Japanese Police Raid Cove Guardians

Cove Guardians Twenty officers of the Wakayama Prefecture police have raided the Charmant Hotel where the Cove Guardians are quartered near Taiji, Japan.  Armed with a warrant, the police seized computers, phones, hard drives, photos, cameras and anything they deemed suspicious.

No reasons have been given for the raid and the Cove Guardians have been careful to not violate local laws.

The raid follows the arrest of Cove Guardian Erwin Vermeulen, who was charged with assault on the word of an employee of the Dolphin Resort Hotel. Erwin was attempting to film the transfer of dolphins from the sea to holding pens at the resort. The employee claims that Erwin pushed him. There were no other witnesses to this allegation.

In contrast, a recent assault on two female Cove Guardians by a fisherman resulted in the fisherman being questioned and released despite video evidence of the assault.

At present the Cove Guardians Scott, Melissa, and Ron, and also Heather from Save Japan Dolphins are being detained and have been cut off from communication with the outside world. Nicole MacLaughlan managed to get word to us because she was leaving the hotel to go to Osaka just as the police made their move to raid the hotel.

It appears that the police are acting out of frustration and desperation with a crackdown against a group that has not committed a single infraction and have operated strictly within the boundaries of Japanese law.

Sea Shepherd is anxiously awaiting word of the Cove Guardians’ release from detainment. If there is no word, it will be assumed they have been incarcerated at the jail in Shingu.

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