Captured: Giles Lane, left, appears to cry out while his Australian companion (right) looks on
Posted on 01/15/2008 7:43:41 PM PST by Stoat
This is the moment a British anti-whaling activist was taken captive on a Japanese harpoon ship.
Giles Lane appears to be crying out in pain as the sailors surround him and bind him.
In the dramatic pictures his companion, an Australian, is wrapped around with rope and seems powerless to help.
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Captured: Giles Lane, left, appears to cry out while his Australian companion (right) looks on
Colleagues of the pair in the Sea Shepherd marine protection organisation claim they were later tied to the radar mast in the freezing cold as the vessel sped from the area in the Antarctic.
"They have assaulted and kidnapped two of my crew," said Captain Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd vessel Steve Irwin.
The Japanese Whaling Association last night denied the men had been tied to the mast, but admitted they were being held on board the Yushin Maru.
A spokesman claimed that Mr Lane, 36, from Cuckfield, in West Sussex, and Australian Benjamin Potts had boarded the ship illegally and intended to entangle the vessel's propellers with rope and throw bottles of acid on the decks.
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Sea spray: The Yushin Maru crew turn a high pressure hose on the men as they approach
The sensational confrontation came hours after an Australian court banned Japan from whaling in its Antarctic waters.
The ruling applies to a sanctuary declared by Australia in 2000 - which Japan does not recognise.
Some of its ships are already in the area for a planned cull of 1,000 fin and minke whales for "scientific research".
When crew members on board the Steve Irwin learned of the judgment they clapped and cheered, then tried to send a radio message to a fleet they had been shadowing for three days.
The Japanese failed to respond, so Captain Watson decided to send Mr Lane and Mr Potts to one of the ships, the Yushin Maru, to deliver a letter outlining the judgment and demanding that the whaling stop immediately.
First the sailors turned high-pressure hoses on them. And Captain Watson said that as soon as the two men boarded the ship by clambering up a ladder the Japanese set upon them.
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Illegal: Japanese whalers have been banned from hunting in Australian waters by a court judgment
"First of all they tried to throw Benjamin Potts overboard, but he managed to get his way out of that," he said.
"Then they assaulted Giles Lane. He seems to be in some pain.
"They tied him up with an incredible number of ropes. It looks like some kind of bondage movie. It's ridiculous."
There are concerns now for the safety of the two men in the freezing conditions.
In Tokyo last night, Makoto Ito, spokesman for the Japanese Whaling Association denied they had been tied to a mast.
"It is illegal to board another country's vessels on the high seas. As a result, at this stage, they are being held in custody while decisions are made on their future," he said.
"This is just propaganda by Sea Shepherd," he added. "I believe the two men are on the boat but we cannot give further details at this time.
"Sea Shepherd has been harassing our research vessels, but no one is bound to the mast of the Yushin Maru."
There are also concerns that more serious confrontations will occur in coming days when an Australian government vessel arrives in the area.
The converted cruise liner has a number of weapons on board - and environmentalists believe it will try to drive the Japanese out.
If true, it seems that they got quite a bargain.......
ARRRRRRR! Bein' tied up is mild, compared to what they did in th' good ol' days!
SAILOR: HOW ARE YOU OLD CHUM!!
SAILOR: ALL YOUR A** ARE BELONG TO US.
SAILOR: HA HA HA HA....
ARRRRRRR! Bein' tied up is mild, compared to what they did in th' good ol' days!
Indeed. And considering the rampant scourge of piracy these days not to mention terrorism, I'd have had zero troubles with lethal defensive measures if I had been the Japanese Captain. I'd say that he exercised amazing restraint.
I hope this image isn't blasphemous.
Sounds like the could be up for a Piracy charge.....
Korosuchae!
ok - this really cracked me up!
BWAHAHA!!!
It’s not irrelevant that the Japanese ship is there in violation of Australian law, and also flagrantly lying about the purpose of the mission (putting them in violation of International Whaling Commission rules). “Scientific research” — what a crock. They are slaughtering wildlife, some of it endangered, to sell to restaurants back home for money. I don’t recognize the right of sovereign nations to roam all over the globe wiping out any species they feel like wiping out.
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Are they whaling in Australian waters as recognized by treaty? If they are, this could create some tensions. GreenPeace has used these tactics for years, but the whalers have gotten pretty good at dealing with them.
If I had been Captain of that vessel, they wouldn't be alive to face charges. How was I to know that these were not violent terrorists? (which they apparently were)
I don't suppose these enviroweenies have ever heard of the USS Cole?
If you don't want to be treated like a terrorist, then don't act like one.
Fin and Minke whales are in no danger of extinction. There are plenty to go around.
If you can’t stand the thought of whales being eaten, come right out and say so.
Sounds like some familiar enviromaniacal tactics.
Leni
It seems they were vigilantes attempting to enforce Australian law. If the Aussies want their Antarctic territorial waters respected, they should enforce them themselves and not depend on Greenpeace wannabes to do so.
I’m not big on whaling, but in this particular case, I’m with the whalers. Ropes and acid? Act like an idiot, get treated like one.
The picture with the guy crying like a little baby is priceless.
“The sensational confrontation came hours after an Australian court banned Japan from whaling in its Antarctic waters. The ruling applies to a sanctuary declared by Australia in 2000 - which Japan does not recognise. “
Mine the waters! Perhaps then Japan will recognize Australia’s sovereignty.
They are lucky they weren't used for katana practice or turned into bait.
Tears leaketh from ny eyes. 
Are cry-baby pussies on any sort of endangered list?
Remember, boys and girls, "Save the whales and f*** the humans" is not a derogatory stereotype. They actually view life in that way.
Pretty much everything Japan eats is tied to the sea. It’s not like they have broad, rolling pastures filled with herds of cattle.
Beef. It’s what Japan calls Whale.
Agreed....and in these modern times, any vessel should be expected to repel boarders with lethal means, considering the ongoing worldwide terrorist threat. These twits are lucky to be alive.
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No matter how many times I see that pic of the jacka$$ crying, it still cracks me up.
It’s one thing to hunt animals for food (humanely, which is often not the case with whaling), but another thing entirely to hunt endangered species for profitable status-symbol delicacies. These species are not Japan’s private property. If they can figure out a way to raise and hunt whales in their own waters, I’d have no objection.
Hopefully President Bush is on the phone with PM Fukuda, offering his congratulations and good wishes to the Captain and crew :-)
:-)
That commercial for garbage bags jumped into my head when I saw the picture. “Wimpy, wimpy, wimpy.”
I’m with you. I’m of the firm opinion that if it weren’t for these sorts of protests, the great whales would have been wiped out decades ago.
It's always so delightful when this sort of thing happens....savoring the moment :-)
No one has said a word about it being irrelevant, and nobody is suggesting that the ship was not in violation of the law.
But this gang of hippies was not officially empowered by Australia or any other Government to enforce it's laws.
Australia has quite an effective and impressive Navy and armed forces which are delighted to deal with such matters, and that's whom the matter should have been left to, if the Australian Government had deemed it necessary.
This was nothing more than a reckless, juvenile vigilante action and these 'protesters' (terrorists, actually) are quite lucky to be alive.
They most certainly would not be if I had been Captain of that ship.
The USS Cole fades from the memory of some, but not for me.
“But this gang of hippies was not officially empowered by Australia or any other Government to enforce it’s laws.”
And you don’t enforce the laws with ropes and acid either.
Typical of green weenies. Protect any animal at any cost. Even at the expense of human life.
I would have tossed them overboard.
nor are they Australia’s.
Personally, I would tell ozland to pound sand.
Such things are settled by mutual treaties and if the Japanese are not so willing then its too bad.
Australia doesn’t own the Antarctic high seas either, no matter what their courts say.
Fin whales are certainly endangered. There are different types of minke whales, but the relatively abundant population of the most common ones is only due to the whaling restrictions being observed by most countries. In the 1970s, Japan, in addition to its won huge scale whaling, was also secretly buying whale meat from the Soviets, who were lying about their catch numbers in their reports to the IWC, so they could rake in more cash to try to save their sputtering Marxist pseudo-paradise. Last year, the Japanese also announced their intention to hunt humpback whales in the southern sanctuary area, though I think they eventually backed off from that under extreme pressure from the Australian government and IWC. The Japanese behavior with regard to whaling has simply been dishonorable.
The US also does not recognize Antarctic territorial claims so your rant is meaningless. Sea Shepard are terrorists and YOU seem to be supporting them.
I think that it's safe to say that chicks with spectacular cleavage have been at least an ancillary factor in numerous world conflicts throughout the centuries :-)
The US also does not recognize Antarctic territorial claims. Should we support sinking them too? Just asking! 8 or more countries claim a piece of Antarctica.
Well, the guy looks like he’s crying. Don’t chicks go for that man who’s in touch with his feminine side?
And that's precisely why diplomats and, if necessary, standing armed forces exist....to enforce treaties among other things.
Greenpeace is not an organization that is empowered by Australia or any other Government to enforce it's laws, and when it takes it upon itself to engage in terrorist actions such as this, while pathetically attempting to wrap itself in the cloak of a 'law enforcement agency' then it's stinky and unkempt hippie membership need to expect to be treated as the terrorists that they are.
GreenPeace has used these tactics for years, but the whalers have gotten pretty good at dealing with them.
And in this case I'm hoping that the Japanese Captain will get a stern lecture from the appropriate Japanese governing bodies, as his ship could very easily have wound up as another USS Cole incident. The world has changed since the 1970's, and limp-wristed acceptance of environmental terrorism can no longer be tolerated.
Gambate Okudesai!
Bakayaro Itai desu!
Sagoy!
Banzai Pingu!
Sea Shepard has rammed and sunk ships before. They are nothing but money grubbing Eco-nazis. They should all be arrested and tried in Japan and toss in prison for terrorist attack on the ship.
How come after 12000 years of whaling we still have whales? Japan is not wiping out any species more fairy tales from the eco-Nazis.
Do you believe the Japenese to be in Australian waters? The Japanese say no. If they are not in Australian territory then why is Australian law relevant?
I don’t recognize the right of sovereign nations to roam all over the globe wiping out any species they feel like wiping out.
It seems the Japanese failed to consider your opinion for whatever reason.
Rope binding of prisoners is a part of Bujitsu, in Japan. Many Japanese study it as a part of police or military work. There are different systems of binding, as well as knots that stay secure.Some knots and systems of binding are designed to self tighten the more a prisoner struggles. Its called "Shibari" and is part of what is called"Hojo-jitsu." Whats funny is that the speaker is trying to portray the Japanese sailors as flunkies when at least one of them really knew Hojo-jitsu.
I am glad these greenie weenies have been given as good as they hand out.
Thought number one is don’t write a check your ass can’t cash. Thought number two is “appears to cry” sounds like a typical liberal.
Australian sovereignty does not necessarily extend to wherever Australia says it does. If the Aussies and the Japanese can't agree about this "sanctuary" they should sit down and settle the issue with words.
Mommy, I want my Mommy. Whaaaaaaaa.
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