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!

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

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

The Taiji Tourist Visa

Is saving dolphins a form of tourism?

By Steven Thompson
March 18, 2012

This youtube video shows members of the Zaitokukai (anti-Korean) group. After they spit at a Sea Shepherd vehicle in Taiji, they went to Osaka to push Immigration officials to keep Sea Shepherd "terrorists" out of the country. The officials seemed to humor the Zaitokukai members by meeting them outside of their office. The Zaitokukai filmed themselves doing this and uploaded it on the internet. The French Zen Master put in on youtube for easier access.

I feel that the Zaitokukai's work helps spread the word of the dolphin hunts and encourages more Japanese officials to join in helping the hunts to end.

If Sea Shepherd were demanding to end nuclear power or guarantee absolutely safe radiation free food, it would be an impossible situation. The well-known journalist, Christopher Johnson, probably got rejected re-entry into Japan this year because he was reporting the truth on nuclear issues.  The Japanese government, as it currently exists, could never meet these demands. Chris Johnson made enemies and offered them no way out.

But as things stand, it is not all that difficult to help end the killing of dolphins now costing more and more in security costs and stress on the little Taiji town. The Zaitokukai involvement helps to increase security costs.

Zaitokukai Banzai!
Long Live Silly Japanese Bullies!

The more people who want Sea Shepherds to leave Japan, the better.

End the hunt, and they will leave.

Still, Sea Shepherds and all dolphin activists will need to watch their backs especially if there is any taint of getting paid to be in Japan. That would mean they would need a work visa.

Wackos at the Cove

 

 Taiji Front Lines

Chaos to Kushimoto

By Steven Thompson
March 13, 2012

The situation in Taiji has gone from End-of-the-Season Sayonara to Wacko-Fest Extravaganza at the Cove.

Make some popcorn, get a drink. It's only going to get more interesting in our quest to save the dolphins.

Yesterday, right-wing nationalists spit what looks like chocolate sauce all over a Cove Guardian's car. This has confirmed three things for me.

1. Right Wingers are silly
2. Japanese police need better planning
3. Cove Guardian strategy works

A few car loads of Japanese wannabe gangsters looked like drunken toddlers as they spit brown goo, displayed their middle fingers, and stuck out their tongues as they pushed around Taiji's finest boys in blue, one day after the more heavily armed prefectural police went home for the season.

The Taiji situation has gone beyond my imagination. If the nationalists had not come to show their tongues and fingers, nothing would have happened in Taiji and the Cove Guardians would have inevitably gone home till September.

But now that the Zaitokukai has sent the special Kansai Club to Taiji, any activist keen to get more involved will and should send resources to Sea Shepherd or Save Japan Dolphins, or they will go to Taiji and join the fun.

Can you say Zaitokukai and smile at the same time? Try it. Slowly. Zai--to--ku--kai...Zai--to--ku--kai.

It always ends with a falling diphthong sound mirroring the fall of nationalism in Japan after World War II. Right Wing groups are a shadow of their former selves. They would be more relevant wearing clown noses and spraying silly string in the air.  But they do piss people off. Yesterday they pissed off the 50 police focusing on Taiji.

Last season the police looked silly when they couldn't move a meditating Cove Guardian zen master. The police held a multi-day training seminar for a battalion of uniformed and undercover detectives. This season the Japanese police were overwhelmed by a ragtag group of Japanese bullies. There is only one way to go for next year: more preparation.

If the Taiji establishment decides to continue to murder dolphins, Cove Guardians will be back and better funded than ever before. This means that the security expenses to the local economy will soon outweigh the cost of the hunt. Who will look silly then?

Thank you Zaitokukai! 

The Japanese nationalists have made themselves part of the problem. The Cove Guardians are clearly part of the solution.

Erwin Vermeulen: Not only legally free

Scott West (L) shakes hands with Erwin Vermeulen

By Steven Thompson
March 6, 2012

Erwin Vermeulen won his case in court two weeks ago on February 22, 2012. Yet one question remained: would the prosecutor exercise her right to appeal? She had two weeks to do so...she waited the full two weeks to announce.

The Wakayama prosecutor's office confirms that Erwin is not only legally free, he is also morally, ethically, spiritually, physically, positively, absolutely, undeniably and reliably FREE.

Thank you Erwin for your Dolphin Disobedience. Enjoy your time in America. You deserve it!

Dolphin lovers dance!
Pirates take the chance!
There is still so far to advance.

First, Erwin's lawyers will decide how to advance the case against his accuser for forcing Erwin to be in jail for 64 days based on a lie. This will be news that will be ongoing.

Second, there are still six Cove Guardian volunteers in Taiji getting up every morning facing a large police presence. This may be the year that dolphin lovers occupy year round! But this is far from certain. Please help make it happen. Please donate and earmark for Taiji.

Sea Shepherd Campaign Coordinator, Melissa Sehgal, reports from Taiji today that all killing boat activities are still being monitored everyday. All captive dolphins are also monitored in every location, especially the sick dolphin in the harbor pen, Harbie, being tube fed every day. I hope she is given better medical attention and then freed with all the other dolphins locked up there.

Finally, are you looking to add your effort to the cause? Watch the Cove and contact those responsible for killing the dolphins. Go to Taiji or support someone who can. Thank you all for caring.
TO DO LIST

Erwin Rocks Japan, Engulfs Holland

Erwin Vermeulen found innocent Feb. 22, 2012

By Steven Thompson
2/25/2012
Japan

Good media coverage on Erwin rocks Japan, even if they do still use the whaling word and avoid any mention of dolphins. Thank you Japanese media.

Amazing coverage engages the entire population of the Netherlands. Her Majesty Beatrix is reported to have been made aware of the human rights issues in Erwin's case. And Erwin hasn't even started on the Amsterdam press circuit yet. That all starts in the next 24 hours. All dolphin lovers offer a sincere thanks to the Dutch media and the Dutch government.

Stories have spun wildly and happily out of control. There will never be a way to repair the image of the police oppressing an emaciated, honest, and non-violent Dutch citizen protecting the even weaker members of the seas, the beautiful dolphins.

An interview with a Dutch tourist in Spain today came out with the understanding that Erwin had received no hot meals and was forced to be in solitary confinement. Neither is true, but the way it was all handled by the accuser, his boss and the police give rise to endless exaggeration on a personal level. The story will continually mutate around the coffee tables of Amsterdam for years to come.

Thank you Dolphin Resort Hotel! Thank you Mr. Kitagawa! Thank you Taiji and Shingu and Wakayama police. You could have ended the circus earlier but chose not to.

Remember that meeting? You all voted to continue the charade as yes-men for the Governor of Wakayama and his deputy, the Mayor of Munchkin City, I mean Taiji.

Gauging the impact of the new media coverage and the acquittal is what I'm thinking about. How deeply will Sea Shepherd's win in court affect the outcome of the dolphin hunt?

This discussion will be in flux as meetings and more press conferences get held over the next week. The next press conference is in Amsterdam. Both sides are certain to spin it for themselves. But one thing is clear: times have changed.

People around the world are certainly more engaged, but no country is now more engaged than Holland. I get the feeling that the Sea Shepherd flags will safely be Dutch permanently. Thank you Madame Prosecutor.

Dutchman Erwin Vermeulen, paid any balance due to cover the stress of the Dutch government for Sea Shepherd support with his 64 Days of inhumane treatment in a Japanese jail for doing nothing more than loving dolphins. The witness was judged to have lied. No pushing occurred. Dutch people protect their own and now this includes Taiji dolphins. Thank you Judge.

As I noted a few days ago in the TAG Blog:

"The Dolphin Slave Resort owner, their young cry-wolf dolphin trainer Kitagawa, the Japanese police at three levels (Taiji, Shingu, Wakayama), and Ms. I-want-Erwin-in-jail-one-more-day Prosecutor, clearly, obviously, and very publicly screwed the pooch."

My feeling is that that cute little Japanese puppy was Japan. And that she didn't like it very much. The politicians and business people who deal in dolphin death look pretty incompetent to the Japanese establishment. And then there is the money.

Budget negotiation in Japan for next year's national subsidy on Cetacean meat and the massive Taiji police and Coast Guard presence, and the whole Institute for Cetacean Research folly will occur every day all the month of March for a decision by the beginning of April.

My dolphin drumbeat until the end of March is: No more money for the Taiji hunt. Try it: 9 beats--pat your knees or the table in front of you.

No-More-Money-For-The-Taiji-Hunt