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Japanese Whalers holding two Sea Shepherd crew members hostage on whaling ship

ABOARD THE STEVE IRWIN – 15 January 2008 -- 0700 GMT

The captain of the Yushin Maru No. 2 is holding two Sea Shepherd crew hostage.

Australian citizen Benjamin Potts and British citizen Giles Lane have been tied to the radar mast of the harpoon vessel.

The Captain has refused Captain Paul Watson's demand for the release of the crew.

The two crew members boarded the whaler with a message to inform them that they were illegally killing whales in the Southern Whale Sanctuary.

Sea Shepherd is demanding that Australia and Great Britain demand an immediate release of these two crew-members.

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