Statement by Hajime Ishikawa (on board the Nisshin Maru)This is Hajime Ishikawa, head of the Survey Division of the Southern Ocean Capture Survey Fleet.
Note: This text was translated from Japanese with accuracy (rather than grammar or style) as the priority.
We are conducting scientific research as allowed under Article 8 of the International Convention of the Regulation of Whaling and strongly demand that you, Greenpeace, should cease your obstruction of a permitted survey and leave the survey area immediately. You, Greenpeace, obstructed our survey the other year, caused a collision at sea and endangered the safety and lives of crew members. You have damaged and removed objects, attempted the boarding of shipping and other completely unacceptable behaviour. In a civilised society this is considered to be of the same level as acts of pirates and robbers. If you, the Artic Sunrise and members of Greenpeace, intend to repeat the same dangerous obstruction this year, we of the survey, in order to protect ourselves and continue our survey in safety, free from pirates and any group who commit piractical acts, will have to use water hoses or other means to repel anyone trying to obstruct us. I repeat, we demand that you Greenpeace stop obstructing a legitimate survey and leave the survey area. Over. |