Anti-whaling activists detained on Japanese ship
A Greenpeace photo of the Japanese whaling vessel, Nisshin Maru, similar to the one on which activists are reportedly being held captive. Photograph: Jiri Rezac/EPA
Two members of the radical anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd are reportedly being held against their will on a Japanese whaling ship in Antarctic waters.
In a vessel called Steve Irwin, members of the group had been pursuing Japan's annual whaling hunt in the Antarctic for almost a month.
After locating five Japanese whaling boats this morning, two of its activists – Australian Benjamin Potts and British man Giles Lane – boarded the Yushin Maru No 2 vessel. They handed the crew a letter advising them they were "illegally killing whales" and were then detained.
"They were successful in delivering the message, but then they were not allowed to leave and return to our vessel," said Sea Shepherd spokeswoman Christine Vasic.
"Yushin Maru No 2 is still moving away from us and not responding to radio contact."
The Institute for Cetacean Research, which is linked to the Japanese government, confirmed the two men were detained and locked in a room on the ship, but denied claims by the Sea Shepherd founder, Paul Watson, that the two had been assaulted and bound by a rope to a mast.
"Any accusations that we have tied them up or assaulted them are completely untrue," said institute chief Minoru Morimoto.
"It is illegal to board another country's vessels on the high seas. As a result, they are being held in custody while decisions are made on their future," he said.
"The two boarded the Yushin Maru No 2 after they made attempts to entangle the screw of the vessel using ropes and throw bottles of acid on to the decks."
The incident occurred on the day that conservationists won a legal victory against Japanese whalers when the Australian federal court banned whaling in Australian waters.
Other ships are also searching for Japanese whalers to gather photographic evidence for an international court case aimed at stopping Japan's annual "scientific" hunt.
Japan plans to hunt almost 1,000 minke and fin whales for research over the Antarctic summer, but has abandoned the cull of 50 humpback whales after international condemnation and a formal diplomatic protest by 31 nations.
Japan has long resisted pressure to stop scientific whaling, insisting it is a cherished cultural tradition. Its fleet has killed 7,000 Antarctic minkes over the past 20 years.
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