Australia city of Broome Suspends sister-city ties with Taiji over dolphin kill

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Aug 25, 2009

SYDNEY —

The town of Broome in northwestern Australia effectively suspended its sister-town relationship with Taiji over the weekend to disassociate itself from the Japanese town’s annual slaughter of thousands of dolphins. Citing ‘‘significant international and national pressure,’’ the Broome Shire Council passed a resolution Saturday saying it is ‘‘unable to fulfill its pledge as a sister town with the Town of Taiji while the practice of harvesting dolphins exists.’’

The move follows the recent release of the documentary titled ‘‘The Cove,’’ which shows Taiji fishermen killing thousands of dolphins for their meat. The film’s release coincides with the beginning of the dolphin culling season in the town, located in Wakayama Prefecture. ‘‘I think with the screening of the documentary as it goes worldwide, there will be more concentration on Broome,’’ Shire President Graeme Campbell told the Australia Broadcasting Corp. ‘‘We can’t afford to have our town destroyed because of the actions of others.’’ The council said Broome has already suffered social and economic sanctions as a result of its relationship with Taiji, causing ‘‘significant harm to the community.’’

Last week alone, the council received 7,000 to 8,000 emails complaining about the shire’s ties with Taiji. The resolution also voiced concern over the ‘‘continued harrying of Broome persons with Japanese descent by advocates against Taiji.’’ One shire councilor was reportedly reduced to tears at Saturday’s meeting as he described his family’s Japanese heritage and the hurt the issue had caused. ‘‘Offensive emails, offensive phone calls, you’d hate to go back to the bad old days of racism,’’ Campbell told ABC.

Broome, located on the northern coast of the state of Western Australia, has historic links to Taiji that predate the sister-town relationship which began in 1981. Before then, Japanese assistance was key in the development of the shire’s pearling industry. Campbell stressed that the resolution does not constitute a severing of relations with Taiji and said the shire is purposefully ‘‘leaving the door open to reengage in the future.’’ ‘‘We are withdrawing from our obligations under the relationship, rather than severing or suspending,’’ he told ABC, adding that the word ‘‘suspending’’ would come across as ‘‘fairly offensive’’ in Japanese.

‘‘We’re not wishing to be offensive but we’re wishing to point out that we’re unable to continue our relationship whilst dolphin slaughter, culling, occurs,’’ he said. Campbell said the shire would still engage in dialogue with Taiji, hoping to convince the town to give up killing dolphins. ‘‘If we in no small way cause them to cease the practices they are doing, I think that can only be a good thing,’’ he said. ‘‘We’ll be looking at suggesting that environmental tourism is probably the way for them to go.’’


http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/west-australian-town-cuts-ties-with-taiji-over-annual-dolphin-kill


Specialist divers from Japan flocked to Broome in the late nineteenth century to harvest oysters and became an indispensable part of the industry until World War II. Many of these divers originated from Wakayama (southern part of Japan’s Honshu island). People from this region of Japan are historically famous for their abilities as fisherman and divers.

The first recorded burial in the cemetery dates back to 1896 and is the final resting place for over 900 Japanese pearl divers who sacrificed their lives plying their trade in the lucrative pearling industry. The majority of deaths commemorated in the cemetery resulted from the bends (divers paralysis) or drowning.

Ironically, Broome was attacked by Japanese aircraft on 3 March 1942.
Where’s Broome?

Nestled alongside the Indian Ocean, Broome is situated in the far north of Western Australia.




http://www.loneleeplanet.com/2009/07/broome-japanese-cemetery/

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1. Good move!!

The more pressure and bad press the better. The annual slaughter is absolutely horrific. :cry: :cry: :cry:

Diane

Anishnabe and Proud

"Idiocracy" is a documentary