Tuesday, May 29, 2012

President Laura Chinchilla: Help! Costa Rican activists attacked

Will President Laura Chinchilla do the right thing? 
By Steven Thompson
Last night, another Costa Rican ocean activist was attacked. The details of the attack (and three previous criminal attacks), cannot be published at this time. We are weak. We are losing. We need help. We don't have enough power to handle the blowback. They might end up in jail. This is the two edged sword of exposure. This person is my friend. It makes me angry. It motivates me to call for more people to get involved.

The group brought together in CR after the Incopesca post, started comparing stories. It looks like they have each been physically assaulted or had property destroyed or their life threatened or all of the above at some recent time. These are regular people under extraordinary stress. They stood up for wildlife or against extradition. It is almost too dangerous for them to work in Costa Rica at this time. They need people in CR who can support them and grow. They need help from people outside of Costa Rica to spread awareness.

If you have any feelings toward the illegal whaling industry, dolphin killers, shark finners, or those that plunder the oceans in other ways, be very aware: violence has started against one of the key people saving our oceans in Costa Rica. Most of us sit safely at our computers, going to work, going to Starbucks, wondering what to do. Very few of us can influence what happens in Costa Rica or with their extradition request to Germany for Paul Watson.

If you do have friends in CR, we need their help. If you have special skills or connections, please use them. I can send you where you can help. I can be easily contacted through the Facebook group: The Taiji Dolphin Action Group.

I know there are a few people holding back, those with special connections or input...I heard about one in our circle who knew a retired pro-baseball player living in CR. If contacting your friends like this speaks to your heart, please do it. Paul needs as much help as he can get.

Another way is to simply call Sea Shepherd and donate to their budding Costa Rica Campaign. I am not a Sea Shepherd member, I just know that they are on the front line on this. It is their ass on the line. This current request by President Laura Chinchilla for extradition could mean Paul locked up in one of her jails, where prisoners are reportedly beaten to death and trial conditions are not far from being a Banana Republic (Please read this Costa Rica-US Dept. of State Document start from page 2).

If you have a contact, please start talking with him or her so that we can be prepared when and if Paul does actually get extradited. At this point I would be surprised if Paul Watson does not stand trial in Costa Rica.

Hold on tight. The next two and a half months, till the extradition is concluded in some way, are sure to be wild.

We will not sit back.
We go to war to fight to save even one.
We have to fight.
Fight together!

For the Oceans and for us!

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Incopesca in Costa Rica may be driving the Paul Watson arrest

A corrupt root of shark fin soup?
By Steven Thompson
Friends in Costa Rica strongly believe that Sea Shepherd Paul Watson's arrest in Germany is linked directly to the corrupt work of Incopesca, the Costa Rican Fishing Institute, a Quasi-gov't organization in CR run by finners and long-liners. Incopesca is putting the national government between them and the growing international outrage at Paul's arrest.

Please do not fire on Costa Rica. There is currently massive local opposition to extraditing Paul to CR. A possibly significant point: it has not been found whether Germany actually has an extradition treaty with Costa Rica or not. Japan and Germany do not. Why would Germany and CR? Can anyone find out please?

We still need help digging though. Go for the guts of Incopesca if you can and see what slime comes up. We are looking for probable ties to the Japanese Institute for Cetacean Research (ICR) and a myriad of shark fin interests in Costa Rica. This should not be hard to find. Please share what information you find so that all can keep pulling at the loose strings until it unravels.

There is a curious coincidence of dates regarding the extradition renewal request and the ICR sponsored lawsuit in Washington State. This is what has brought the ICR into suspicion for involvement here, not to mention their multi-million dollar budget and their statements that Sea Shepherd is their major oppositon.

The Germans are covering their tracks better. Please look for ICR links in Germany and shark fin supply routes to restaurants. If anyone finds shark fin being served in any Frankfurt or German restaurant we may be getting close. Those restaurant menus need to be changed.

I'm just scratching the surface here. It looks to me like the Incopesca wording was edited out of the Wikipedia link below. Search: "Incopesca wikipedia".

Please read Wikipedia page that stays up. It looks like the issue behind Paul's arrest is shark fin soup.

We are at the point, after they ignored us and laughed at us. Now they are fighting us--Paul is facing trial and the prospect of disappearing into a Costa Rican jail.

May we fight smart and win release for Paul!

For the Oceans!

http://www.incopesca.go.cr/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_fin_trading_in_Costa_Rica


Sunday, May 13, 2012

Sea Shepherd Paul Watson Arrest Day 1

Release Paul Watson


by Steven Thompson
Yesterday, Sea Shepherd leader Paul Watson was arrested in Frankfurt by silly Germans for freeing beautiful sharks from corrupt Costa Ricans working for selfish Taiwanese ocean killers.

History is being made. In 7 hours, the German court offices will open. People behind the scenes including European Parliament Vice President Daniel Cohn Bendit and the European deputy Jose Bove have probably been up most of the night negotiating the release of Paul Watson. SSCS Germany will lead with SSCS organized actions. They are waiting to see if he is released in the next 12 hours.

This is a time for those who live in Germany to test their activist skills and put pressure on the puerile Polizei who arrested Paul and those who keep him locked up. Paul went head to head with Taiwanese mafia shark poachers in Costa Rica. That's not a crime. That's cause to receive a Knighthood or an international award.

If you live in Frankfurt, take an emergency day off of work and go to the court house and document this historic moment. Go to the airport and find out who arrested him. Post the names. Get their pictures.

Dig deep! Who in the German immigration and police and judiciary kisses the asses of multi-millionaire Taiwanese shark poachers?

They exposed themselves when they had Paul arrested. Pop them into the light!

Sea Shepherd's goal here is probably to free Paul first. There is nothing stopping independent Sea Shepherd loving activists from working any angle they see. What you uncover and share may be helpful to the future of our planet.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/324811

                  Sea Shepherd