Japan demands ship safety, before protesters freed

By Rob Taylor

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Japanese whalers and protesters in the icy Southern Ocean charged each other with "terrorism and piracy" on Wednesday, as two activists remained locked up on a Japanese ship after boarding the vessel in a protest action.

Whaling has halted while the two men are being held on board and will not re-start until they have been handed over, Japanese Fisheries Agency official Takahide Naruko told reporters.

Naruko, head of the agency's Far Seas division, declined to say how many whales had been taken before the suspension.

The whalers said they would only release the two men if the militant Sea Shepherd Conservation Group promised not to take any "violent action" against their ship and keep the protest ship Steve Irwin 10 nautical miles from the whaler Yushin Maru No.2.

Steve Irwin captain Paul Watson, who last year threatened to ram the Japanese flagship and collided with a whale hunter, rejected the conditions.

"Using hostages to make demands is the hallmark of terrorism and Sea Shepherd has no interest in negotiating with terrorist groups," Watson said in a statement. "The hostages must be released unconditionally."

Australia's Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said in a statement: "Neither captain involved should set conditions on the return beyond those necessary to ensure the safe return of the two men."

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said he did not expect the incident to have any effect on diplomatic relations.

STINK BOMBS

A letter from Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research told the protesters to "use your zodiac boat to rendezvous with Yushin Maru No.2 without carrying any dangerous items for attacks."

The letter also said the protesters must stop filming, photographing and protesting against the whalers.

"If you accept the above ... we will provide you detailed information for the release of the two individuals, rendezvous times and position," said the letter sent to the Steve Irwin, a ship named after the late naturalist and television celebrity.

The Institute's letter called the anti-whaling activists "terrorist," for illegally boarding a ship on the high seas, in what could be seen as an act of "piracy."

Australian Benjamin Potts and Briton Giles Lane boarded the whaling vessel late on Tuesday. Sea Shepherd said they were delivering a letter telling the crew they were "illegally killing whales."

Sea Shepherd's Watson said the men were tied to a radar mast and dunked in icy water before being taken below decks.