Press release - 13 June, 2003
The Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior was boarded this afternoon by approximately 50 agents of the Spanish Civil Guard riot police in the port of Valencia. The Rainbow Warrior has been sent to anchor and the captain and two activists who early Friday morning boarded the timber transport vessel, Honour, have been arrested. Greenpeace volunteers had been able to secure themselves onto the Honour’s cranes, anchor chain and a boat ladder of the harbour pilot. The protest had been ongoing for 18 hours before the Civil Guard took action against the environmentalists.
The Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior boarded by approximately 50 agents of the Spanish Civil Guard riot police in the port of Valencia.
Greenpeace intercepts destructive timber from Cameroon's
rainforest
Valencia, Spain. 13 June 2003-Greenpeace activists today
intercepted the MV Honour, a transport vessel carrying timber
coming from the rainforests in Cameroon. Activists from onboard the
Rainbow Warrior, the Greenpeace flagship, prevented the ship from
entering the Valencia harbour. Activists are currently secured on
Harbour Pilot ladders and on the cranes of the vessel.
"The 'Honour' is transporting timber from Cameroon, a country
that is plagued by poor governance, lack of transparency in the
timber sector and illegal logging," said Miguel Angel Soto from
onboard the Rainbow Warrior. "Industrial logging is destroying the
habitat of endangered species such as the Forest Elephant and the
Western Lowland Gorilla."
Greenpeace maintains that the new European Commission Action
Plan on Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade does not
adequately reflect the severity of the illegal logging issue and
falls short on the very important point of implementing new
legislation to ban the trade in illegally harvested timber.
"European governments should rightfully be undertaking the task
the Greenpeace performs today," added Soto. "New legislation is
needed in Europe to block the importation of illegal and
destructive timber."
The destruction of the world's last ancient forests robs local
peoples of the resources needed for their survival. Greenpeace is
campaigning to protect the world's remaining ancient forests by
promoting ecologically sustainable and social responsible forest
use and the establishment of protected areas. Protected forest
areas are dedicated to the conservation of their biological
diversity, and of natural and associated cultural resources, and
are established and managed respecting traditional land
rights-particularly those of indigenous peoples. They are protected
from road building and industrial activities.