Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, April 18th, 2010 - 94 comments
Categories: accountability, activism, john key, leadership, Minister for Overseas Holidays, national -
Tags: Ady Gil, Earthrace, japanese, Pete Bethune, Shonan Maru II, whaling
Pete Bethune is one of New Zealand’s heroes. He’s been a successful entrepreneur and gone on to use his wealth to fight the big guys on the grounds of principle. As skipper of the New Zealand flagged hi-tech boat Earthrace, his circumnavigation attempts showcased kiwi ingenuity to the world and demonstrated the value of bio-fuels to the marine industry. He’s risked life and limb in the Southern Oceans to expose the tragic farce that is Japanese whaling.
Since then Bethune’s iconic ship has been deliberately mowed down by the Japanese in an act of aggression that will be ruled on by the International Maritime Court as criminal. You only need to look at the video taken from the attacking Japanese ship Shonan Maru II to see how it deliberately alters its heading and turns into Bethune’s ship then quickly turns away once its mission is accomplished. Despite being much much bigger than its victim, the Shonan Maru II is clearly a very manoeuvrable boat, as you’d expect it to be for its role. The collision was no accident. To further add to the Japanese’s illegality, Shonan Maru II then fires water canon on the crew of the stricken vessel, despite international maritime law stating that one must render assistance on the high seas. There is nothing ambiguous about the illegality of the Japanese crew’s actions and this will be shown in court.
Bethune later boarded the Shonan Maru II to make a citizen’s arrest for the attempted murder of his crew. He has remained a prisoner of the Japanese ever since on a range of trumped-up bogus charges. He still awaits trial in the Japanese legal system, a system that boasts a profoundly suspicious 95% conviction rate. Bethune is of course a political prisoner, a fact that I suspect will make the chances of a kangaroo court conviction even higher. He faces up to 15 years imprisonment for daring to say NO to Japanese whaling interests.
And what have we heard from our Government on the topic of standing up for our citizen’s interests, let alone standing up for a national hero? Well, sweet FA. When McCully did open his mouth it was to oafishly suggest that, despite the basic edicts of maritime law and evidence that the Japanese had imperiously ignored it, it was somehow mysteriously all the protesters’ fault for bothering to stand up for a principle against profoundly immoral corporate interests. Now that Murray has finally managed to engage his brain on the topic the best he can come up with is to stand by in silence and leave a New Zealand national to languish as a prisoner of the Japanese.
The cowardly and toadying silence from the Key Government over Bethune’s plight is as disgraceful as it is foolhardy.
In practical terms it really doesn’t pay to let other governments think you don’t give a shit about your own people, especially if they’re national heroes like Bethune. As a maritime nation it’s also good to stick up for international maritime law. In a geopolitical sense, simpering appeasement really doesn’t pay as a strategy for dealing with imperialist aggression – just ask Mr Chamberlain. And in terms of our domestic politics, if Bethune is convicted by the Japanese and kept in their prisons, this will become a running sore that will do nothing but continue to disgrace our Government and fuel very impassioned campaigns against it. It will raise many old animosities with older voters, and politicize many younger voters – voters who see direct political action as heroic.
Messrs Key and McCully, stuff this one up any more and you will come to deeply regret that you never lifted a finger to save one of ours.
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Scoopit!
When I read the Japanese have isolation cells 1 meter square where prisoners are placed for days on end for as little as speaking during the day I wonder why Pete’s case is also not a human rights issue in NZ.
Scott
If i was extremely inclined to act on Sea Shepherds beliefs. I’d be staging a “kidnapping” of a compliant japanese anti whaling sympathizer and making some “demands” as a means of publicising Bethunes plight and taking the fight to the next media manipulating propaganda level.
Nothing like seeing an orange overalled “captive” in a cell pleading for a political exchange of sorts to ratchet things up in the public consciousness.
Seems to be quite the media trick these days to fake protests.
Great post Sprout.
Long overdue, perhaps the MSM and the Government might do something before they drag him out and chop off his head?
You are right – he is a hero.
It’s pretty low that all opposing debate is childishly dismissed and then censored, followed by personal attacks.
@Sprout, you’re coming across very uneducated and childish, you’ve made less attempt at making constructive comments and encouraging open discussion than Oliver I by a long shot.
then perhaps you should read the post in the first place
try reading the numerous comments addressed to you above
Maybe NZ should do the same as Japan, any Jap arrested in NZ should be charged to the full extent of our laws and be locked up and the keys thrown away until Bethune is set free.
But this would never happen as every one from govt down to prosecutors have got no balls, especially the Govt who are under the spell of the mighty Japanese Empire.
.
Well quite obviously, Bethune correctly calculated that the Japanese would ship him back to Japan and conduct a show trial in a kangaroo court, it should do oddles of damage to Japanese and whaling interests. Japans whaling and predatory fishing will only be stoped and managed in the case of fishing if a permanent NZ and Aus patrol force polices the Southern Ocean as a controlled zone south of Australia and NZ. Palmers weak proposal to impose a quota on whale killing instead of a ban is equally pointless unless its policed by a patrol force. International law only has strength as far as its enforceable.Sustainability justifies Sea Shepherds action and Australia goin gto the world court.
Are you high? Why is there even a meager effort to have Bethune released? Bethune’s 5 count indictment is scheduled for 2 days with a third held in reserve in case the trial runs long. That’s hardly much of a show. This isn’t going to be an OJ Simpson trial it is a simple criminal trial in which the defendant has admitted to many of the crimes and none of them involve Japanese whale research.
Australia and New Zealand are already too busy patrolling their waters for actual poachers they know they don’t have the legal right to interfere with IWC sanctioned scientific research in the Antarctic. International law doesn’t recognize NZ and AU’s Antarctic claims as a matter of fact only two other nations recognize these claims Unfortunately Japan isn’t one of them. If Australia takes the matter to court they have already been told they’ll lose because almost no one supports their Antarctic claims. The SSCS has screwed themselves with their ill conceived operation NZ Bethune’s conviction is only going to speed the Dutch deflagging Watson’s last ship.
I truly think the Australian and NZ Governments are cowards. It’s time to get arrogant scum like these Japs run out of the Southern Ocean. So we don’t have the likes of John Welker spouting his rubbish. Send the navy down there,Most of the World will support us in kicking out these pillaging pigs!
I guarantee you if we booted the Jap pirates out of the Southern Ocean ,They would quickly change their arrogant bullshit attitude to us. What they’re doing is commercial whaling not research.COMMERCIAL WHALING IS BANNED BY THE IWC.So come on Australia NZ get your show pony Navy geared up!