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May 07, 2005

Hard nosed meetings - the government want us out!

Today we had a really hard-nosed meeting with officials from the city council. They turned up with marine police officials, a broadcast camera crew and other suited men wandering around the camp with ominous looking brown envelopes tucked under their arms.


Long gone are the light-hearted chats over a cup of coffee. Instead the officials had come to talk hard-ball. In no uncertain terms they want us to leave. Asap. They claim that they need to build a car park where we are camped, but the reality is that they are simply embarrassed about our being here, concerned that we communicate a negative image of Ulsan to the international community, tarnishing their self-styled eco-credentials. So the meeting went on for about two hours, during which the officials had to take turns to go outside and let out their frustration with us.

We have told them that we will only leave when our demands over the whale meat factory, the bycatch trade in whale meat, and their ambiguous plans to resume whaling, are met. They have constantly denied us access to senior politicians to answer our questions, but today they grudgingly agreed (after telling us that we are selfish) to arrange a meeting with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (who are in charge of ‘whale resources’) sometime soon. However the bad news is that they are coming back tomorrow, unsatisfied at our lack of communications (ie that we are refusing to leave!). So will let you know how we get on.

Best,

Jim

Posted by at May 7, 2005 12:06 AM

Comments

Hi everyone,

Looks like things may be getting a bit rougher there. Please hang in.

I will be getting my contamination fliers translated into Korean and hopefully will be there when IWC starts. Depends on work commitments.

I will be arriving in Pusan, by ferry from Japan, so how do you recommend I get to Ulsan?

Anyway, keep us informed and stay healthy.

Peace,
Tig
(cybercentre)

Posted by: tig3933[TypeKey Profile Page] [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 8, 2005 05:02 AM



-------Original Message-------

From: margot
Date: 04/23/05 21:30:13
To: postmottak@sft.no
Subject: I am Dutch, I have send this short letter from out New Zealand



I be proud to be dutch, because Prins Bernard did everything for the animals he was a good person god bless him in haven

Here by I like to ask your attention; I have also written to China and other country's

This is for Norway and Korea

Norway is not a poor country and I can not understand why your country shoot kill al the walls in the see

I hope that this will get to the people and my line is:

As long as people kill animals there will be no peace on this planet.
sent :
Margot ter Bocht


When you are not in pain, many people are because it is sad

This is for all the people of Norway, Korea, China,Island and every country who do bad things with animals.

Nobody have to kill animals because Adam and Eva where living with the animals. They where vegetarian, so let us become good people agan. This is just a small thing to do and forget the money and the battle between the country because we are all good people over al in every country and if we are all eating baens, maybe there will be no hunger any more in the world.

Make from a gun a shovel and maybe ther will be no war any more.

Every baby is born with out any religion. All religion is a big mirror and we have all a piece from the broken mirror. please do what your heart tells you deep inside to save the world and the animals. Keep the earth clean and stop the war.

Posted by: Margot at May 12, 2005 03:21 PM