July 31, 2013 - facebook.com/CaptPaulWatson - A letter to president Chinchilla
July 13, 2013 - Captain Paul Watson, Fear and Loathing in San Jose Costa Rica
news.co.cr/captain-paul-watson-fear-and-loathing-in-san-jose-costa-rica/23036
6/14/12 - LATEST - SHARK FINNING STILL NOT BEING STOPPED IN COSTA RICA AND VIOLATORS ARE STILL GOING FREE:
Crew intercepted at sea with 48 shark fins set free
The three crew of the Elizabeth 7957, intercepted at sea with 48 shark fins were released on Wednesday without any preventative measures. Officials released the men because they had no prior criminal convictions, have roots in the community and stable employment.
(how could anyone have criminal convictions if they keep getting away with things!!???!!!)
5/29/12 - http://SeaShepherd.org/commentary-and-editorials/2012/05/29/the-law-takes-precedence-over-justice-in-germany-540
When will Costa Rica wake up and see how HORRIBLY they are "Shooting themselves in the foot" and HARMING the PEOPLE of Costa Rica with EACH day this goes on as the PUBLIC is SEEING EVERY DAY that talk of CR caring for the environment MAY NOT be fully true based on their ACTIONS. (it's harming the people because tourism WILL/IS going to go down BIG TIME from this [and it's already down BIG TIME because of other issues like crime, how expensive it's gotten, etc. - as well as the world economy]). I FEEL for the PEOPLE of CR!
COMMENT FROM VICKI: MAN - could Costa Rica be harming themselves any more in the international community by keeping the charges against Paul Watson (especially while other HORRIFIC criminals walk the streets with little or no prosecution)????
The INTERNATIONAL backlash against Costa Rica has been HORRIBLE and CR's images as an "environmentally conscious" country has been GREATLY tarnished and may be irreparable!!! People are now saying they're seeing through how CR promotes themselves to be so environmentally conscious but when it comes down to it, too often they are turning a blind eye on this people doing HORRIFIC INJUSTICES to nature which DOES harm US - all in the name of $$$ - with Shark Finning, selling off parts of their national parks to developers so they can building housing tracts in the middle of national parks for $$ a typical Tico couldn't afford, digging for gold and more!
MANY locals I've spoken with are angry over this people they put a warrant out for Paul Watson, yet MANY people have had some sort of run-in with a gunman/criminals - everything from being held up on the streets, squatting on/stealing people's land/home, to home invasioned you or even shot or killed and USUALLY the perpetrator - IF they're even caught (RARE according to 95% of the people I know that have had serious crimes done against them!!) or end up walking right out of jail).
For the sake of it's people, I REALLY hope Costa Rica wakes up FAST to this issue before they shoot themselves in the foot even MORE!!!! Before they inflict more damage/hurt your OWN PEOPLE and economy even more as fewer and fewer people will come to Costa Rica BECAUSE of this and right now - your people can't survive with that!!
Here's a link to the movie he's been involved in to help draw attention to this cause. If you see it, you can draw your own conclusions on what went down in Guatamala but I ask, what happened to the Costa Rican fishermen that were finning there.:
The Tico Times e- news "paper" conducted a survey asking
"Do you think Costa Rican authorities should drop the charges against Paul Watson?"
and as of June 18, 2012, an OVERWHELMING 93% - OVER 8,400+ respondents - said YES!!!!
Go to http://TicoTimes.net/Polls/Conservationist-arrested-in-Germany-on-charges-from-Costa-Rica
and let them know what YOU think!
May 24, 2012 - Update from Paul Watson
http://ens-newswire.com/ens/may2012/2012-05-23-02.html
May 24, 2012 - Update from Paul Watson
http://ens-newswire.com/ens/may2012/2012-05-23-02.html
Tico Warrant snags Sea Shepherd's Watson in Germany
By http://AMCostaRica.com staff
German officials have detained seagoing environmentalist Paul Watson on a 10-year-old warrant filed by Costa Rica, said the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society that Watson heads.
The arrest comes on an apparently bogus charge lodged
Capt. Paul Watson
| by fishermen after
Watson's “Ocean Warrior” harassed them in Guatemalan
waters because they appear to be fishing for shark illegally. The incident on which the charge is based was filmed and ended up in the major motion picture “Sharkwater.” The film contradicts the Costa Rican Poder Judicial claims that said Watson's crewmen used streams of water to cause the Costa Rican crew to lose control and collide with “Ocean Warrior.” The allegation also said incorrectly that the collision caused grave damages to the boat and physical damages to the crew members. The film shows contact between the much larger steel “Ocean Warrior” and the smaller wooden “Varadero 1,” but it also shows the smaller boat pulling away without apparent damage. |
The “Sharkwater” Web site shows two photos of the encounter. HERE! And HERE!
The Poder Judicial also claims incorrectly that the confrontation took place near the Isla de Coco, which is Costa Rican waters. Presumably the judicial allegations are a result of the claims of the shark fishermen.
Watson and “Sharkwater” filmmaker Rob Stewart showed the footage to judges and prosecutors when the Ocean Warrior docked in Puntarenas in April 2002. Watson said he posted $800 in bail and left to avoid preventative detention.
The issue surfaced again in June 2006 when the Poder Judicial announced a trial on the allegations and then said a judge had issued a warrant for Watson because he did not appear. Watson told a reporter then that he had no knowledge of the trial and that he would contact a lawyer in Costa Rica to resolve the issue.
The case appears to be advanced by companies engaged in shark finning and others who hold grudges against Watson and his organization. Sea Shepherd also is active in pursuing and harassing Japanese whaling vessels to the extent that fishermen in that country cut short their excursions in the Southern Ocean this year.
Sea Shepherd said in an email that “conservationists around the world maintain hope that the Costa Ricans will drop the charges against Captain Watson. There is also a chance that the charges have already been dropped, but Sea Shepherd has been unable to confirm that with the Costa Rican officials. With Costa Rica’s rich biodiversity, it would be a travesty for them not to stand up for sharks, which sit at the highest levels of the food chain assuring balance among ecological communities in the ocean.”
While in jail, Watson is being assisted by the European Parliament Vice President Daniel Cohn Bendit and the European deputy Jose Bove, the organization said.
Watson, 62, a Canadian with U.S. residency, founded Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in 1997. He is not shy about expressing his opinions and taking strong action against those he considers environmental criminals. He has written for A.M. Costa Rica HERE!
Ten years ago Watson and the “Ocean Warrior” encountered the Costa Rican boat fishing in Guatemalan waters and said it received a request from that country's officials to escort the “Varadero 1” to port so its captain and crew could face charges. During the trip, the “Varadero 1” captain made the allegation by radio that Watson and the crew of “Ocean Warrior” were trying to kill him and his crew. At that point Watson said “Ocean Warrior” abandoned the effort and sailed for Isla del Coco where more illegal shark finners were sought out.
Costa Rica is a haven for shark finners. The country now prohibits the unloading of shark fins and carcasses at its docks. But other environmentalists note that the fins are unloaded in Nicaragua and imported by truck to Costa Rica. Photos have shown drying fins that represented thousands of sharks on a rooftop in Puntarenas.
The fins bring a high price in Asia.
As the plight of the shark becomes more desperate, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has begun to outline a new shark campaign for 2012, it said Sunday. Julie Andersen, founder of Shark Savers and Shark Angels, has joined Sea Shepherd to lead a global campaign to save sharks from extinction, the organization added. Sea Shepherd will use its expertise and experience, as well as media savvy, to empower people around the world to take back their sharks – an animal critical to their, as well as the global, environment and economy, it said.
Sea Shepherd said it is offering its assistance to countries around the world to enforce international and local laws, end ruthless poaching, patrol marine sanctuaries under attack, implement high tech defenses, and empower locals through training and the provision of resources to take on the battle.
At the time the news of the original confrontation became public, a national Costa Rican television station reported the confrontation and included a representation of what producers thought had happened. They showed a so-called re-enactment of three men in a rowboat being bombarded by streams of water until the small craft capsized.
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May 13, 2012
Captain Paul Watson Arrested In Frankfurt, Germany on Warrant Issued by Costa Rica
Photo: Tim WattersCaptain
Paul Watson was arrested yesterday in Germany for extradition to Costa
Rica. The German police have said that the warrant for Captain Watson’s
arrest is in response to an alleged violation of ships traffic in Costa
Rica, which occurred during the filming of Sharkwater in 2002.
The specific “violation of ships traffic” incident took place on the
high seas in Guatemalan waters, when Sea Shepherd encountered an illegal
shark finning operation, run by a Costa Rican ship called the Varadero. On order of the Guatemalan authorities, Sea Shepherd instructed the crew of the Varadero to cease their shark finning activities and head back to port to be prosecuted. While escorting the Varadero
back to port, the tables were turned and a Guatemalan gunboat was
dispatched to intercept the Sea Shepherd crew. The crew of the Varadero
accused the Sea Shepherds of trying to kill them, while the video
evidence proves this to be a fallacy. To avoid the Guatemalan gunboat,
Sea Shepherd then set sail for Costa Rica, where they uncovered even
more illegal shark finning activities in the form of dried shark fins by
the thousands on the roofs of industrial buildings.Conservationists around the world maintain hope that the Costa Ricans will drop the charges against Captain Watson. There is also a chance that the charges have already been dropped, but Sea Shepherd has been unable to confirm that with the Costa Rican officials. With Costa Rica’s rich biodiversity, it would be a travesty for them not to stand up for sharks, which sit at the highest levels of the food chain assuring balance among ecological communities in the ocean.
While in jail, Captain Watson is being assisted by the European Parliament Vice President Daniel Cohn Bendit and the European deputy Jose Bove. Our hope is that these two honorable gentlemen can set Captain Watson free before this nonsense goes any further. The European Sea Shepherds have also mobilized to support Captain Watson.
As the plight of the sharks becomes more desperate, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has begun to outline a new shark campaign for 2012. Julie Andersen, founder of Shark Savers and Shark Angels, has joined Sea Shepherd to lead our global campaign to save sharks from extinction.
Sea Shepherd will use its expertise and experience, as well as media savvy, to empower people around the world to take back their sharks – an animal critical to their, as well as the global, environment and economy.
Sea Shepherd is offering its assistance to countries around the world to enforce international and local laws, end ruthless poaching, patrol marine sanctuaries under attack, implement high tech defenses, and empower locals through training and the provision of resources to take on the battle. Sea Shepherd will also fight a war of public opinion, changing everything we know about an animal most despised.
The first stop will be the South Pacific, where the team will be headed in June.
“We’ve got all the laws we need to protect sharks. Now we will leverage our resources and expertise to help countries around the globe enforce them. Using Galapagos as a model, we will travel wherever we are needed - enforcing local laws while developing strategies and training locals to defend their sharks, fueling world-wide enforcement efforts.” -
Julie Andersen, Shark Campaign Director
http://SeaShepherd.org/news-and-media/2012/05/13/captain-paul-watson-arrested-in-frankfurt-germany-on-warrant-issued-by-costa-rica-1374
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