a NZ citizen can make a citizen's arrest under NZ law. Fine and dandy if one happens to be in NZ, trouble is that NZ law does not apply to foreign nationals in international waters.
Once again Watson attempts to rally the governments of NZ and Australia to come fight his battles with the whalers. We have all been here before...and we're getting a little tired of it, Paul.
My goodness, the hilarity never ends from this crew of incompetents and misfits. If they're not hypocritically denouncing the deaths of a few hundred whales coming from a population anywhere from 300,000-1,000,000, trying to solicit donations from likewise misguided individuals, they're committing blatant flagrances of the law that ANY captain (hell, any child) should see as undeniably illegal.
Both parties definitely played a part in the collision, it was just the SS were stupid enough to do it in a vessel 1/20 the size of the japanese ship.
I honestly hope that this year marks a change in japanese policy in regards to the SS, ie they press charges against this idiot "captain". Unfortunately, watson didn't have the fiber to board himself- he's just sitting back trying to stir up an international incident.
Both parties definitely played a part in the collision, it was just the SS were stupid enough to do it in a vessel 1/20 the size of the japanese ship.
I honestly hope that this year marks a change in japanese policy in regards to the SS, ie they press charges against this idiot "captain". Unfortunately, watson didn't have the fiber to board himself- he's just sitting back trying to stir up an international incident.
Uhhmm, Paul... I've been thinking that maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all! This Japanese Captain doesn't seem to interested in going to New Zealand to turn himself in with me nor in joining you guys on the Steve Irwin. Maybe you could come back and pick me up?...Paul?
On the bright side, he is willing to pay the bill for the damage to the Ady Gil! He wants to know if we'll take a personal check. A minor hitch though; seems he left his checkbook in his other pants. He says he'll just run home and get it, then we can settle up! He says it will take 3-4 weeks to get to Japan, a couple hours to find his checkbook, and 3-4weeks to return. Where should I meet you guys? You'll wait around for me won't you, Paul? ...Paul?...Hey, is this thing turned on?...Paul?...Paaaauuuullllll? Damn!
On the bright side, he is willing to pay the bill for the damage to the Ady Gil! He wants to know if we'll take a personal check. A minor hitch though; seems he left his checkbook in his other pants. He says he'll just run home and get it, then we can settle up! He says it will take 3-4 weeks to get to Japan, a couple hours to find his checkbook, and 3-4weeks to return. Where should I meet you guys? You'll wait around for me won't you, Paul? ...Paul?...Hey, is this thing turned on?...Paul?...Paaaauuuullllll? Damn!
dear pete b,
While your opinions are your own and worth their due respect I urge you to do some work to up the level of intelligence you function at. Your opinion is important. But not a single person will care or even listen to what you say when your delivery of this so-called intelligent thought is shrouded in embarrasingly amature junior high humor. I hope this is your first attempt at sarcasm. because its neither funny, effective or clever. i'm nervous for you because you clearly think you can deliver zingers of worth. sadly, no. please try to put something of intelligence with your remarks. you can find cleverness all around. you just have to get out of your mothers basement to find it. thanks.
While your opinions are your own and worth their due respect I urge you to do some work to up the level of intelligence you function at. Your opinion is important. But not a single person will care or even listen to what you say when your delivery of this so-called intelligent thought is shrouded in embarrasingly amature junior high humor. I hope this is your first attempt at sarcasm. because its neither funny, effective or clever. i'm nervous for you because you clearly think you can deliver zingers of worth. sadly, no. please try to put something of intelligence with your remarks. you can find cleverness all around. you just have to get out of your mothers basement to find it. thanks.
Oh, how ignorant you really are. Although this show moves extremely slow, these people are doing exactly what they said they would do in the previews, risk there life's to save the whales. Just because you are not passionate enough about anything to pursue such a goal just makes your life worthless. So personally if I were you I would just shoot myself.
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