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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Australia to act on whaling row | Australia to act on whaling row |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Australia says it will send a ship to collect two activists from a Japanese whaling vessel, in a bid to end a two-day Antarctic stand-off. | Australia says it will send a ship to collect two activists from a Japanese whaling vessel, in a bid to end a two-day Antarctic stand-off. |
| Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said a ship monitoring the whalers would retrieve the men as soon as possible. | Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said a ship monitoring the whalers would retrieve the men as soon as possible. |
| The protesters, from radical anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd, boarded the Japanese ship on Tuesday. | The protesters, from radical anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd, boarded the Japanese ship on Tuesday. |
| Whalers say they want to return them, but Sea Shepherd says conditions for the release are unacceptable. | Whalers say they want to return them, but Sea Shepherd says conditions for the release are unacceptable. |
| Mr Smith said that the patrol boat, the Oceanic Viking, would retrieve the men from the Yushin Maru 2 and transfer them to Sea Shepherd's Steve Irwin vessel. | Mr Smith said that the patrol boat, the Oceanic Viking, would retrieve the men from the Yushin Maru 2 and transfer them to Sea Shepherd's Steve Irwin vessel. |
| Both the Japanese and Australian governments had agreed to the plan, he said. | Both the Japanese and Australian governments had agreed to the plan, he said. |
| "We now need the full and complete co-operation of the two vessels, the two captains and the two men concerned." | "We now need the full and complete co-operation of the two vessels, the two captains and the two men concerned." |
| Rhetoric | Rhetoric |
| The stand-off has ratcheted up tensions between Sea Shepherd and the whalers, who have clashed in the past. | The stand-off has ratcheted up tensions between Sea Shepherd and the whalers, who have clashed in the past. |
| The Japanese want Sea Shepherd to guarantee a safe handover | The Japanese want Sea Shepherd to guarantee a safe handover |
| Australian Benjamin Potts and Briton Giles Lane boarded the whaler on Tuesday to deliver a protest. | Australian Benjamin Potts and Briton Giles Lane boarded the whaler on Tuesday to deliver a protest. |
| The whalers say the men tried to damage their propeller and threw acid before illegally boarding. | The whalers say the men tried to damage their propeller and threw acid before illegally boarding. |
| They offered to return them if Sea Shepherd agreed not to confront the whaling vessel during the handover. | They offered to return them if Sea Shepherd agreed not to confront the whaling vessel during the handover. |
| Sea Shepherd said the men were roughed up when they boarded the vessel and ruled out any kind of conditional handover. | |
| As the deadlock continued, Sea Shepherd threatened a commando-style raid if the activists were not returned. A whaling official, meanwhile, said the activists could be taken to Japan if Sea Shepherd did not co-operate. | As the deadlock continued, Sea Shepherd threatened a commando-style raid if the activists were not returned. A whaling official, meanwhile, said the activists could be taken to Japan if Sea Shepherd did not co-operate. |
| Mr Smith gave no timescale for the manoeuvre. | Mr Smith gave no timescale for the manoeuvre. |
| "We would like the transfer to be expedited as soon as possible but people should understand it is a difficult operation," he said. | "We would like the transfer to be expedited as soon as possible but people should understand it is a difficult operation," he said. |
| The Oceanic Viking has been following the fleet to collect evidence for a possible legal challenge against the whalers in international courts. | The Oceanic Viking has been following the fleet to collect evidence for a possible legal challenge against the whalers in international courts. |
| The fleet plans to kill about 900 minke whales and 50 fin whales by mid-April as part of what it describes as a scientific research programme. | The fleet plans to kill about 900 minke whales and 50 fin whales by mid-April as part of what it describes as a scientific research programme. |
| But other nations and environment groups say the research goals could be achieved using non-lethal methods and call the programme a front for commercial whaling. | But other nations and environment groups say the research goals could be achieved using non-lethal methods and call the programme a front for commercial whaling. |
| TRACKING JAPANESE WHALERS November 2007: Japanese fleet of six whaling ships sets sail 31 December: MV Esperanza carrying Greenpeace campaigners enters Antarctic waters on trail of Japanese fleet. MV Steve Irwin carrying rival Sea Shepherd Conservation Group also heads towards whaling fleet9 January: Australian ship Oceanic Viking leaves Perth on whaling surveillance mission15 January: One Briton and one Australian held by Japanese after boarding Yushin Maru No 2 to deliver protest letter | TRACKING JAPANESE WHALERS November 2007: Japanese fleet of six whaling ships sets sail 31 December: MV Esperanza carrying Greenpeace campaigners enters Antarctic waters on trail of Japanese fleet. MV Steve Irwin carrying rival Sea Shepherd Conservation Group also heads towards whaling fleet9 January: Australian ship Oceanic Viking leaves Perth on whaling surveillance mission15 January: One Briton and one Australian held by Japanese after boarding Yushin Maru No 2 to deliver protest letter |