Whaling mafia claim

[Fred]

SEA Shepherd's Paul Watson has accused Japanese whaling of being controlled by organised crime gangs.
Captain Watson and crew members from the Steve Irwin and Bob Barker were given a heroes' welcome at a reception in Hobart's Salamanca Place yesterday, in stark contrast to a raid by Australian Federal Police on Saturday.

The crews of both vessels were detained in the raid while documents, video footage and other material were seized as a result of complaints from the Japanese whaling fleet.

An AFP spokesman said investigations were continuing.

It is unclear whether any charges will be laid.

Capt Watson told the more than 100 supporters at yesterday's reception he hoped to be charged.

"I want to take this whole thing into an Australian court and expose everything that is going on all the illegal activities of the Japanese whaling fleet," he said.

"In six campaigns we have not been charged with a single criminal offence, we have not injured a single person, we are not eco-terrorists, whatever that means, and we are certainly not criminals."

Capt Watson said the whaling industry was controlled by the notorious Yakuza organised crime network in Japan.

"Not many people realise that this is a mafia-controlled industry. And the best evidence I have for that: they have never denied it," he said.

Fellow Sea Shepherd member Pete Bethune is being held on the Japanese vessel Shonan Maru 2 after he climbed aboard to request $3 million to replace the sunk Ady Gil, which sank after a collision with the whaler in January.

Japan plans to arrest Capt Bethune when the ship returns to Tokyo on Friday, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported, quoting anonymous sources.

Greens senator Bob Brown attacked the Federal Government for bowing to pressure from the Japanese and for failing to provide diplomatic assistance to Capt Bethune.

"In Parliament this week I will be asking the Federal Government to make public all correspondence with the Japanese," Senator Brown said.

"Kevin Rudd says this is a police matter but it is not it is political. For some reason Australia doesn't want to offend Tokyo when Tokyo seems quite happy to offend 20 million Australians."

The Steve Irwin is expected to leave Hobart on March 16 to pursue bluefin tuna poachers in the Mediterranean.

AFP officers were instructed to remove the flag of Togo from the Bob Barker, leaving it without a registered home port. Capt Watson said the vessel would remain in Hobart until it was reregistered under a new flag.

[Fred]

AFP officers were instructed to remove the flag of Togo from the Bob Barker

This last bit was interesting.... first WHO instructed them? Togo or Japan? and second, why didn't they remove the flag? Its still flying on the back of the Bob Barker

[Fredrick]

"Not many people realise that this is a mafia-controlled industry. And the best evidence I have for that: they have never denied it," he said.

Not bothering to reply to an allegation obviously doesn't constitute "evidence", but might in the minds of those who can't actually substantiate their allegations.

[RAPTOR]

hopefully Paul will choose France for the Bob Barker's new flag country

[Typhoon_One]

hopefully Paul will choose France for the Bob Barker's new flag country

I'm relatively sure france still owes environmentalists for the RW destruction... I think a DGSE team on the NM might just do the trick, to prevent a ship flying under the french flag from being damaged, of course.

[RAPTOR]

I'm relatively sure france still owes environmentalists for the RW destruction... I think a DGSE team on the NM might just do the trick, to prevent a ship flying under the french flag from being damaged, of course.

who cares at least France won't let Japan control it

[matto]

I don't think that Japan would want to dispute the allegation, the Japanese police are also reluctant to interfere in internal matters in recognized communities, in this sense, yakuza are still regarded as semi-legitimate organizations. Because of their history as a legitimate feudal organization and their connection to the Japanese political system through the uyoku (extreme right-wing political groups), yakuza are somewhat a part of the Japanese establishment.

[jscan]

who cares at least France won't let Japan control it

Yeah i rkn the same thing, id love to see Japan try and bully France.
I think the French would tell they where to go haha.

[Donovan.]

Japan has tested nukes in Japans backyard.... even if it was Australia that protested it, I think the Japanese still took note.

The Yakuza controls the docks, and the work pool there.

[Grey Cell]

Such things are difficult to prove. I have no doubt yakuza are involved in the whaling business -- there is money to be made there, especially for unscrupulous people. But the extent to which they call the shots will be hard to determine.

As Donovan said: no doubt they control the docks and workforce.

But one of the interesting things about such networks is that the higher up you go, the harder it becomes to even distinguish crooks and gangsters from "legitimate" businessmen...