Australian ship seeks out whalers 
An Australian patrol ship tasked with monitoring Japan's whaling fleet
has departed from the western city of Perth for waters off Antarctica.
The Oceanic Viking, a customs vessel, left Stirling Naval Base on
Tuesday night on a 20-day surveillance mission. 

It will collect photographic and video material for a possible legal
challenge against the whalers, Australian officials have said. 

Japan's fleet began its annual whale hunt in mid-November. 

It plans to kill about 900 minke whales and 50 fin whales by mid-April
2008 as part of what it calls a scientific research programme. 

But it has suspended plans to kill 50 humpback whales, amid a storm of
international criticism. 

Legal challenge 

Acting against the whalers was one of the new Labor-led Australian
government's election pledges. 


An Airbus A-319 will also conduct surveillance flights over the fleet.

Evidence from the vessels would be used to help Canberra decide if it
could take action against the whalers in international courts, Foreign
Minister Stephen Smith said last month. 

On Monday he rejected criticism that the government had delayed
deploying the ship to ease diplomatic tensions with Japan. 

"All of the decisions that were made in respect of the Oceanic Viking
have been made on the basis of maximising the potential of 20 days of
successful activity," he told journalists in Perth. 

There are deep divisions between Australia and Japan on the issue of
whaling. 

Japan says it kills whales for the purpose of scientific research,
something permitted under a clause in International Whaling Commission
rules. 

But Australia and other nations say the same research goals could be
achieved using non-lethal methods, and call the research programme a
front for commercial whaling. 

Boats from environmental group Greenpeace and the more radical Sea
Shepherd group are also tracking the Japanese fleet. 

Sea Shepherd says its activists will attempt to intercept the ships. 


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7178257.stm

Published: 2008/01/09 05:00:38 GMT










--

My greatest speech to the peasants
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=em7LWuP0T7Q

pam the SPAMMERS send an email to enquires@urfreesim.co.uk



England / Angelic Upstarts 

The red in the flag is the blood that was spilt
In the way that your forefathers tell
And never a country has been so great
The stories Britannia could tell 

I never want to live my life
Away from the golden shores
There's never a country in the world
With the scent of an English rose 

England oh England a country so great
A land that's so fair and so true
There'll never be any colours like
The red the white and the blue 

Whenever you go to a far off land
There's something goes with you
The pride and the joy and the love that comes
For your mother of red white and blue 

You could never be born under a flag that's like
The one of the Union Jack
St.Georges spirit has never died
It all keeps coming back

"Adenoid Hynkel ."  wrote in message 
news:lepco3pbc20ia0vbjp0vueno84ql2fnan4@4ax.com...
> Australian ship seeks out whalers
> An Australian patrol ship tasked with monitoring Japan's whaling fleet
> has departed from the western city of Perth for waters off Antarctica.
> The Oceanic Viking, a customs vessel, left Stirling Naval Base on
> Tuesday night on a 20-day surveillance mission.
>
> It will collect photographic and video material for a possible legal
> challenge against the whalers, Australian officials have said.
>
> Japan's fleet began its annual whale hunt in mid-November.
>
> It plans to kill about 900 minke whales and 50 fin whales by mid-April
> 2008 as part of what it calls a scientific research programme.
>
> But it has suspended plans to kill 50 humpback whales, amid a storm of
> international criticism.
>
> Legal challenge
>
> Acting against the whalers was one of the new Labor-led Australian
> government's election pledges.
>
>
> An Airbus A-319 will also conduct surveillance flights over the fleet.
>
> Evidence from the vessels would be used to help Canberra decide if it
> could take action against the whalers in international courts, Foreign
> Minister Stephen Smith said last month.
>
> On Monday he rejected criticism that the government had delayed
> deploying the ship to ease diplomatic tensions with Japan.
>
> "All of the decisions that were made in respect of the Oceanic Viking
> have been made on the basis of maximising the potential of 20 days of
> successful activity," he told journalists in Perth.
>
> There are deep divisions between Australia and Japan on the issue of
> whaling.
>
> Japan says it kills whales for the purpose of scientific research,
> something permitted under a clause in International Whaling Commission
> rules.
>
> But Australia and other nations say the same research goals could be
> achieved using non-lethal methods, and call the research programme a
> front for commercial whaling.
>
> Boats from environmental group Greenpeace and the more radical Sea
> Shepherd group are also tracking the Japanese fleet.
>
> Sea Shepherd says its activists will attempt to intercept the ships.
>
>
Considering that the Japanese have been killing whales "for scientific 
research" for at least 30 years that I can recall, can they tell us what 
they've learned? Do they publish papers about whales?  Can we all read about 
their findings somewhere?  Or haven't they learned anything, so they'll have 
to go on and on and on....

I thought that the Southern Ocean was a protected area, a whale sanctuary. 
Has this changed recently?  If not, I hope the Australians press charges as 
hard as they can.  Good luck to Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd for trying to 
chase these killers away.

I was thinking about a holiday to Japan later this year.  I'm sure it's a 
very interesting country, but I've now decided not to spend my mega-bucks 
there.  Iceland is another place where I would like to go but won't.

Sorry if this sounds a bit stiff-necked, but the only vote I have is with my 
wallet.

someone

Following up to  "someone"  wrote:

>Sorry if this sounds a bit stiff-necked, but the only vote I have is with my 
>wallet.

the trouble is spamming loads of newsgroups is likely to have the
opposite effect than desired. However i agree, im not buying anything
japanese anymore. Damn! I just recommended a japanese brushcutter.
-- 
Mike
Remove clothing to email

On Thu, 10 Jan 2008 23:23:08 -0000, "someone" 
wrote:

>
>"Adenoid Hynkel ."  wrote in message 
>news:lepco3pbc20ia0vbjp0vueno84ql2fnan4@4ax.com...
>> Australian ship seeks out whalers
>> An Australian patrol ship tasked with monitoring Japan's whaling fleet
>> has departed from the western city of Perth for waters off Antarctica.
>> The Oceanic Viking, a customs vessel, left Stirling Naval Base on
>> Tuesday night on a 20-day surveillance mission.
>>
>> It will collect photographic and video material for a possible legal
>> challenge against the whalers, Australian officials have said.
>>
>> Japan's fleet began its annual whale hunt in mid-November.
>>
>> It plans to kill about 900 minke whales and 50 fin whales by mid-April
>> 2008 as part of what it calls a scientific research programme.
>>
>> But it has suspended plans to kill 50 humpback whales, amid a storm of
>> international criticism.
>>
>> Legal challenge
>>
>> Acting against the whalers was one of the new Labor-led Australian
>> government's election pledges.
>>
>>
>> An Airbus A-319 will also conduct surveillance flights over the fleet.
>>
>> Evidence from the vessels would be used to help Canberra decide if it
>> could take action against the whalers in international courts, Foreign
>> Minister Stephen Smith said last month.
>>
>> On Monday he rejected criticism that the government had delayed
>> deploying the ship to ease diplomatic tensions with Japan.
>>
>> "All of the decisions that were made in respect of the Oceanic Viking
>> have been made on the basis of maximising the potential of 20 days of
>> successful activity," he told journalists in Perth.
>>
>> There are deep divisions between Australia and Japan on the issue of
>> whaling.
>>
>> Japan says it kills whales for the purpose of scientific research,
>> something permitted under a clause in International Whaling Commission
>> rules.
>>
>> But Australia and other nations say the same research goals could be
>> achieved using non-lethal methods, and call the research programme a
>> front for commercial whaling.
>>
>> Boats from environmental group Greenpeace and the more radical Sea
>> Shepherd group are also tracking the Japanese fleet.
>>
>> Sea Shepherd says its activists will attempt to intercept the ships.
>>
>>
>Considering that the Japanese have been killing whales "for scientific 
>research" for at least 30 years that I can recall, can they tell us what 
>they've learned? Do they publish papers about whales?  Can we all read about 
>their findings somewhere?  Or haven't they learned anything, so they'll have 
>to go on and on and on....
>
>I thought that the Southern Ocean was a protected area, a whale sanctuary. 
>Has this changed recently?  If not, I hope the Australians press charges as 
>hard as they can.  Good luck to Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd for trying to 
>chase these killers away.
>
>I was thinking about a holiday to Japan later this year.  I'm sure it's a 
>very interesting country, but I've now decided not to spend my mega-bucks 
>there.  Iceland is another place where I would like to go but won't.
>
>Sorry if this sounds a bit stiff-necked, but the only vote I have is with my 
>wallet.

I agree. I wouldn't go to Japan or buy it's produce if it were given
away!

What's really sad is that the modern world is prepared to let them get
away with this. It makes a complete mockery of a global union. Don't
blame the whalers, blame the Japanese government more than anything.









--

My greatest speech to the peasants
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=em7LWuP0T7Q

pam the SPAMMERS send an email to enquires@urfreesim.co.uk



England / Angelic Upstarts 

The red in the flag is the blood that was spilt
In the way that your forefathers tell
And never a country has been so great
The stories Britannia could tell 

I never want to live my life
Away from the golden shores
There's never a country in the world
With the scent of an English rose 

England oh England a country so great
A land that's so fair and so true
There'll never be any colours like
The red the white and the blue 

Whenever you go to a far off land
There's something goes with you
The pride and the joy and the love that comes
For your mother of red white and blue 

You could never be born under a flag that's like
The one of the Union Jack
St.Georges spirit has never died
It all keeps coming back