Sea Shepherd captain's trial begins

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http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T100527004213.htm
The Yomiuri Shimbun

A member of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, in the first day of a trial over disruptions caused to a Japanese whaling fleet in the Antarctic Ocean, told the Tokyo District Court on Thursday his activities were not intended to injure the fleet's crew.

Peter Bethune, 45, former captain of the antiwhaling vessel Ady Gil, was indicted last month on five charges, including allegedly injuring a crew member of the Shonan Maru No. 2, a 712-ton patrol ship, by firing a glass bottle containing butyric acid onto its deck in February.

Bethune has admitted to the other four charges against him, namely intruding on the ship, forcibly obstructing business, violating the Firearms and Swords Control Law and damaging property.

Bethune is the first member of Sea Shepherd to stand trial on criminal charges in Japan. The organization is known for its aggressive obstruction of research whaling.

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