Friday March 14, 2008, 5:30 am
The article is in Dutch but says:
( with apologies to those who are Dutch if my translation is not perfect...)

Japan- In the run up to the next IWC meeting Minister Gerda Verburg has impled that a repeal of the moriatorium on whale hunting could be discussed. She implied that the Netherlands could maybe accept a compromise if it seems that a complete ban is uncheivable. Greenpeace finds
this position unacceptable

From 6/8 March the intersessional prepartory meeting of the IWC ( International Whaling Commission) will take place in advance of the official annual IWC meeting which takes place in June 2008 in Chile, where the plight of the whales is decided at an international level.* ( see my note below)

Japan has been trying for years to have the commercial hunt for whales reapproved but so far has not had sufficient support within the IWC.

The Netheralnds have in the past years clearly come out against whale hunting. Last monday (edit 10th March) Minister Verburg informed parliamentwith regard to the Dutch positionon whaling prior to the intersessional meeting. She said that whilst she aimed to get whale hunting under international control and where possible to limit whale catch.

Unacecptable

Greenpeace finds this position unacceptable. With this statement Holland is giving a signal to Japan that the repeal of the moriatorium on whale hunting could be negotiable.

Along with IFAW, Dutch Animal Protection, and WSPA Greenpeace have sent a letter to the Dutch IWC commissioner and the Dutch Parliament, in which they request that the Dutch Government does not allow the door to reallowing commercial whaling to be opened.

Japan has been hunting whales for years under the banner of "scientific research".The hunt takes place in the whale Sanctuary in in the Southern Ocean. The results (edit.of the reserach) have been deemed useless by the IWC and ultimately the meat lands up in Japanese supermarkets.

* Just wanted to remark on the International level. If one looks at the lackeys Japan has pulled in over the last years including miniscule island states and land locked Laos the international balance and voting power is rather lopsided.

Friday March 14, 2008, 5:32 am
Oh yes and here is a link to Ms Gerda Verburg's contact details
http://www.minlnv.nl/portal/page?_pageid=116,1641178&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

Please send her a polite comment or too ....thanks!

Friday March 14, 2008, 6:30 am
Oops and yes sorry for my "Huntung" instead of Hunting...sounds quite asian tho'

Friday March 14, 2008, 7:21 am
Forget that you can stop this without a boycott!

Greenpeace make me more sick than the whalers they just do their job!
Greenpeace did not do the Job as true whaledefender! Sea Shepherd did but they did not check that you need a boycott! Stupid? I think it is stupid!
Nobody has a problem with commercial whaling! No country! the IWC can control it like they did so far they did an excellent job just like Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd.. The PVDD in Holland is just asking silly questions and not taking action..they know about my Boycott since NOV!
They did ask questions but NO ONE SIGNED THE BOYCOTT I HATE POLITCIANS
THEY ARE ALL THE SAME....
If the world wants commercial whaling we should allow commercial whaling!
A few stupid activists will not stop JAPAN! And we are just a few stupid
activists! THE MONEY that is needed to start a BOYCOTT has been wasted to
do some whalewatching....you can read that at boycottjapan.org!
http://www.wildlifefoundation.info/Whales.html
BOYCOTT JAPAN! If you dont boycott Japan please accept that they want full scale commercial whaling!

The only thing that can stop the killing is people power!
But 1362 people are just a laugh a good laugh!
Japan will get what it wants full scale commercial whaling!
With a new ship that can deal with thousands of whales!
That will be the day when the people that did not sign and did not
spread the news will wake up when it is too late!

For all dutch people here is some interesting info on Greenpeace!
http://www.seashepherd.nl/news/media_080127_1.html als je dat kunt lezen en dan nog steeds Greenpeace blijft steunen heb je een bunker voor je hoofd!
I could not find it in the english press section.. sorry they are less mean than the DUTCH probably even love GREENPEACE for what they have been doing!
http://www.seashepherd.org/news.html

Friday March 14, 2008, 9:04 am
Hans I don't disagree with you but it is Greenpeace who got together with the other groups to send this letter. Under no circumstances should a country such as Holland give any indication that the NOT whaling issue is negotiable.

As for Greenpeace actions in Antartica I too was more than annoyed (polite version) when they scudded off - surely they must have enough donations to refuel the Esperanza - and left SS out on their own.

The PVDD is too busy asking too many questions and not necessarily the right ones...mind you my opinion of Dutch politicians is possibly at its lowest ebb at the moment. The Dutch govt. unfortunately "loves" Japanese
financial interest too muc, we even had the Japanese royal family over here last year and despite suggestions not one iota of protest reached their royal persons.

A while back there was a daily action about what petition would you like to see, I had an idea but by the time I came back it had moved on. What I would like to see is a pooling together of resources by WDCD, IFAW, WSPA,WWF, Greenpeace , Sea Shepherds et al to actually make sure that
enough tonnage is in space and fueled up to endure the whaling season
and hassle the Japanese out of the whale Sanctuary. But then I guess I might as well hope that I'll see pigs fly......

Friday March 14, 2008, 3:32 pm
noted

Saturday March 15, 2008, 6:59 am
CHRISTINE.......AMEN-AMEN-AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Plant trees for life.....Plant life..........

Monday March 17, 2008, 8:07 am
Hi Christine!
Greenpace protects whalers against Sea Shepherd!
Have this translated by babelfish! Than you know what to think about
GREENPEACE!
http://www.seashepherd.nl/news/media_080127_1.html
I have asked many more to work together on the BOYCOTT! NO WAY!
THEY ALL WANT TO HAVE THE DONATIONS FOR NEXT YEAR ADN 2020...
THIS WILL NEVER STOP without a Boycott!

There is one good thing commercial whaling does not need activists
to controll it...THE IWC can do that!

Monday March 17, 2008, 10:48 am
Hi Hans

Listen I'm angry too..you saw in my comment above that I am not happy with way things go as far as protecting the Antartica Sanctuary is concerned
(and many other whaling issues...). I don't need babelfish fortunately..some of their translations are hilarious....

I see that Greenpeace Japan has taken some huge strides in their much more high profile activities over the last years. The "war " will never be won by either words ( Greenpeace) or deeds ( SS) alone. There are a lot of ANTI whaling chatities out there who never see real action, but get a lot of dough..I agree with you there.

As to a boycott on Japanese goods I am not against it and have signed, I avoid them wherever I can, but they tend to sneak in in stuff:) I'm more impressed by the acions to get the large industrial giants in Japan to come on line..

I have a feeling I'm older than you ..I've been watching this for a long time. How about meeting up in the middle i.e. between Eindhoven and Amsaterdam for a chat....:)

Tuesday March 18, 2008, 12:16 am
Dear Christine!
Greenpeace pretend to be real whaledefenders...how can you explain that you are not willing to cooperate with Sea Shepherd but be a whale defender!
I think that you are right all whaledefender should combine efforts but it is not about defending whales as you could read in the Sea Shepherd article! All organisations are planning for a bigger and better campaign next year....what does it take to stop this killing?
Sea Shepherd has estimated the damage to Japan 70 Million Dollar...

Think about the damage that a boycott would cause....
The best thing about a boycott is that it is more effective and less dangerous!

But we both know why the organisations dont ask for a BOYCOTT!

Japan will be whaling next year and for the first time since 1986 they
will be able to start commercial whaling again...not everywhere but did they care so far?

The Boycott has not been spread at all by the organisations and the answer will be commercial whaling! How do you protest against legal whaling?
Chile will be the place where all the organisations will be protesting but it might be too late than! The time for a BOYCOTT is now...
STOP BUYING FROM JAPAN UNTIL THEY STOP THE KILLING!
Paul Watson is back in Australia now, he could ask the people
to end the killing with their people buying power..
Lets see if he will do this!