Sydney (dpa) – Australian officials said Tuesday that Japan would release three anti-whaling activists detained after they boarded a whaling ship off the west coast at the weekend. “We are pleased that the Japanese government has made a decision that these three men won't be charged and will be released,” Attorney General Nicola Roxon said. The Ocean Protector, a Customs vessel, will be sent to rendezvous with the Shonan Maru 2 and pick up the three Australians to take them back to Australia. The trio are aboard the Shonan Maru 2 as it steams to rejoin the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean. The ship had been tailing a whaling protest ship and was near enough to the Australian coast to enable the activists to use inflatable craft to reach it and sneak aboard under cover of darkness. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/w1c9S Tags: Australia, Japan, Sea Shepherd, Whaling Section: Animals, Latest News, Oceana
