Activists urge Australia to charge Japanese whalers

Defense News: SYDNEY (AFP) - – Anti-whaling activists have lodged a legal complaint against the captain and crew of a Japanese trawler which hit and sank their hi-tech speedboat, a politician said Friday.

Lawyers for Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's Paul Watson have written to Australian Federal Police calling for the prosecution of the Shonan Maru 2 crew over the collision with the Ady Gil, Greens Senator Bob Brown said.

Activists urge Australia to charge Japanese whalers

"The captain of the Japanese whaler that rammed the Ady Gil, endangering six lives in the process, should be prosecuted in Australia and face the appropriate sentence," Brown said.

Australian Federal Police said they had received a letter from lawyers for Watson regarding the January 6 collision and were assessing its contents.

"It would be inappropriate to comment further," a spokeswoman told AFP.

The Shonan Maru 2 and the Ady Gil collided in the Southern Ocean on January 6, with each side blaming the other for the smash which crippled the high-tech Ady Gil. The powerboat, which had its front sliced off, subsequently sank.

Brown said that, under Australian law, the captain of the Japanese vessel could face life imprisonment for his actions.

The Ady Gil was a carbon-and-kevlar trimaran which smashed the round-the-world record for a powerboat in 2008 under its former name, Earthrace.

Ady Gil captain Pete Bethune, 44, is in custody in Japan, awaiting a decision on whether he will be charged after allegedly riding out to the whaler under the cover of night on a jet ski in February and boarding it.

If convicted of trespass Bethune could face up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 100,000 yen (1,100 dollars).