Protesters and whalers clash in Southern Ocean - Reuters

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Protesters and whalers clash in Southern Ocean
Mon Mar 3, 2008 3:09am EST

By James Grubel

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Anti-whaling activists clashed with
Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean on Monday, prompting
a diplomatic complaint from Tokyo to Canberra and a rebuke
for the activists from the Australian government.

Members of the hardline Sea Shepherd group threw bottles and
containers of foul-smelling substances at the Japanese factory
ship the Nisshin Maru as part of the organization's campaign
to disrupt Japan's annual whale hunt.

Three Japanese sailors were injured after the chemical cocktail
splashed into the eyes of two coastguard crew and one whaler
causing irritation, said an official with Japan's Fisheries Agency
in Tokyo. He declined to give the location of the incident for
security reasons.

-snip-

Sea Shepherd's leader Paul Watson described the incident as
"non-violent chemical warfare," saying the substances thrown
at the Japanese ship were harmless, foul-smelling and slippery
substances, designed to make it difficult to process whales.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSSYD21462920080303

[mike_c]

1. I wouldn't shed a tear if the Sea Shepard sunk a whaling vessel or two....

eom