Japanese whalers are likely to clash with environmentalists in Antarctica over the next two months as separate fleets head south prepared to confront each other in some of the world's most hostile seas.
On Sunday, the Japanese government's Institute for Cetacean Research (ICR), which is paying for this year's hunt for 950 whales, said five ships were now en route for Antarctica.
Greenpeace International and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society said they were both sending two ships, equipped with helicopters and inflatables and crewed by more than 100 volunteers.
The pro- and anti-whalers on Sunday night traded insults and appealed for the support of countries they hoped would back their views on whaling.
"Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd are eco-terrorists. They are acting illegally and dangerously. We are very concerned that they will use more and more desperate tactics," said Glenn Inwood, spokesman for the ICR from New Zealand. "Sea Shepherd has said that they are prepared to ram us and we fear that they will endanger the lives of our crews and scientists. We will take whatever action we can."
Paul Watson, of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, whose California-based organization has sunk or rammed at least 10 whaling, sealing and other ships in the past 25 years, said his boats would confront the Japanese whalers.
"I think things will be much hotter down south this year. Our objective is to place ourselves in harm's way to protect the whales. We recognize [the Japanese fleet] as a criminal operation and criminal operations are dealt with by aggressive intervention. This is a clear case of justifiable intervention against a criminal operation," Watson said in Melbourne.
Greenpeace International on Sunday said it would be sending its fastest boats to try to stop the whalers.
"Physical confrontation goes against our core principle of non-violence," said Sara Holden of Greenpeace in Amsterdam.
Last year, in extraordinary scenes in the Southern Ocean, the Japanese accused both environment groups of illegal tactics after several incidents when the whalers' "mother ship," the Nisshin Maru, was in collision with the conservationists' boats. The Japanese outran their opponents and killed more than 900 whales for "research" purposes.
Sea Shepherd has since bought a much faster former US coast guard ship, codenamed the Leviathan.
"This time, with the new ship, they can't lose us. If they can't shake us off I am pretty confident we can stop them. If they get violent towards us I suppose it could get very physical. We are quite willing to instigate an international incident over this," Watson said last week as he prepared to leave for the Ross Ice Shelf.
Speaking from Melbourne on Sunday, he said: "Our Leviathan is at sea and on the way south to the coast of Antarctica. It looks as if we will be in a position to confront the Japanese whaling fleet in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary during the last week of December."
But Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd are not expected to try to help each other.
Although Watson co-founded Greenpeace, the organizations have for many years barely been on speaking terms, developing different philosophies about direct action and protest. Watson has accused Greenpeace of being "the Avon ladies of the environment movement."
Greenpeace, keen not to upset its large membership, tries to distance itself from its more confrontational cofounder.
Much will be at stake this year because Japan, which took over the IWC at its annual meeting in June, wants to overturn the 20-year moratorium on commercial whaling and resume the hunting of humpback whales next year.
On Sunday, the Institute for Cetacean Research hinted that the Japanese government could intervene in confrontations.
"At this point we do not want to say what we intend to do. But we are very disappointed that some countries, in particular Australia, give Sea Shepherd moral support," Inwood said.
Japan considers whaling an issue of national policy and sovereignty while Australia objects to hunting in the Australian Antarctic Territory and the internationally recognized Antarctic Sanctuary. The Japanese fleet is believed to be near New Zealand and should be ready to start hunting in two weeks.
"But it's a big ocean ... and it's quite possible we just won't find them. It needs a big dose of luck," Holden said.
Speaking at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on May 13, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said that democracies must remain united and that “Taiwan’s security is essential to regional stability and to defending democratic values amid mounting authoritarianism.” Earlier that day, Tsai had met with a group of Danish parliamentarians led by Danish Parliament Speaker Pia Kjaersgaard, who has visited Taiwan many times, most recently in November last year, when she met with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office. Kjaersgaard had told Lai: “I can assure you that ... you can count on us. You can count on our support
Denmark has consistently defended Greenland in light of US President Donald Trump’s interests and has provided unwavering support to Ukraine during its war with Russia. Denmark can be proud of its clear support for peoples’ democratic right to determine their own future. However, this democratic ideal completely falls apart when it comes to Taiwan — and it raises important questions about Denmark’s commitment to supporting democracies. Taiwan lives under daily military threats from China, which seeks to take over Taiwan, by force if necessary — an annexation that only a very small minority in Taiwan supports. Denmark has given China a
Many local news media over the past week have reported on Internet personality Holger Chen’s (陳之漢) first visit to China between Tuesday last week and yesterday, as remarks he made during a live stream have sparked wide discussions and strong criticism across the Taiwan Strait. Chen, better known as Kuan Chang (館長), is a former gang member turned fitness celebrity and businessman. He is known for his live streams, which are full of foul-mouthed and hypermasculine commentary. He had previously spoken out against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and criticized Taiwanese who “enjoy the freedom in Taiwan, but want China’s money”
A high-school student surnamed Yang (楊) gained admissions to several prestigious medical schools recently. However, when Yang shared his “learning portfolio” on social media, he was caught exaggerating and even falsifying content, and his admissions were revoked. Now he has to take the “advanced subjects test” scheduled for next month. With his outstanding performance in the general scholastic ability test (GSAT), Yang successfully gained admissions to five prestigious medical schools. However, his university dreams have now been frustrated by the “flaws” in his learning portfolio. This is a wake-up call not only for students, but also teachers. Yang did make a big
RSS