Via Environet:
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14 November 1992


      RAINBOW WARRIOR PROTESTS PLUTONIUM SHIPMENT IN TOKYO
 
     Neglecting  the world-wide opinion to protest the  plutonium 
shipment  by  Japan,  Japanese government  is  carrying  out  the 
shipment.  Now  Smit New York, chartared boat  by  Greenpeace  is 
following   and  watching  Akatsuki-maru  and  its  escort   ship 
Shikishima.
 
     SV Rainbow Warrior, the flag ship of Greenpeace, is arriving  
at  Tokyo port for the first time on Sunday 15th Nov, to  protest 
the ongoing plutonium shipment. The ship will be passing near the 
Jusan-go-chi(see map) where it is very likely that the  plutonium 
containers will be unloaded.  
 
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     SV Rainbow Warrior is coming to Tokyo after her visiting far 
east Russia for the campaign in September and October. 

     First  SV Rainbow Warrior was bombed by the French  commands 
in  1985 in New Zealand on the way to protest the French  nuclear 
test  in Moruroa. This SV Rainbow Warrior coming to Tokyo is  the 
second  one  which  was  bought by  the  compensation  of  French 
government.
 
      Arriving  place: L berth of Harumi Futou
      Arriving time: 9:40am Sunday, 15 Nov
 
   *Press Confernce 
      Place:  On  the ship (It is required that those  who  would 
              like to attend this conference should imform GPJ in 
              advance, because of the complicated Japanese Custom 
              procedure to get onboard.)
 
      Time: 14:00pm Sunday, 15 Nov
 
For more information:
 
Hidemichi Kanou
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Greenpeace Japan   Tel: 03-5684-0559
                   Fax: 03-5684-0653

                               ####



Via Environet:
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14 November 1992



    PLUTONIUM FREIGHTER PLAYS HIGH SEAS GAME OF CAT AND MOUSE 
 
LONDON--November  13,  1992--The  Japanese  plutonium  freighter, 
"Akatsuki  Maru" and the armed escort vessel  "Shikishima"  broke 
maritime  laws again last night in a bid to lose  the  Greenpeace 
ship  which  has been following the deadly  shipment  since  last 
weekend.
 
Greenpeace is following the plutonium freighter in order to  warn 
countries along the route of the risks of plutonium
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At  around  20:00 GMT last night, the Japanese coast  guard  ship 
"Shikishima"   increased  speed  and  approached  the   plutonium 
freighter "Akatsuki Maru" from astern to a distance of less  than 
370 meters.  This dangerous manoeuvre was undertaken to merge the 
radar reading of the two vessels into a single point.
 
With  both vessels travelling dangerously close, one  behind  the 
other,  the  two  ships turned out their  stern  lights--a  clear 
violation  of international rules which require the use  of  such 
lights  at night to prevent collision.  Greenpeace's  ship,  Smit 
New York, attempted radio communication with both vessels to warn 
them of the danger involved but neither ship would respond. 

After nearly one hour of lights out motoring the "Shikishima" and 
the  "Akatsuki  Maru" suddenly separated and headed  in  opposite 
directions. The "Shikishima" headed south and the "Akatsuki Maru" 
with a 1.7 tonne load of plutonium, headed north west. 

"Smit  New  York" followed the "Akatsuki Maru"  on  the  northern 
route for 20 minutes when the freighter turned around and steamed 
at speed to rejoin the "Shikishima".
 
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"Once  again  the  captains  of  these  two  ships  have   broken 
international laws of the sea in a bid to maintain the secrecy of 
their  dangerous shipment," said Barbera van der Hoek aboard  the 
Smit  New  York.  "By turning off their lights at  night  and  by 
travelling  at  such close proximity, these two  vessels  greatly 
increased the chance of a terrible accident.
 
"And  while attempting to elude Greenpeace, the  Shikishima  left 
the plutonium freighter unescorted and unprotected.  So much  for 
safety or security.
 
"They're  not  just trying to elude Greenpeace  --  they're  also 
trying  to elude the growing world outrage which will  meet  them 
along whichever route they choose." 
 
Last Sunday morning, the "Shikishima" broke several maritime laws 
by  crashing  into  the Greenpeace ship SOLO  after  a  night  of 
harassment.
 
Six  days after the plutonium shipment left Cherbourg  in  France 
neither  the  Japanese or French governments have  disclosed  the 
route  to be followed to Japan.  The course set by the  freighter 
and  escort  have involved erratic changes  clearly  intended  to 
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conceal the ultimate route.
 
Today,  the  ships were around 480 miles west  northwest  of  the 
Canary  Islands and heading on a southerly course. It is not  yet 
clear  which  of  three routes the ship will take:  west  to  the 
Caribbean  and Panama Canal, southeast to the Cape of Good  Hope, 
or southwest to Cape Horn.
 
 
AERIAL PICTURES OF PLUTONIUM CONVOY AVAILABLE (Video and stills)
through Greenpeace Communications, London: 44-71-833 0600.
Photographs also available through AP and Reuters, London.
 
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Damon Moglen in Paris: 33-1-42 52 27 05  (home)
Shaun Burnie in Amsterdam: 31-20-6158342 (home)

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Via Environet:
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-More-
14 November 1992


   LONDON CONVENTION: DROPS THE NAME AND DUMPS THE ENVIRONMENT
 
LONDON--13  November, 1992--The 15th consultative meeting of  the 
London  Dumping Convention which ended today at the London HQ  of 
the International Maritime Organisation failed to respond to  the 
political   challenges  facing  the  20th  anniversary   of   the 
Convention.
 
The convention was renamed the London Convention.
 
:-The  44  countries  present  delayed action  until  1994  on  a 
proposal to permanently ban dumping of industrial and radioactive 
waste at sea.
 
:-The   convention  failed  to  extend  the   current   voluntary 
moratorium  on  radioactive waste dumping at sea  which  ends  in 
1993.   Action on the moratorium was postponed until the  end  of 
next year.
 
:-The  consultative  meeting also failed to  adopt  a  resolution 
-More-
condemning   the  illegal  and  secret  dumping  of  high   level 
radioactive  waste  in  the Barents and Kara Sea  by  the  former 
Soviet Union, as reported to the Convention by Greenpeace. 

Having  agreed  Thursday to a draft resolution  calling  -  among 
other requests - upon the IAEA and the Russian Federation to look 
into   the  feasibility  of  retrieval  of  the  dumped   Russian 
radioactive  waste and other remedial measures (capping etc)  the 
Russian  Federation delegation announced this morning  that  they 
opposed the resolution.
 
Nevertheless,  the consulting parties agreed to the inclusion  of 
weak language in the convention's summary report.
 
"If Governments are serious about saving the world's oceans  from 
pollution,"  said Greenpeace delegate John Sprange "they need  to 
show  real  political  will to enforce the  obligations  of  this 
convention."
 
Ireland,  Canada and the IAEA representatives vehemently  opposed 
the possibility of the retrieval of the Russian wastes. 

The proposal to amend the convention in 1993 in order to ban  the 
-More-
dumping at sea of radioactive and industrial waste was blocked by 
a  few  industrial states. Although the  amendment  proposal  had 
strong  support from a host of governments, a few countries  most 
notably  Canada,  Ireland, the UK, the US  and  the  Netherlands, 
slowed down the process, thus avoiding amendment in 1993. 

"One  has to question the commitment of these countries  to  stop 
using   the  oceans  as  a  dustbin,"  said   Greenpeace's   Remi 
Parmentier.
 
"In  particular,  the UK and Canada have played a  negative  role 
over  the  past few years, obstructing  progressuive  efforts  to 
finally ban the practice of dumping industrial waste at sea." 
 
For more information:
071-834 3800 (Remi Parmentier--after hours)
071-241 6099 (John Sprange--home)

                               ####



Via Environet:
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14 November 1992


GREENPEACE DENOUNCES MAHOGANY LOGGING IN THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON

Brasilia, 12 November 1992 (GP) - Greenpeace Brazil along with 65 
Brazilian   non-governmental  groups  called  on  the   Brazilian 
Government  today  to  place  a  moratorium  on  the  cutting  of 
Mahogany.  The alliance, representing indigenous peoples,  rubber 
tappers,   rural  workers,  peasants  and  environmental   groups 
presented  a  Manifesto  on Mahogany to  the  Brazilian  congress 
documenting  the  severe  ecological and  social  impact  of  the 
industry. The groups demanded that the Government ban the cutting 
of Mahogany trees until the industry is regulated so that it does 
not  lead to deforestation or impoverishment of forest  dependent 
communities. 

"Mahogany loggers presently operate with impunity in the  Amazon, 
making  vast profits at the expense of the forest  ecosystem  and 
those who depend on intact forests", said Jose Augusto Padua, the 
coordinator  of Greenpeace's Forests Campaign in  Latin  America. 
"Throughout much of the southern Amazon, Mahogany cutters are the 
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first  to  push  roads into primary forests.  Wherever  they  go, 
deforestation quickly follows.", he said.

Greenpeace  premiered a video in Brasilia documenting the  impact 
of  Mahogany  cutting.  The film highlights  the  destruction  to 
forest  ecosystems  and  to the extractive  economies  of  rubber 
tappers   and  indigenous  communities  that   Mahogany   logging 
presently causes. 

The group presented the Manifesto to the Brazilian Congress,  the 
Attorney  General  and  to  Funai,  the  government  agency   for 
indigenous  affairs. Greenpeace also presented the  Manifesto  to 
the  new  Secretary for the Environment,  Fabio  Coutinho  Jorge, 
accused  in  many newspaper reports of being an  ally  of  timber 
dealers and Mahogany loggers.

Representatives  of  the Nambikwara  Indians,  whose  association 
signed onto the Manifesto, denounced the build up of violence  in 
the  State of Mato Grosso following the invasion of indian  lands 
by  Mahogany  loggers.  Jose  Antonio  Pires,  A  Funai  employee 
accompanying the Nambikwara commented, "A lot of people are going 
to  die if the Mahogany industry is not controlled  -  especially 
indians such as the Nambikwara."
-More-

For more information or a copy of the video, the Manifesto, or
pictures from Brasilia contact: 

Kido Guerra, Greenpeace Brazil tel:5521 2627318 fax:5521 2401690
Elizabeth Mealey, GP Comms     tel:4471 8736006 fax:4471 8376606
Patrick Anderson, GP Int       tel:3120 5236555 fax:3120 5236500

                               ####



Via Environet:
=================================================================
14 November 1992


         GREENPEACE PROTESTS UNOCAL TOXIC EXPORT SCHEME
          Demonstration Saturday at Site of Waste Barge
 
     HONOLULU,  Nov. 13 (GP) -- Keeping up the  pressure  against 
UNOCAL's  scheme to ship toxic waste from Hwai'i to the  Marshall 
Islands, Greenpeace will lead a protest Saturday to block further 
-More-
loading of petroleum-contaminated soil onto the freighter Pacific 
Trader.
 
     The  protest will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14,  at 
the Pacific Trader's berth in Barber's Point Harbor.
 
     "Exporting  toxic  waste from the United States  to  a  tiny 
Pacific  Island  nation  is not only immoral, it ought  to  be  a 
crime,"  said  David  Rapaport, a  Greenpeace  clean  development 
specialist. "UNOCAL might think it can slip through loopholes  in 
the  law,  but it can't escape the outrage of world  opinion.  We 
will  continue to use whatever means are necessary to  stop  this 
shipment."
 
     On  Friday,  Greenpeace activist  James  Scalia  temporarily 
blocked  the loading of contaminated soil by locking  himself  to 
loading  equipment  at  a UNOCAL  gasoline  station  in  downtown 
Honolulu. Scalia, 25, of San Francisco, shut down the loader  for 
more  than  90  minutes  before  being  arrested  on  trespassing 
charges.
 
     Alan B. Burdick, chair of the Hawai'i chapter of the  Sierra 
Club,  sent  a  letter  Friday  to  Gov.  John  Waihee,  strongly 
-More-
protesting  the UNOCAL scheme. According to documents  leaked  to 
Greenpeace, Los Angeles-based UNOCAL plans to ship 169,000  cubic 
yards of contaminated soil to the Marshalls.
 
     "It  is terribly wrong for the United States, or  any  other 
nation,  to generate pollution, and then export it to . .  .  the 
Third World," said Burdick's letter. "It is all the worse when  . 
.  . (the pollution comes from) Hawai'i, and the recipient  is  a 
sister island in the Pacific."

CONTACT: Bill Walker, Greenpeace Media
         (808) 599-2436 or (808) 941-6611, Room 405

                              ####