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july 21 2000 okinawa
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tokyo progressive
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Jan 14, 2001 00:34 PST
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Date: Jul 21 2000 23:02:06 EDT
From: "Chocopaul News" <pa-@arenson.org>
Subject: Okinawa Summit REAL news and Protests
The mass media presents "positive" news about the Okinawa summit, which
means things that
please multi-national corporations and the G8 governments themselves.
But
what about those of
us who believe that these corporations and governments are directly
responsible for the misery
that much of the world's population live in. ChocoPaul News presents
some
reports that you
probably won't see on CNN or NHK, or read in the New York Times or Japan
Times.
ChocoPaul News does not necessarily endorse all the opinions presented
here. The goal is to present
alternative news in order to promote democracy, freedom of speech, and
social justice.
All articles here are goverened by "fair use" prinicples. No profit is
derived from their appearance here
Rainbow
Warrior raided by Japanese police
Okinawa / Amsterdam, 21st July 2000 Greenpeace Website
Forty Japanese policemen in riot gear have raided today the Greenpeace
flag- ship Rainbow Warrior at 00h30
local time (15h30 GMT) and are currently onboard.
At this stage it is unclear if the police will arrest the entire crew
and
confiscate the ship or if they will
leave after the raid. The Rainbow Warrior is currently berthed at berth
31, in NAHA, SHINKO, on the island of
Okinawa. The Greenpeace flagship
Rainbow Warrior attempted this morning to deliver 8 logs from Russian
forests to G-8 leaders to highlight the
elevated rate of
illegal and destructive logging that continues
to occur throughout the world's last remaining ancient forests.
Four Greenpeace activists had been arrested after this peaceful protest
andare still in jail. They should be
brought in front of the prosecutor tomorrow (Saturday 22nd July),
but it is unclear if they will be kept in custody for longer.
GREENPEACE DELIVERS CRIMINAL LOGS FROM ANCIENT FOREST TO
THE LEADERS OF THE G-8
Okinawa, 21 July 2000.
The Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior attempted to deliver 8 logs from
Russian forests today to G-8 leaders
to highlight the elevated rate of illegal and destructive logging that
continues to occur throughout the
world's last remaining ancient forests.
The logs of oak and ash are from Russia's Primorsky region where
according
to regional government statistics
80% of logging is illegal. Along with the logs, the Greenpeace activists
tried to deliver a letter to the G-8
heads of state
explaining their demands. Each log has the flag of a eight G-8 countries
on it and banners with crime
painted across them. The Rainbow Warrior and the log barge are currently
half a mile off shore from the
Summit Meeting venue.
At the same time activists in Germany continue to occupy the vessel MV
Aegis whichis transporting illegal
timber from the endangered African forests. The activists have now been
on
cranes for more than 20 hours to
prevent any more cargo from making it
to the markets in Germany.
According to Greenpeace, time is running out for the ancient forests, of
which only 20
percent remains of the original forest cover on Earth. An area the size
of
a football
pitch is destroyed every two seconds. And while the G-8 Foreign
Ministers
met last week, Greenpeace
intercepted ships carrying illegal timber in Russia, Japan, Portugal
and Spain.
"The time to act is now. The leaders of the G-8 still have an
opportunity
to really do
something to protect the world's ancient forests," said Michelle
Sheather,
Greenpeace
spokesperson onboard the Rainbow Warrior in Okinawa. "In 1997 and 1998
at
the G-8 summits many promises were
made to combat illegal and destructive logging, yet not
one of these promises has been kept. The G-8 must move beyond words and
start taking action, before it's too
late for our ancient forests."
Along with the US, the countries of the European Union import 75 percent
of the world's timber production.
G-8 countries are also providing billions of dollars in
subsidies to help companies log the world's last ancient forests
according
to a report
released yesterday by the World Resources Institute.
Recent actions carried out by Greenpeace and the Rainbow Warrior have
resulted in very positive steps to
protect the world's forests. In Russia, the Primorsky Regional Forest
Prosecutor's office has suspended all
logging until a thorough investigation is completed. In Japan, after two
days of occupying containers proven
to be
transporting plywood from the Amazon, and after peaceful confrontation
with the heads of the importing
logging giant, Eidai,
Greenpeace obtained a commitment from the
company's director's to stop purchasing illegal timber from the Amazon.
"The G-8 can no longer turn their back on the ancient forests. They must
assess and abolish subsidies that
harm forests, implement domestic policies and laws to prevent
trade in illegal and destructive logging and give development aid to
combat illegal logging
and trade. We now need meaningful agreements by the G-8 to save the last
ancient forests," concluded
Sheather.
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