Japanese crew injured by acid thrown from Eviro Terrorist Group.
Activists threw acid at whalers - Japan
Article from: Herald Sun
March 03, 2008 04:32pm
ENVIRONMENTALISTS hurled acid onto a whaling ship off Antarctica, injuring four crew members, the Japanese Government says.
Members of the campaign group Sea Shepherd threw brown envelopes containing butyric acid from their vessel the Steve Irwin onto the Japanese ship Nisshin Maru, Japan's Vice Foreig
More..n Minister Itsunori Onodera said.
"The butyric acid powder hit two crew members and two Japanese coast guard officers, who complained of pain," Mr Onodera said.
Sea Shepherd activists engaged with the Japanese factory ship Nisshin Maru inside Australia's Antarctic waters today as they try to shut down the whaling season.
However, Sea Shepherd said they bombarded the deck of the Nisshin Maru with bottles and packets containing foul-smelling and slippery substances that would make it difficult to process whales.
"I guess we can call this non-violent chemical warfare," Steve Irwin captain Paul Watson said.
"We only use organic, non-toxic materials designed to harass and obstruct illegal whaling operations."
The confrontation took place 175 nautical miles off the coast of the Australian Antarctic Territory following a 24-hour chase.
In January, activists from the Steve Irwin hurled bottles onto the Japanese whaler before hopping onto the vessel, setting off a two-day standoff.
Mr Onodera revealed the incident as he addressed a seminar with officials from 11 developing states that have recently joined or plan to join the deadlocked International Whaling Commission (IWC).
Japan is holding the meeting to win support for its position that the international body should allow "sustainable whaling."
The countries taking part in the seminar are Angola, Cambodia, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ghana, Laos, Malawi, Palau, Tanzania and Vanuatu. Micronesia was invited but did not attend, officials said.
Japan, which kills up to 1000 whales a year, says whaling is part of its culture, and accuses anti-whaling countries of insensitivity.
It harpoons whales using a loophole in a 1986 global moratorium on whaling that allows "lethal research" on the giant mammals, although the meat often ends up on Japanese dinner plates.
Environmentalists accuse Japan of buying votes in the IWC by roping in countries that receive Japanese aid and have little tradition of whaling. Less..
Added: Mar 3 2008 In: news_politics
By: Dawsopolis 
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