NZ hero gets suspended sentence

Written By: - Date published: 10:37 am, July 8th, 2010 - 72 comments
Categories: activism, Conservation, International - Tags: , , , ,

Pete Bethune has had his sentence for bogus charges laid by Japanese whaling interests suspended. My warm congratulations to Pete and his family. They’ve suffered a lot of distress over the past few months as Japanese extremists called for Bethune’s execution – all because he dared to hold Japanese whalers to account for illegally killing whales, deliberately sinking his boat, and attempting to murder him and his crew.

Sincere commendations are also due to the Tokyo court that saw sense in this case and resisted the pressures of whaling interests and Japanese ultra-nationalist fascists who were hungry for more harsh retribution. Had Bethune been sentenced to further incarceration, it could have led to some nasty political developments back here, what with the injustice of the detention and the history between our two nations.

Meanwhile Bethune’s Dad Don remains scathing of the Japanese whaling program and the NZ Government’s spinelessness throughout this whole sorry affair. Can’t say I blame him. I expect with Pete not being at liberty to participate directly in the next actions in the Southern Ocean, he’ll be much more free to concentrate on political activism in NZ. He could well become quite a thorn in the side of this Eco-Vandal Government.

72 comments on “NZ hero gets suspended sentence ”

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  1. Croc 1
    8 July 2010 at 11:24 am

    Before anyone starts, it was 100% Japanese fault.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bbuq0YEIPNU

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfGM-LzGKjc

    These two videos show pretty clearly that the Ady Gil was hunted down and rammed by the Shonan Maru 2.

    I’ve spent the last two years on deep sea fishing vessels so I have a little bit of an idea on how ships move in the water.

    You can see in the first video the Shonan Maru 2 turning to starboard towards the Ady Gil due to the lean of the boat. Once it is close to the Ady Gil it swings to port. I think the Japanese were just trying to scare them but miscalculated their approach and ending up ramming them. The second video shows the Ady Gil was sitting almost stationary and the Shonan Maru 2 purposely headed straight for them from some distance.

    If the Japanese are innocent, why have they completely refused to cooperate with Australian and NZ maritime authorities?

    Sea Shepard has boarded Japanese ships before with the same intentions and they were let go pretty quickly. They had little reason to expect such a response from the Japanese this time. In 2008 the crew of the Yushin Maru No. 2 detained two Sea Shepard men for two days, before turning them over to the Australian customs vessel MV Oceanic Viking on the orders of Japanese authorities.

    This season was the first season that the Japanese used security ships as a direct response to the Sea Shepard campaign.

    • mickysavage 1.1
      8 July 2010 at 12:47 pm

      the Ady Gil was hunted down and rammed by the Shonan Maru 2.

      Agreed.

      I posted some photos of Earthrace’s/Ady Gil’s wake at http://waitakerenews.blogspot.com/2010/01/earthraces-wake.html

      It throws out a huge wake when it is throttling.

      It was only idling when the Japanese hit it. It did not stand a chance.

      If there is real justice in this world the Japanese will be held to account.

      • the sprout 1.1.1
        8 July 2010 at 12:57 pm

        agreed. here’s what i said on my last post

        “You only need to look at the video taken from the attacking Japanese ship Shonan Maru II (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7gZd0ihZCE) 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… The rate of lateral rotation in the video taken from the SM shows it was not under the influence of swell but is capable of a high turn rate and is a very nimble ship. ”

        http://www.thestandard.org.nz/nz-hero-prisoner-of-the-japanese/

  2. big bruv 2
    8 July 2010 at 12:21 pm

    Hero??

    Oh, that’s right, you guys do not mind if people steal (you just change the law) or break the law, just as long as they are on your side.

    Bethune is an idiot, he has done irreparable damage to the anti whaling cause by his actions.

    But then again, Labour do not give a shit about the Whales anyway, this is all about scoring cheap political points.

    • felix 2.1
      8 July 2010 at 1:54 pm

      Hardly one to accuse others of stealing while you’re happy to ignore your own debts, bludge.

  3. Tiger Mountain 3
    8 July 2010 at 12:34 pm

    Pete Bethune had the courage to act on his beliefs, rather than just blog about them. In a few years time it will be hard to find anyone that did not support him, just like it is difficult to find anyone nowadays that supported the 81 Springbok tour, even PM Johnny won’t man up and admit that he really did support the racists. It is shameful that the NZ govt. did not offer some support.

  4. big bruv 4
    8 July 2010 at 12:36 pm

    “just like it is difficult to find anyone nowadays that supported the 81 Springbok tour”

    Bullshit, there are plenty of people who say they supported the 81 tour.

    I am one of them.

    • mickysavage 4.1
      8 July 2010 at 12:47 pm

      And you also support welching on bets don’t you BB?

    • Tiger Mountain 4.2
      8 July 2010 at 12:48 pm

      there’s always one BB…

      • big bruv 4.2.1
        8 July 2010 at 12:51 pm

        Far more than one Tiger.

        The moment I realised that the anti tour movement has been hijacked by parasites like Locke, Bradford and Minto I knew that they were not concerned about fighting apartheid.

        • The Voice of Reason 4.2.1.1
          8 July 2010 at 1:14 pm

          Yeah, that’ll be why the South African Government personally thanked Minto for his efforts in helping to end apartheid. You really are a plonker as well as being a one man credibility free zone. Pay up, Big Blub, pay up.

          • big bruv 4.2.1.1.1
            8 July 2010 at 1:24 pm

            Minto was not fighting to end apartheid Voice (and you well know that) he was fighting to introduce communism into South Africa (Minto has admitted as much)

            But once again you do not let the facts get in the way of your bullshit.

          • The Voice of Reason 4.2.1.1.2
            8 July 2010 at 1:29 pm

            And while I’m at it, BB, how old were you in 1981? 5 years old? 10? 15? I’m guessing you must have been one hell of a well read schoolkid if you knew who Bradford, Locke and Minto were back then, let alone what they stood for.

            • big bruv 4.2.1.1.2.1
              8 July 2010 at 1:34 pm

              I was 18 voice, not that it is any of your business.

              And as for Locke, Minto and Bradford, hell, most of the country knew they were shit stirring communist scum.

              • The Voice of Reason …
                8 July 2010 at 1:56 pm

                I only asked because it makes it clear your reply to Tiger Mountain was a lie. Bit like the one where you said you’d pay up if you lost that bet.

                • Tiger Mountain …
                  8 July 2010 at 2:11 pm

                  Have to agree TVOR, BB is revising an imagined or projected past to line up with his current world view. His statements at this distance re tour are quite pathetic and at great variance to what actually happened. Anyone who thinks that mass movement could be hijacked by anyone, whatever their subsequent reputation, obviously was not there!

                  Keith, John and Sue as I know them, are people of great integrity, and as I recall Keith played more of a support role than a ‘headliner’ squad leader in the tour actions as the other two did.

                  Anyway this post is meant to be about a current person (Pete), I was just illustrating the old idiom-todays radical is often tomorrows respected person

                  • the sprout …
                    8 July 2010 at 2:39 pm

                    todays radical is often tomorrows respected person

                    and a point very well made

                    • big bruv …
                      8 July 2010 at 3:14 pm

                      Bradford, Locke and Minto are respected?

                      Maybe among a few hairy lipped feminists and ageing communists but that is about it.

                      I mean how could you ever respect a man who supported Pol Pot?

                    • Daveosaurus …
                      8 July 2010 at 6:22 pm

                      “I mean how could you ever respect a man who supported Pol Pot?”

                      You could always ask that question of all the people who thought that Ronald Reagan was so wonderful.

              • felix …
                8 July 2010 at 2:01 pm

                Fuckin Mandela, what would he know about apartheid, Minto, or the tour?

                Bludge you’re a terrible liar. No-one believes a word you say, and with good reason.

                You’ve been conclusively proven a fraud.

              • lprent …
                8 July 2010 at 2:06 pm

                You, some others and the SIS perhaps.

                However I always thought that they were idealists who had few political motivations, but a hell of a sense of what was right and wrong. In other words they were moral people. There were many on the other side of that debate who appeared to have few or no morals.

                • big bruv …
                  8 July 2010 at 3:21 pm

                  What morals did Minto have Iprent?

                  He told everybody he was marching to end apartheid yet we now know he was marching in support of communism.

                  The guy does not have any morals at all.

                  • felix …
                    8 July 2010 at 4:21 pm

                    And the South African revolutionaries, emboldened by the Kiwi show of solidarity, seized the country in the name of international communism.

                    They later praised comrade Minto for his dedication to the communist manifesto.

                  • Clint Heine …
                    9 July 2010 at 3:17 am

                    Is this the same Minto who is protesting against and bullying innocent female Israeli tennis players? Nice fellow!

        • RobertM 4.2.1.2
          9 July 2010 at 7:15 pm

          Couldn’t agree more. What a tragedy they got into parliament , Bradford in particular. However I believe Kennedy Graham and his call that we never engage in preventative or aggressive war is worse. Surely there was a case for declaring war on Nazi Germany earlier.Even the invasion of Iraq was justified. Saddam was a Bathist a pure Nazi. He had used nerve gas Sarin and Taubin against Iran, even Hitler was not prepared to use those WMD. He was always capable of throwing scuds carrying chemical weapons at Israel and I argued as much in public Law tuts at Vic in 2003. His actions against the Kurds and anyone in his nation who wanted freedom of political expression was heinious. Given that Minto and Bradford are communists we should challenge there freedom of expression. What Bradford, Minto and Locke want is the old East German style communist police state. Maybe they even want Cuba or North Korea , certainly a Cuban health system is aim of most to these people probably including the anti alcohol activists Doug Selman and most professors of public health.
          The mains aims of the Bradfords and mintos of the world is to great a lot of jobs for dumb white men, proletarize the police and military and incorporate the SIS and GCSB into a socialist police force.

          • Tiger Mountain 4.2.1.2.1
            9 July 2010 at 8:04 pm

            RM Have your meds just kicked in, or are still you awaiting them?

            • RobertM 4.2.1.2.1.1
              11 July 2010 at 5:51 pm

              As they say in Primary Colors, there better quality now. There meant to be kickers. Rock star quality. Really just recreational in David Healy’s view.
              Actually I support Bethune and are strongly anti whaling. My point is anti whaling is not a left wing issue and may even be a right wing issue outside New Zealand. And if you want to test if an issue is hard left , Bradford supports it, if I support it it is probably right centre. To be honest I do not regard Sea Shepherd as being political. Greenpeace are certainly left wing but I think Sea Shepherd harder more multi faceted approach more approprite in response to savage whaling.

              • felix …
                11 July 2010 at 7:18 pm

                Ah, so it’s a centre-right position because you support it and you only support centre-right positions so that proves that it is.

                Glad we cleared that up.

  5. pmofnz 5
    8 July 2010 at 12:38 pm

    A hero? You have to be joking.

    He is a convicted criminal being deported irrespective of what sweetheart deals the Sea Shepherd thugs spin as supposedly positive outcomes.

    In my view, nothing but a terrorist who should have been locked up for a long time.

  6. zimmer 6
    8 July 2010 at 12:41 pm

    He is a murdering wanker, what about the poor peasant he killed in Guatamala?

  7. Evidence-Based Practice 7
    8 July 2010 at 12:49 pm

    I heard someone estimate that by being captured and taken to Japan he saved the lives of about 60 whales that would otherwise have been caught by those Japanese vessels and crew.

    • big bruv 7.1
      8 July 2010 at 12:55 pm

      That may or may not be the case, however, this idiot Bethune has only hardened the resolve of the Japs to continue their annual whale slaughter.

      If you guys are genuinely interested in stopping commercial whaling then you would be interested in any proposal that can work toward achieving that goal, it is a pity that you see whaling as nothing more than a chance to gather a few votes.

      • the sprout 7.1.1
        8 July 2010 at 1:00 pm

        it seems you have a very twisted view bb, but then considering your indifference to honouring your word, who can really tell?

        • big bruv 7.1.1.1
          8 July 2010 at 1:03 pm

          Sprout

          Why not just admit that you guys do not care how many whales are killed?

          It is clear that you are at best indifferent to the annual slaughter, you are simply using it as a way of gathering votes.

          Mind you, that is nothing new when it comes to the left in NZ, the Greens have been doing it for years when it comes to animal welfare.

          • felix 7.1.1.1.1
            8 July 2010 at 2:05 pm

            Ah, the worldview of the imbecile.

            Environmentalists hate the planet, socialists hate the people, wealthy men are the most oppressed, and everyone’s racist against whitey.

            • big bruv 7.1.1.1.1.1
              8 July 2010 at 3:11 pm

              Meanwhile felix and the Labour party use the annual Whale slaughter as a vote gathering exercise.

              You could at least stop pretending you care.

              • felix …
                8 July 2010 at 4:16 pm

                Yup, felix and the labour party.

                Pay your bill bludger.

                • Clint Heine …
                  9 July 2010 at 3:24 am

                  The story in the Herald had Chris Carter do exactly that. He jumped onto the bandwagon saying he was always supported the anti whaling movement before talking about the actual story.

                  The Greens will benefit from this the most, esp as they parade this guy around on his return. I wonder if he will be selected as a Green MP in the future?

  8. Robert Guyton 8
    8 July 2010 at 2:43 pm

    big bruv – pro-whaling nuts like you are a disgrace to our country, letting your own bitter ideologies get in the way of seeing where someone who really cares about animal welfare, Pete Bethune in this instance, puts his life in danger in dangerous oceans to prevent the killing of intelligent animals. All you can do is demean him. I suppose you would say the same thing about someone who stepped up to the gangs and tried to stop a pitbull fight! How you can side with the perveyors of animal cruelty I don’t know, but I suspect your hiding behind a lame pseudonym on a blog has a lot to do with it. Pete Bethune has the courage to put himself foward under his own name, for the sake of poor beasts who cannot defend themselves. You do the opposite.
    Shame.

    • big bruv 8.1
      8 July 2010 at 3:28 pm

      Robert Guyton

      Clearly you are an imbecile.

      I am passionate about animal welfare, I detest the annual whale slaughter, nothing I have said contradicts that.

      Bethune deserves to be demeaned, he has set the cause of anti whaling back years with his stupid self promoting stunt.

      Anybody with half a brain (this rules out you and Bethune) knows that you do not deal with the Japanese in that fashion, you NEVER put them in a position where they may lose face.

      Bethunes actions will only harden the Japanese stance on their ‘cultural right’ to harvest Whales.

      If you people were genuinely concerned about seeing an end to this barbaric practice would be right behind a negotiated (and reducing) annual limit, yes, it is not as good as an outright ban but it is the best of a bad bunch of options.

      What a pity that you guys choose to make this a political issue.

      • felix 8.1.1
        8 July 2010 at 4:15 pm

        “Anybody with half a brain (this rules out you and Bethune) knows that you do not deal with the Japanese in that fashion, you NEVER put them in a position where they may lose face.”

        Anyone with half a brain, eh bludge?

        Most accurate thing you’ve ever written.

  9. belladonna 9
    8 July 2010 at 3:05 pm

    Good to have a New Zealand hero again – it’s been a while.

  10. randal 10
    8 July 2010 at 3:09 pm

    give a chap an easy one!

  11. roger nome 11
    8 July 2010 at 3:16 pm

    All you lefties are just jealouse of Bruv’s mind-reading powers.

  12. Robert Guyton 12
    8 July 2010 at 3:55 pm

    big bruv – for someone who claims to abhor the slaughter of whales you seem to be entirely ineffectual when it comes to doing something about it. Ranting on a blog doesn’t count as ‘doing something about it’, but putting yourself on a flimsy boat on the southern oceans, getting between the whalers and the whales, does. Bethune’s actions irritates you so much because he puts you to shame with his bravery. It has been suggested, quite rightly in my opinion, that Bethune’s actions aboard the Japanese whaling vessel and the resulting early return to port, saved dozens of whales.
    How many have you saved with your overheated keyboard tappings, big bruv?
    You decry the man who makes you look silly.
    Bethune 40, bruv nil.

  13. Robert Guyton 13
    8 July 2010 at 4:06 pm

    ” Anybody with half a brain (this rules out you and Bethune) knows that you do not deal with the Japanese in that fashion, you NEVER put them in a position where they may lose face.”

    Never say never big bruv!

    Say “Hiroshima!”

    Say “Nagasaki!”

    • Tiger Mountain 13.1
      8 July 2010 at 4:28 pm

      I agree Robert about the sheer courage of the crews involved in surviving the icy ocean plus mounting a successful action to boot.

      I am reluctant to evoke WWII imagery though in dismissing the wimp BB, though it is possibly all he will understand. BB is either a genuinely monotonous dullard or a persistant provocateur here via a plumbing leak. Either way I am tempted to start a blog just to experience the pleasure of banning him.

      • big bruv 13.1.1
        8 July 2010 at 4:50 pm

        “I am tempted to start a blog just to experience the pleasure of banning him.”

        What is it with you lefties and the desire to ban free speech?

        You have a desperate desire to silence anybody who does not agree with you.

        No wonder you are so in favour of the EFA, no wonder you persecuted the Exclusive Brethren..

        • Tiger Mountain 13.1.1.1
          8 July 2010 at 5:04 pm

          I am fine with differences and debate BB, it is obvious non factual statements such as you attempted to sell above, about the 81 tour, that I find slippery and without merit.

          Go Pete Bethune!

        • BLiP 13.1.1.2
          8 July 2010 at 5:32 pm

          Paid your debts yet?

        • uke 13.1.1.3
          8 July 2010 at 5:57 pm

          “You have a desperate desire to silence anybody who does not agree with you.”

          Desperate? Your assertion is disproved by the fact there has been only one comment on this story jokily suggesting this. I am starting to understand other people’s characterizations of your remarks.

      • lprent 13.1.2
        8 July 2010 at 4:50 pm

        bb doesn’t do behaviors that get him banned.

        There is a lot of *interesting* conversation going on from various sides related to bb and some bet at present. But as a moderator that isn’t particularly my concern. I have been noticing the same conversations popping up in different posts, but mixed in with comment on the post. So I haven’t bumped the conversations to OpenMike.

  14. butnahyeahnah 14
    8 July 2010 at 4:21 pm

    I think we should start referring to him as “Sir Peter Bethune”.

  15. fraser 15
    8 July 2010 at 4:58 pm

    Yes, Sir Peter Bethune. If anyone deserves a Knighthood it is him.

    • Clint Heine 15.1
      9 July 2010 at 3:29 am

      Really? In the same sentence as Edmund Hilary? Wow. That’s stretching it. If Bethune became a knight it would demean the whole system.

      As bad as giving the nobel peace prize to… oh right..

  16. ieuan 16
    8 July 2010 at 7:49 pm

    It is really stretching things to call Peter Bethune a ‘hero’.

    There is certainly nothing wrong with standing up for what you believe in but really you need to pick your fights.

    Climbing on to a Japanese whaling boat to carry out a citizens arrest is just plain stupid. He is lucky he is not going to spend 2 years in a Japanese jail.

    • Pascal's bookie 16.1
      8 July 2010 at 8:13 pm

      He is lucky he is not going to spend 2 years in a Japanese jail.

      Is he? I don’t think they rolled dice to decide the sentence. Seems pretty clear to me they weighed the political options and locking him up would be the bigger loss for them and the higher gain for the anti whalers, who would spend the next two years going on about ‘political prisoners’ and what not.

      As it is, he has had a whole heap of publicity inside Japan for his cause which usually barely gets a look in, and he’s walked away with a token conviction and a don’t do anything bad on japanese soil again or else. Looks like a pretty clear cut win to me.

      • felix 16.1.1
        8 July 2010 at 9:04 pm

        But bookie you just don’t get it – he wasn’t doing as he was told.

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