AUSTRALIA/JAPAN: Greenpeace intensifies global anti-whaling campaign as special meeting of the International Whaling Commission continues in Tokyo.

Environmental group Greenpeace holds anti-whaling protests in Tokyo and Sydney as International Whaling Commission special meeting continues in Japan. As a special meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) entered its second day in Tokyo on Wednesday (February 14), environmental group Greenpeace intensified its global campaign on anti-whaling in Tokyo and Sydney. About a dozen Greenpeace activists, one donning a weeping whale costume, marched around the IWC venue. They also brought their chocolate offerings along with a Valentine's card to the venue of a Japan-hosted international conference aimed at re-introducing commercial whaling. Greenpeace activists also took their cries to the streets in Sydney on Wednesday, where they protested outside the Japanese consulate and delivered a Valentine's day card to the Japanese consulate showing love for Japan but asking the country to stop whaling. In tune with the Valentine Day's spirit, the protesters made it clear they were against whaling and not Japan itself by holding placards that read: 'I love Japan but whaling breaks my heart'. One protest banner displayed many tiny paper origami whales which had anti-whaling messages written on them. The protesters then presented an official from the Japanese consulate with a Valentine's Day card. "Japan continues to whale, not because there's demand for whale meat in Japan, but because there's kind of a political grouping in the Japanese government that supports whaling. It's related to the nationalist view of the world, and I think to a certain extent within this grouping in the Japanese government they're kind of thumbing their nose up at the rest of the world," said Greenpeace CEO for Asia-Pacific, Steve Shallhorn in Sydney. Greenpeace is also delivering a "message of love" to Japan embassies in numerous cities, and has also sent a similar fax to the Japanese factory ship Nisshin Maru in the Southern Ocean. The protest comes as tensions between whalers and anti-whalers have been high in recent days. A Japanese whaling ship and protest vessels from the anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd collided in the Southern Ocean on Monday (February 12). Although the Sea Shepherd said it will end its protest on Wednesday due to low fuel, Greenpeace said its ship, the Esperanza, was in the Southern Ocean and now searching for the Japanese fleet to begin its actions to disrupt whaling. In Tokyo, only 36 of the IWC's 72 members were attending the three-day meeting, with some 26 anti-whaling nations -- including Australia, New Zealand and the United States -- refusing to attend. asia/ar/jrc

ITN Source | February 14, 2007

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