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January 8th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda The federal government is being pressed to take swift action to secure the release of three Australian activists detained aboard a Japanese whaling security ship.
The West Australians from the Forest Rescue environmental group boarded the Japanese security vessel Shonan Maru No 2 in what they said were Australian waters off Bunbury overnight.
The daring mission was aimed at forcing the Japanese vessel to stop tailing the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s flagship, the Steve Irwin, which returned to Australia this weekend to deliver damaged fellow anti-whaling ship, the Brigitte Bardot.
The men climbed past razorwire and spikes to board the ship and deliver a message: “Return us to shore in Australia and then remove yourself from our waters.”
But the Shonan Maru No 2 on Sunday afternoon was instead persisting with its pursuit of the Steve Irwin, with the Australians still on board.
A spokesman for the whalers at the Institute of Cetacean Research, Glenn Inwood, confirmed the men were still aboard the vessel.
“They are unhurt, they are being questioned and there has been no decision on anything beyond that at this stage,” the New Zealand-based Mr Inwood told AAP.
Mr Inwood said it was wrong to say the incident happened in Australian waters.
“Australia has legal jurisdiction out to 12 miles. The equivalent of that is 19km. This mooring happened at 40km out. So this did not occur within Australian territorial waters.”
The Japanese government is expected to make a further statement later on Sunday.
Sea Shepherd captain Paul Watson urged the government to take action before the vessels left Australian waters.
“I think the Australian government would be very embarrassed if an armed Japanese vessel can just pick up Australian citizens in Australia and then take them away to Japan,” Captain Watson told AAP from the Steve Irwin.
“I think it’s their obligation to protect the interests of their own citizens.
“Japanese vessels have no right to take prisoners in Australian waters.”
Opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt said the government had ignored repeated warnings this sort of incident was likely to happen.
“They have turned a blind eye to inevitable conflict in Australian waters,” Mr Hunt told AAP.
“They should immediately dispatch a Customs vessel.
“They should also seek the immediate transfer of the prisoners from the Japanese ship to Australian authorities.”
Australian authorities can then take any subsequent action they deem necessary, Mr Hunt said.
The government has been contacted for comment. Attorney-General Nicola Roxon is expected to respond later on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the three activists have been named as Geoffrey Owen Tuxworth, 47, of Perth, Simon Peterffy, 44, of Bunbury, and Glen Pendlebury, 27, of Fremantle.
Forest Rescue issued a statement saying they had “come from the forests of Australia” to defend the whales.
The activists took action against the Japanese ship because it was operating in contempt of Australian courts and in defiance of the will of Australian people, they said.
“We are on board this ship because our government has failed to uphold its pre-election promise to end whaling in the Southern Ocean,” Mr Peterffy was quoted as saying.
The group hopes its action will remind the government of what it says is its obligation to prohibit whaling vessels from entering Australian waters.
It says it is “insulted and disappointed” in the government for allowing the transit of whale vessels in Australian waters.
The Steve Irwin towed the Brigitte Bardot to port in Fremantle for repairs after it was damaged by a freak wave in the Southern Ocean on December 29.
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