Police working with foreign agencies over tuna clashes
The police have sought the assistance of foreign counterparts in their investigations into at least three clashes between Maltese tuna fishermen and environmentalists last month.
Although they did not specify who they were working with, the police said yesterday contacts were through established channels.
The investigations are being spearheaded by the Administrative Law Enforcement Unit which, sources said, was busy talking to witnesses and examining video and photographic evidence to establish what actually took place.
Asked whether they intended to arraign anyone over the clashes, the police said they were not yet in a position to say.
Two of the clashes involved the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. In one of them, two fishermen were injured and hundreds of fish were freed off the coast of Tripoli, Libya. In the second, fishermen rallied to defend their tuna pens and the Libyan navy intervened to head off what might have been another ugly incident.
In an earlier clash with Greenpeace International, no one was injured and no tuna were released although the Armed Forces of Malta were called in to protect a pen.
No international arrest warrants have been issued so far, with the sources pointing out that there needed to be enough proof against an individual for the police to do so. Solid grounds had to be established and the investigation could not be rushed.
A spokesman for Greenpeace said the organisation had not been contacted by the police, whether in writing or by phone. Nevertheless, the organisation would be more than happy to cooperate with the investigation and was willing to give written or verbal evidence. The organisation actually welcomed the investigation as it would shed light on the fishermen's behaviour, the spokesman said.
Sea Shepherd could not be contacted yesterday. Captain Paul Watson, who headed the society's anti-tuna fishing operation in the Mediterranean, was recently placed on the international wanted list by the Japanese coastguard over similar clashes with whale fishermen. He had already welcomed any legal action being taken in Malta, saying it would be an opportunity to expose the local tuna industry.
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Franco Farrugia
Jul 24th 2010, 20:01
Quote: 'Captain Paul Watson, who headed the society's anti-tuna fishing operation in the Mediterranean, was recently placed on the international wanted list by the Japanese coastguard over similar clashes with whale fishermen.'
Captain Watson should be given a hero's medal for the sterling work, even if unconventional, that he has carried out in favour of whales. Of course Japan is on the look-out for him, because Japan, together with a few other countries, are rogue countries that continue to pilfer the world of a very important species - whales!
David Caruana
Jul 24th 2010, 16:14
"In an earlier clash with Greenpeace International, no one was injured..."
What?!
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100604/local/injured-greenpeace-activist-airlifted-to-mater-dei
Edward Camilleri
Jul 24th 2010, 14:00
Lets hope the investigation will be unbiased and start from the point when the tuna was caught, and not from when the clashes occured. At least all this effort will not be wasted and something good will come out.
With all the hunting illegalities reported on land every hunting season, one would hope the ALE would put some effort to catch the perpetrators, and give them what they deserve. One would think that these illegalities are easier to uncover, especially with the help given by the public & NGOs.
G.Schembri
Jul 24th 2010, 14:30
Noone has the right to take the law into his hands, not even some American NGO, they are not above the law.
If NGOs have proof of illegal fishing they should had it over to the police, or publish it, but they had no right attacking the fishermen and releasing the fish.
Imagine if everyone did the same think, for example you know someone is not paing his due in taxes, you take his wallet grab his money and throw it away hoping it will find its way to the government.
Edward Camilleri
Jul 24th 2010, 15:19
@G.Schembri
I only said that lets hope the investigation will be unbiased! I did not say that anyone has the right to take the law in his own hand, as you seem to imply. Please read carefully. I also hope that any illegal fishing will be investigated also, not just the clashes. It is unfair that with our taxes we protect any illegal fishing operations.
As regards giving the illegal fishing data to the police, if it ever occured, I can assure you that the response would not have been as quick & effective as it had been when the clashes occured! This is what is unjust. Take e.g. the illegal killing of whales by Japan, don't everyone know this, but do any country send its navy to control the illegal killing of these whales? If Sea Shepperd or Greenpeace don't send some ships to uncover the operation we would not even know that anything illegal is happening, let alone control it. Same thing is happening with the Mediterranean tuna!
desirée falzon
Jul 24th 2010, 14:00
'on the international wanted list by the Japanese coastguard'..what a laugh! Was this sentence introduced for scandal-value against Paul Watson and the Sea Sepherd's heroic mission?!! The scandal is Japan's pathetic and thinly disguised excuse for commercial whaling under the guise of 'scientific research'. Well done Sea Shepherd - I look forward to a transparent police investigation of the tuna quotas the fishermen were penning.
Pierre Mallia
Jul 24th 2010, 13:56
Interesting to see that ALE are heading this effort.. given how long we have been hearing that they dont have the resources to cope with our local camorra of hunters, should'nt they be focussing on real environmental issues rather than hunting down environmentalists...who after all are the only people who seem to be bother doing anything about the extinction of the Tuna from our seas. Our local authorities seem so eager to protect the biz barons who profit from this, rather than protecting the environment itself.
c.t. busuttil
Jul 24th 2010, 12:28
Gosh no comments yet. Perhaps because the information offered to us is so skimpy, almost shady. Let's hope this charade does not end with the general public being victim to tuna sellers. We've suffered unreasonable rises in the price of tuna for long enough while our taxes subsidise the industry, without compensation to us.
A Galea
Jul 24th 2010, 13:38
Mr Busuttil, your observation that the government subsidises the tuna farming industry is simply untrue. On the contrary, since the tuna reared in farms is exported to Japan, this brings an injection of foreign cash to the local economy. Which, since the product does not end up in the Maltese market, makes your comments about the increase in tuna prices and the consumer being a victim irrelevant.
Please choose the reason of your report below: