News today that Japanese whaling boats entered our exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Southern Ocean is not just cause for concern and an insult – but shows the extent to which Japan will go arrogantly pursue it’s goals to kill whales for the patently bullshit pretence of “scientific research”;
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The best place for whaling boats from any country is not in our EEZ – but at the bottom of the sea. These mass killing machines have no place in our waters and the Japanese government must be told in no uncertain terms that the next incursion will result in precisely the same response that Japan gave to China in August 2012;
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The Japanese government was furious at the unwanted incursion of Chinese vessels in their EEZ waters and promptly despatched naval warships to “escort” the intruders out of their waters.
So any suggestion that New Zealand has no moral and legal (?) authority to do likewise is self-serving hypocrisy by groups such as the NZ-based, Japanese-funded so-called “Institute of Cetacean Research“. The Japanese government wasted no time in expelling Chinese vessels from their waters- New Zealand should do the same next time.
If there is a third occassion of an intrusion, any whaling ships should be seized; impounded; and the captain prosecuted. Seized Whaling vessels should end up scraped and the proceeds either used to off-set governments costs, or donated between Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Murray McCully, should take note,
“… Japan’s deputy foreign minister summoned the Chinese ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and delivered a formal protest over the Chinese “intrusion”.”
That is a good start.
Meanwhile, it is outrageous that the so-called “Institute of Cetacean Research” – a front for the Japanese whaling industry – has justified the incursion and has suggested that Japanese whalers may repeat the exercise if instructed by their owners;
“Japan has no choice but to keep an eye on them…
But the request from the New Zealand government is merely that, it’s jusdt a request, it’s not a legal right.”
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“Well again, the, the exclusive economic zone – ah, Japan’s vessels, and any bodies, and any other vessels has a right to enter anyone’s ah, exclusive economic zone.”
This is an affront to our notions of sovereignty.
The “Institute of Cetacean Research” should be put on notice that it is on shaky ground and could be complicit in any further illegal activities by whalers. Perhaps they should just be closed down and their lackey, public relations agent Glenn Inwood, sent packing. Listen to his arrogance here,
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Inwood’s arrogance is breath-taking! In a few sentences he has ripped away the sovereignty of the country he was born is, in favour of Japanese hegemony (the country now paying his salary). I would not be unhappy if this fellow packed his bag and buggered of. Good riddance.
Murray McCully was right to describe Japan’s whaling activities as repugnant by the vast majority of New Zealanders.
Now Minister McCully has to follow up with action. Next time, no stuffing around; send in the Navy. Sink the bastards.
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References
Radio NZ: Diplomat summoned over Japan whaling
Radio NZ Audio: Minister says Japanese whaling ships in EEZ disrespectful
Forbes: The Japan-China Territorial Dispute is Serious, and Escalating
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Podcast from Morning Report of interview with Glenn Inwood.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/2585128
Thanks, Paula!
The arrogance of homo sapiens is breath taking, as is their inability to comprehend that we are but one species of life on this small planet that is interdependent on the all the countless other forms of life.
(How many people even realize that they are totally dependant on the symbiotic relationship between the bacteria within their bodies that hugely outnumber the trillions of their own human cells.)
Virtually every day brings more reports of just how interrelated all forms of life are, and yet many of our “wise” men choose to ignore this
correlation at their peril.
Hopefully the Steve Irwin’s tactic of sailing through Foveaux strait might let them get away from the Shonan Maru.
We went to the wharf yesterday to see the Steve Irwin and thank the crew for the awesome work they do. The 1st mate said they knew the Japanese were waiting for them just off the coast of Dunedin. Later we went to the Aramoana mole to wave them goodbye.
Kia kaha Sea Shepherd.
Yes I saw Sea Shepard come in as the three protest yachts were making their way out to deliver messages to the people on the Noble Bod Douglas ship from Otago Harbour Heads, what an awesome site the Sea Shepard is! It made me so proud.( P.s I can’t seem to log in so no painting thumb print? )
Where does Inwood live?….
Interesting that McCully says we have “..no legal means of excluding any vessel from entering NZ’s declared EEZ..” (12 – 200 nautical miles offshore but the gNatz can legally (?) declare a 500 metre exclusion zone around the igNoble Bob Douglas at Anadarko’s drill site, 60 km offshore???
Not impressed with the soft and incompetent “interviewing” of Inwood as the mouthpiece for the Cretins of Cetacean Slaughter. Not quite as bad was Chris Trotter’s self-perceived cleverness in commenting on the issue on Nat Rad pm yesterday. Does he realise how smug he sounds?
NZPMP (New Zealand People’s Mandate Party) Policy statement on whaling and endangered species.
23 April 2013
NZPMP position on Whaling.
The NZPMP is categorically opposed to whaling in the South Pacific and South Antarctic Oceans, for commercial or so called scientific purpose.
Should the NZPMP be elected to govern, we will move to strengthen and increase sanctuary areas in cooperation with our pacific neighbours and provide real enforcement to all sanctuary areas within our spheres of interest and control, including the South Antarctic whale sanctuary. We will also move to include the pacific whale migration routes as sanctuary areas. As a founding member of the International Whaling Commission and a country who’s people value the natural environment, it is unacceptable for us on every moral level to allow a continuance of whaling in sanctuary areas, where it is in fact illegal to hunt whales, for any constructed reason. NZPMP finds the current situation existing in the Antarctic, morally unfathomable.
We are disturbed by Japanese statements that if whaling is banned altogether, they will simply go rogue and ignore such bans. We find threats to send Japanese Coast Guard vessels to protect Japanese whaling vessels provocative and incomprehensible as a means to de-escalate tensions and rather see such threat as escalating the potentials for accidents and possible deaths or injury. NZPMP will not stand back and allow these potentials to become disastrous realities. NZPMP will place Naval patrol ships in the southern sanctuary area over the whaling season to enforce the already existing bans. The hunters will become the hunted! We give no credence at all to the notion that even one whale should be killed for scientific purpose, which is well known to be a crude excuse for a commercial kill. Any vessel identified as a whaling vessel working in the designated sanctuary area, will be arrested and the ship impounded, scrapped and sold. They will not be given back under a fines system so they can continue hunting at a later time. Legislation will be introduced to make it possible for captain and crews to be charged with the crime of poaching and serious penalties will result. Should such threat come to fruition, that Japanese Coast Guard Vessels might enter the fray, then the government of Japan is fairly warned that those vessels may also be subject to arrest if there is any interference to New Zealand Naval ships in their operations.
Protest groups must also be clear, however, that if New Zealand provides such enforcement, they will also be liable to arrest where it is observed that under international maritime law, they cause any endangerment to Japanese vessels on the high seas. New Zealand will not be a referee to dangerous tag games on the ocean, protest vessels will be arrested and their captains charged. The trade off for groups such as Sea Shepherd, is that for the provision of active enforcement in sanctuary areas, they will stand off and behave. Of course, protest vessels might find it advantageous to provide intelligence to New Zealand patrol ships on whaling vessel activity.
The NZPMP sees this issue in moral form, as no different to this countries anti nuclear stance and our naval protest at Mururoa. One fundamental difference though is, in this case, we are not about protest but intend to enforce whaling bans in a sanctuary we had a key role in creating.
Once, Whales of many species were a common sight round the coast of New Zealand and throughout the Pacific. We hope this will one day be the case again, for our children and children’s children.
NZPMP position on poaching and trade in endangered species.
Apart from looking to bolster our own laws and penalties in respect to our own at risk and endangered species, we will introduce as part of our foreign aid focus, help to other countries to halt the killing and trade in endangered species. Where a request is made, an NZPMP government may give consideration to providing troops to other countries, for anti poaching and enforcement operations.
Robbie Kaiviti.
New Zealand People’s Mandate Party.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/new-zealand-peoples-mandate-party/nzpmp-new-zealand-peoples-mandate-party-policy-statement-on-whaling-and-endanger/456526411092594
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