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| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| Anti-Whaler In Japanese Prison Follow-Up |
| 2010-03-30 |
| Peter Bethune Held In Solitary Confinement In Tokyo Without Communication Rights Gary Thomason arrived in Tokyo on Sunday 14th March less than 48 hours after Peter Bethune was arrested by the Japanese Coast Guard in Tokyo harbor, to lend support to Peter and understand the local situation. Peter Bethune, an anti-whaling activist from New Zealand, was brought back to Tokyo by the whaling ship, the Shonan Maru 2, after he boarded the ship in the southern Antarctic on Feb. 15. Meetings were held with staff of the Japanese Coast Guard (JCG) and Tokyo Prison where Peter is being held and N.Z Embassy in Tokyo. Two written applications were presented to Tokyo Prison administration requesting interview with Peter. The 1st application presented on Monday 15th March was rejected on the grounds that there was a "communication ban" and only Embassy staff and his lawyer could meet with Peter. The 2nd application was presented on Tuesday morning after Gary Thomason had spent the night sitting in a wheelchair outside the prison gate in heavy monsoon rain. This application was rejected on the grounds that Peter will not be allowed communication or visitors until after his indictment. The staff at Tokyo Prison refused to provide an answer to the question as to when this date for any possible indictment. Staff at the N.Z Embassy in Tokyo accepted a hand written letter of support prepared by Gary Thomason which will be provided to Peter's lawyer who will in turn convey this to Peter. It is difficult at this stage to get any real idea of what will be the possible outcome other that the current single charge of trespass carried a maximum sentence of three years. There is also no indication whether further charges will arise from the current investigation by the JCG. According to Takeo Murui who is head of Tokyo Coast Guard office which is in charge of the investigation, this is the first time that the JCG has been involved in a case of ship trespassing in international waters. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose |
| #13 Please let this be one of the asshats from that show on Discovery. |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2010-03-30 21:42 |
| #12 Find him guilty of piracy and hang him. |
| Posted by: mojo 2010-03-30 14:02 |
| #11 RJ do you believe, even for a moment, that he wouldn't? No I know he would, thus proving his hypocrisy for all to see, but the treatment in prison described here is refreshing. We here in America should take notes, see If the treatment could be adapted here, should cut down on repeat offenders greatly. And just maybe reduce Greenpeas to Irrelevance and the dust of history. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2010-03-30 13:37 |
| #10 Japanese prisons enforce severe discipline - no talking, prisoners count a certain way, eat a certain way, wash the dishes a certain way, and sit in their cells facing forward, eyes front, a certain way. |
| Posted by: gromky 2010-03-30 11:34 |
| #9 Peter Bethune Held In Solitary Confinement In Tokyo Without Communication Rights It was against Roman Law to crucify a Roman citizen. Outsiders, not so much. Enjoy the solitude Peter, you've bloody well earned it. Hopefully word of your punishment will make it's way back to the nest for others to ponder. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-03-30 11:07 |
| #8 Am I supposed to know or care who Gary Thomason is? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2010-03-30 11:00 |
| #7 I find it hard to think of this without it reminding me of that glorious piece of bulldada, the movie "The Story of Ricky". By far the best Japanese prison, impossible martial arts, ultraviolence, fat little spoiled brat, monster, drugs, giant prison meat grinder, and mutant healing factor movie ever made. Liquor and loud sarcasm with friends improves the quality of the movie immensely. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2010-03-30 10:43 |
| #6 They should have tied him to a weight and tossed him over the side. Goddamn pirates. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2010-03-30 09:42 |
| #5 I'm just guessing here, but I think it's going to be a long time before another Greenpeace activist hops onto a Japanese whaling ship to serve a 'warrant'. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2010-03-30 09:04 |
| #4 RJ do you believe, even for a moment, that he wouldn't? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2010-03-30 06:57 |
| #3 Serve him Whale, be sure he's told it's whale meat, let him chose his convictions or life, (Eat it or die of starvation). |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2010-03-30 04:46 |
| #2 Do Japanese prisons serve whale burgers? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2010-03-30 02:51 |
| #1 It is difficult at this stage to get any real idea of what will be the possible outcome other that the current single charge of trespass carried a maximum sentence of three years. Then I would guess... three years. |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2010-03-30 01:12 |