Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a)   expresses concern for the plight of two Japanese Greenpeace activists who are to be held another 10 days without charge by Japanese police for their role in exposing the embezzlement of thousands of dollars worth of whale meat from the Japanese Government-sponsored whaling program;

(b)   notes that no charges have been laid relating to the embezzlement of whale meat, and that the Japanese Public Prosecutor has subsequently dropped his investigation into the involvement of the crew and whaling officials in this illegal trade;

(c)   expresses concern that the response of Japanese authorities in sending 40 police officers to raid the Greenpeace offices and seize all computers and financial records is a disproportionate reaction to this matter, which raises concerns that this is a politically-motivated action designed to shut down the successful Greenpeace public education campaign within Japan at the time of the International Whaling Commission meeting; and

(d)   calls on the Australian Government to press the Japanese Government to take action on the alleged embezzlement of whale meat, and to either charge the Greenpeace activists with an offence or release them.

Question agreed to.