[IMC-UK-Features] Feature Proposal: Arrests As International Whaling Commission Fails To Protect Whales

[genny]

Hi

Great!  Some typos corrected below...

Cheers

Genny

wietse wrote:
> Hiya,
>
> I'd like to propose the following feature (which I'll publish on the 
> newswire in a sec) for the UK, Ocean Defence and Animal Liberation pages.
>
> Cheers, Wietse
>
> --------------->
>
> Title: Arrests As International Whaling Commission Fails To Protect Whales
>
> Image: http://santiago.indymedia.org/uploads/2008/06/un.detenido_mas.jpg
>
> Abstract:
>
> <p>
> Fifteen people <a 
> href="http://santiago.indymedia.org/news/2008/06/80720.php">were 
> arrested</a> by police at a meeting of the International Whaling 
> Commision 
Commission
> (IWC), held this year in Santiago, Chile. The protesters were 
> supposedly trying to 'storm' the meeting but other reports state that 
> the mere presence of people in front of the meeting's venue was seen as 
> a 'security threat'.</p>
> <p>
> The IWC meets annually to regulate the whaling industry and make 
> decisions on conservation of whale populations. So far the meeting 
> hasn't reached any agreements and the commission continues to be 
> strongly devided between the pro- and anti-whaling nations. Skye 
> Bortoli, an activist from Teens Against Whaling described the meeting 
> this year as 'pathetic', saying <em>"this body will be known in the 
> future as a small group of ecologically arrogant people who are 
> condemning the world’s whales to agony and oblivion for petty politics 
> and a few lousy bucks</em>."</p>
> <p>
> <strong>Related Audio:</strong> <a href="/en/2008/06/400970.html">Sea 
> Shepherd Captain Paul Watson Talks in London</a> | <a 
> href="/en/2008/03/394914.html">Interview With Nottingham Activist On 
> Return From Whale Saving Mission</a></p>
> <p>
> <strong>Related Newswire:</strong> <a 
> href="/en/2008/05/399372.html">Iceland Defies Moratorium On Commercial 
> Whaling - Whale Hunt Started</a> | <a 
> href="/en/2008/05/398501.html">Norway Starts Whale Hunting Season</a></p>
> <p>
> <strong>Previous Features:</strong> <a 
> href="/en/2008/04/396478.html">Armed Canadian Coast Guard Storms 
> Conservation Vessel</a> | <a href="/en/2008/03/394930.html">Nottingham 
> Activist Returns From Whale Saving Mission In Antartica</a> | <a 
> href="/en/2008/03/393165.html">Injured Among Sea Shepherd Crew As 
> Japanese Military Open Fire</a> | <a 
> href="/en/2008/01/389842.html">Activists Held Hostage By Japanese 
> Whalers In Southern Ocean</a></p>
> <p>
> <strong>Links:</strong> <a href="http://www.iwcoffice.org">IWC official 
> website</a> | <a href="http://www.teensagainstwhaling.com/">Wikipedia on 
> IWC</a> | <a href="http://www.teensagainstwhaling.com/">Teens Against 
> Whaling</a> | <a href="http://seashepherd.org">Sea Shepherd Conservation 
> Society</a> | <a 
> href="http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/oceans">Greenpeace</a> 
> | <a href="http://santiago.indymedia.org">Santiagi Indymedia</a> | <a 
> href="/en/topics/oceans/">Indymedia Ocean Defence</a></p>
>
> Body:
>
> <p>
> The IWC meets annually. It set limits on whale hunts around the world, 
> decides on issues of conservation and 'regulates' the industry. This 
> year like many a year before 
, like many a year before,
> the IWC fails to make progress in their 
> protection of whales. Japan and other pro-whaling nations push for a 
> partially 
partial
> lifting of the ban on commercial whaling. Also, the US (who 
> have been involved with Japans whaling industry) 
which has been involved with Japan's whaling industry
> has been pushing for 
> the regulation of 'scientific whaling', something which conservations 
> argue would only legitimize an already illegal activity. Japan uses the 
> 'scientific research' as a smokescreen for their illegal commercial 
> whaling practices.</p>
> <p>
> There has been a debate about whether Greenland should be allowed a 
> bigger quota of whales for their hunt and discussions are ongoing about 
> Japan's hunt in the Southern Ocean. It has been reported that the 
> earliest the IWC might come to some kind of agreement is by next year's 
> meeting, which is to be held in Madeira, Portugal. The commission 
> continues to be strongly devided 
divided
> between pro-whaling (Japan, Denmark, 
> Norway, Iceland) and anti-whaling nations (Australia, United Kingdom, 
> New Zealand, South Africa)
anti-whaling (Australia etc.) nations.
> .</p>
> <p>
> Captain Paul Watson from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society 
, from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society,
> did 
> manage to get into the hotel this year. He normally never makes it 
> inside as the Sea Shepherd is the only organisation officially banned 
> from attending IWC meetings. Paul, like Skye Bortoli
,
>  isn't impressed 
> with the state of affairs at this year's meeting: <em>"There were many 
> things that could come out of this meeting. Japan could withdraw from 
> the IWC and become a renegade whaling nation along with their partners 
> in conservation crime Norway and Iceland. Or a compromise may be 
> brokered that will allow the Japanese to withdraw from the Southern 
> Ocean without losing face or thirdly and most likely 
, and most likely,
> nothing will come 
> out of this meeting at all. From the way things are going so far it 
> looks like Sea Shepherd will be returning to the Southern Ocean to once 
> again enforce the regulations that the IWC and the nations of the world 
> refuse to uphold. Oh well, I come to these meetings with no expectations 
> hoping to be pleasantly surprised. After more than three decades I am 
> still waiting.</em>"</p>
> <p>
> Greenpeace was also present in Chili, 
Chile,
> with a dominant presence among the 
> various anti-whaling NGO's and conservationists. Dave writes on the 
> Greenpeace blog: <em>"We hope something good comes out of these 
> meetings, and that the commission transforms itself into a body that 
> protects the whales and not the whalers. While commissioners sit in 
> rooms talking, whales are still dying in the Southern Ocean and around 
> the world from commercial whaling, ship strikes, sonar-related deaths, 
> netting and pollution
,
>  amongst other human-induced hazards</em>."</p>
> <p>
> On a positive note, Chili, 
Chile,
> the host of this year's meeting
,
>  has declared 
> a permanent ban on whaling in its waters. Speaking at a former whale 
> processing plant that Chile closed in 1967, President Michelle Bachelet 
> said he 
she
> sent a bill to Congress proposing a whale sanctuary along 
> Chile's coastline and declared the whale a national monument.</p>
>
>
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