Pete Bethune is one lucky fella! The New Zealand activist - who boarded a Nippon whaling ship in an attempt to stop a whale hunt - has been sentenced by a Japanese court to two years in prison...with the sentence suspended for five years.
Bethune, former captain of the high-tech boat Ady Gil operated by hardline anti-whalers Sea Shepherd, is expected to be deported from Japan and return to New Zealand.
Well, IS he that lucky? Sure, he's escaped the hell of a Japanese prison. But back home, his marriage has gone down the plughole, and it was well-publicised in June that Sea Shepherd washed its hands of him, for violating the organisation's policy against carrying weapons (Bethune had a bow and arrows with him aboard Ady Gil, although he never used them and never intended to do so).
And let's not forget (because I'm sure Pete won't...EVER!) that he experienced the horror of being run down by a whaling vessel in the most inhospitable waters on the planet!"All I did was to board the boat that I feel deliberately attacked and sunk my vessel. I wanted justice for the loss of my boat and the attempted murder of my crew. I still want justice, and I strongly urge the Australian and NZ Maritime Authorities to continue putting pressure on the Japanese whalers to cooperate with their investigations into the collision."
Whether you rate him courageous for his stand, or a bloody idiot, I suggest he's paid a high personal price for his moral position. I wonder how many of us would be willing to do the same?
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