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Activist says his arrest focused world attention on dolphin hunt town

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© 2012 AFP

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Speaking at a news conference on Friday Vermeulen said: “My arrest, detention of two months and the trial have generated worldwide attention for the sake of dolphins in Taiji and for the Sea Shepherd in general.

Honestly, I didn't know of his arrest and detentions, he also ignores the more pressing issue that his detention for 2 months apparently without a trial (was there a trial? again, the press never made me aware of this) would suggest a serious flaw in the Japanese criminal procedure.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Did this sanctimonious fool ever consider that this worldwide exposure might also catch the attention of people who don't have the dolphins' best interest at heart? For example, wealthy "adventure" tourists who would pay quite a lot of money to participate in this dolphin stabbing festival. These self-righteous crusaders never consider all of the consequences of their actions.

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

Stories of his arrest have been greatly exaggerated, by him. Most people outside Japan, and probably a great number inside, don't care.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

What a pathetic loser. I hope they finger printed him and never let him come back again. He should mind his own business. Why is this even being written up? Nobody cares about him.

-3 ( +6 / -9 )

I care about him. He's great for what he has done and he has achieved a great deal.

2 ( +8 / -6 )

Never heard of him or the incident until a tiny headline a few days ago saying something like "activist acquitted" - which I never even bothered to read. Nice try buddy, but you are really not as important as you think you are.

-3 ( +5 / -7 )

Got good publicity from the free media worldwide but not the drip fed Japanese press associations.

I hope they finger printed him and never let him come back again.

What part of not guilty can't you understand? This was a trumped up charge that left the prosecutor with egg on his face, dudes career got blotched by a lying local.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

detained for 2 months before a trial? Forget man's cruelty to another species for a minute and think of this cruelty against his fellow man.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

Folks the reason we didnt hear much in Japan is well because we are in Japan, the media is heavily censored, altered, twisted, thought we all knew that????

3 ( +7 / -4 )

What this guys experince points out clearly is that the J-authorities can & WILL do anything, dont matter what you did or didnt do.

Like I have always said, if you even THINK you might be in trouble with the keystones, you must head to the nearest port, airport & flee its the only way you have a hope of being treated fairly, FAIR just doesnt exist in Japan. I mean 2mths in the slammer for an alledged shove/punch, that is seriously messed up, Japan is a dictators dream!

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Folks the reason we didnt hear much in Japan is well because we are in Japan

@GW I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic, but I'm in Canada and if it weren't for my regular visits to this site, I'd have never known about the Kenny G lookalike or his beloved dolphins. What with Linsanity, the GOP debates, the Euro-debt crisis, Syria and about a million other news stories, his plight isn't on anyone's radar.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Two things: 1. Sea Shepherd doesn't "try to stop the hunt". It has no boats in these waters. It might document the goings-on there, which is a good thing. 2. Japangal, you are out of order on this. If the dolphins had a choice, they would prefer not to be butchered and separated from the family like they are done in Taiji. Japan chooses to hunt; the activists choose to document it. Your opinions are typical of when something bad happens in Japan that is brought into the spotlight. The only thing that when it's brought into the spotlight by a non-Japanese citizen, then it's racism. Deport him for what? Being innocent?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

@Parmen...send him a love letter.

Nicky you got it right.

This self aggrandizing looney should be booted with a steel toe boot.

Deport him for being guilty MasterRape. The guy should not be allowed back here.

Dolphins have no choice as they are not intelligent and food feed for most of us. What is with people thinking dolphins and whales are intelligent? If they were, they would have never left land, invented computers etc. and be having us for dinner and snacks instead.

Save the Dolphins? nope...save yourself

-7 ( +3 / -10 )

Do people really believe this guy is smarter than Dolphins? I do not think so

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

Next time, they should just let him enter the restricted area and arrest him for tresspassing. What a maroon....

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Thumbs up Kwaabish...capiche

Thanks for your support. I despise people like this idiot.

It is none of his business, he breaks the laws of the host county and thinks he is important. I take pride in my legs, but that is not important either. This foolish man is a loser and should be arrested immediately upon trying to enter Japan ever again.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

"environmental activist Erwin Vermeulen"

He looks like an environmental activist all right.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

It doesn't matter he be this or he be that. What mattered is PLEASE DON'T KILL DOLPHINS.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

GWFeb. 25, 2012 - 01:43PM JST I mean 2mths in the slammer for an alledged shove/punch, that is seriously messed up, Japan is a dictators >dream!

Go ahead and try anything even close to this in China. You don't know what "dictatorship" means.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

spudmanFeb. 25, 2012 - 12:39PM JST "I hope they finger printed him and never let him come back again." What part of not guilty can't you understand?

In many countries an arrest record alone can be grounds for entry to be refused into the country.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

This guy was talked on facebook other than that I heard about him twice. Not sure if I like what had happen to him but I hope he leaves japan

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

42 years old.....his mother must be real proud.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

The manner of harvesting the dolphins is efficient and practical. Did you know that for generations Japan has fished responsibly? Why do a few people have issue with this?

To be quite simple: if it lives in the ocean, it's food.

-7 ( +1 / -8 )

Been following this story in the media, not hard to find if you're outside Japan. It's been in some environmental stories, but seen it mostly as a human rights issue- held without trial. Epic fail, J Cops.

he breaks the laws of the host county

if he'd broken the law, he'd be found guilty. And you mean country, not county, I take it.
3 ( +4 / -1 )

Wow, four posts from "JapanGal", who says she doesn't care.

The guy is self-aggrandizing, that's for sure, but he's not wrong that his arrest and the attempt to charge him brought (some) renewed interest and focus on the town. What's more important that this man's claims to fame, though, are the accusations of assault and the arrest. We did indeed pay for this clown show.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

lol what a waste of two months of his life sitting in jail. Deport him and bar him from entering Japan again.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I don't care about this man at all. However, I'm all for saving dolphins. They don't deserve to be killed or eaten or hunted for traditional reasons whats so ever.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Just label the doofus as persona non grata and let him try to set foot on Japanese soil again.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Let me help you guys out first. I understand why this guy doesn't appeal to you. One, he looks like Howard Stern. If you know him then you already have an attitude against this activist. Two, he's not famous or well-known. If that had been Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt we'd all be behind him 100%.

Too bad it wasn't Michael Moore. That would have been entertaining. If these activists made any mistake it would have to be who they choose to sit in the jailhouse.

This is the point where the cycle repeats itself. We as residents of Japan saw what happened to a fellow non-Japanese citizen and we aren't standing behind him. Japan would never deport every single foreigner in the country. They tolerate us being here cause they need us as human shields.

Get behind your own people for o ce.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Wonder if they fed him Dolphin for lunch in Jail.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Iowan - watch the latest video from Save Japan Dolphins and Sea Shepherd. Watch the partially paralyzed dolphin flounder around trying breath for ten minutes before the dolphin butchers pull him under the tarp again. That's efficient? Maybe, but it is also inhumane and cruel. Ignore that a protester was imprisoned under false charges for two months. Deny the video evidence. You are only fooling yourself. The world sees it for what it is, just like Erwin says. It made worldwide press and brought attention back on this issue. His statements are right on.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

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