Australian police searched two anti-whaling ships at the request of Japanese authorities yesterday, seizing log books and videos, after activists called a halt to their turbulent harassment campaign.
Police boarded the Sea Shepherd group’s Steve Irwin and Bob Barker ships as they were greeted by well-wishers in Tasmania, but refused to reveal the reasons for the search warrant.
“As a result of a formal referral from Japanese authorities, the Australian Federal Police can confirm it conducted a search warrant in boarding the Steve Irwin this morning,” a police spokesman said.
He said the group’s sister ship, the Bob Barker, was also boarded and searched when it docked later, without giving further details.
The searches are the latest drama surrounding this year’s hunt after the activists had a high-tech powerboat sliced in two and sunk during clashes that also involved rancid-butter stink bombs, water cannons and acoustic weapons.
The trimaran’s captain later boarded a Japanese ship to make a citizen’s arrest of the captain and present a US$3 million bill. He remains in Japanese custody.
Sea Shepherd spokesman Paul Watson said police seized extensive documents, but added he would welcome any court action by the Japanese.
“They’ve already seized log books, videos, photographs, charts, GPS recordings and copies of the computer hard drives,” Watson told national news agency AAP. “There’s nothing I would love better than to have this whole thing blow up in an Australian court. Let’s clean all the laundry once and for all.”
Bob Brown, leader of Australia’s Green party, condemned the move as “outrageous” and said at least five police had boarded the ship.
“This is outrageous that Australian police are at the disposal of the Japanese whale killers,” he said.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who has angered Japan by vowing court action this year unless they agree to phase out the whale hunts, said the searches were purely a police matter.
“If the Sea Shepherd has in any way violated any relevant law where Australian authorities are involved, that probably lies in the independent decision-making processes of the Australian Federal Police,” he said.
Australia and Japan earlier this week held intense discussions at International Whaling Commission talks in Florida over a compromise deal which would let Japan, Norway and Iceland hunt a limited number of whales openly.
The Steve Irwin, Bob Barker and Ady Gil set off in December to chase the whalers, but found themselves being harried by the Shonan Maru No. 2 security boat, which was equipped with high-grade acoustic weapons and water cannon.
The wave-piercing, carbon-hulled Ady Gil — which set the round-the-world record under its former name, Earthrace — was seriously damaged in its first confrontation with the fleet on Jan. 6, and later sank.
One month later, the activists accused the whalers of deliberately ramming the Bob Barker ship, a claim the Japanese denied. They finished the annual hunt two weeks ahead of schedule after running out of fuel.
Despite the group’s difficulties, Sea Shepherd has said this year has been their best yet and had reduced the Japanese haul by half, costing the whalers between US$70 million and US$80 million.
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