Antiwhaling activist held on Japan ship

Antiwhaling activist held on Japan ship The Yomiuri Shimbun An activist from the antiwhaling group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was held after he boarded a Japanese research whaling vessel in the Antarctic Ocean, the Fisheries Agency said Monday. According to the agency, the male activist, Pete Bethune, boarded the patrol ship Shonan Maru No. 2 before dawn Monday. Bethune, a New Zealander, is the former skipper of the Ady Gil, a high-tech powerboat that sank following a collision with the Shonan Maru No. 2 last month. He was believed to have approached the ship on a jet ski and climbed onto the vessel. He was held without a struggle, the agency said. The boarding of a Japanese research whaling vessel by a Sea Shepherd activist was the first since January 2008, when two activists climbed aboard a Japanese vessel. According to the Japan Coast Guard, Japanese laws are applicable on Japanese vessels. The captain can take necessary measures based on the Mariners Law to avoid harm if a person performs an "action that could cause danger aboard a ship," including boarding the vessel. === Aim was to arrest Japan skipper Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent SINGAPORE--The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society issued a statement Monday, confirming that the former New Zealand skipper of the sunken Ady Gil boarded the Shonan Maru No. 2 before dawn Monday. In the statement, the Sea Shepherd said, "[Captain Pete Bethune's] mission is to attempt a citizen's arrest of the skipper of the Shonan Maru [No.] 2 for the destruction of the Ady Gil and attempted murder of the six Ady Gil crew members." (Feb. 16, 2010)