If I was Offensive It was Because I’m Offended Response by Captain Paul Watson to Gabriela Hernández Herrera, thePress adviserfor the Costa Rican Environment MinistryMINAE In response to my article entitled Miedo y asco en San Jose in The Tico Times, Gabriela Hernández Herrera, the Press adviserto the Environment MinistryMINAE of Costa Rica wrote the following response. I have responded in turn to her rebuttal. I did indeed make a mistake in the article with regard to the name of the Minister. I mistakenly said the conversation between myself and Costa Rican Foreign Minister Enrique Castillo was between Environment Minister Rene Castro and myself. That was due to a mistake in my notes and I quickly discovered it and made the changes. It was not deliberate, nor blatant, it was simply a mistake for which I do apologize to Mr. Castro. However the exchange was accurate and it was with a Minister of the Chinchilla government. Paul Watson’s column inaccurate, offensive With great concern we observe that The Tico Times published the information “Miedo y asco en San José (Fear and loathing in San José)” based on a post full of inaccurate and offensive information, speculation and baseless insinuation by conservationist Paul Watson. We’re also concerned that, as informative balance demands, MINAE (the Environment Ministry) has not been consulted on the matter. For these reasons, I would appreciate, in virtue of the right of reply, that you publish our clarification either as an entire piece or as the basis of a news story that provides balance and clarity in light of these falsities. Captain Paul Watson: Gabriela Herrera may say that the article was full of inaccurate information, speculation and insinuation. What she is really saying is that she disagrees with it. However the people in Costa Rica especially the conservation community should be, and will be the judges of the accuracy of my observations. If the government regards my article as offensive I can only say that it was meant to be offensive because I am myself extremely offended by the Costa Rica government. I am offended by their persecution of myself, by their negligence that led to the death of Jairo Mora, their lack of action protecting sharks and turtles, and by the diminishment of diversity at the Cocos Island National Park Marine Sanctuary. Regarding the opinion posted on Facebook by Paul Watson, the position of the Environment Ministry is the following: –The investigation of the death of Jairo Mora Sandoval does not correspond to, nor is undertaken by, the Government of the Republic of Costa Rica, but rather the Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ), which is under the jurisdiction of the judicial branch. In Costa Rica, separation of powers exists, and anyone who affirms or insinuates that, “this government cannot solve the case,” does so because he or she fails to completely understand our system of powers, our country and our idiosyncrasies. Captain Paul Watson: I do know that President Chinchilla is pursuing my case because of a request by Japan and not because it was a working case by the Costa Rican police. It was not the police who decided to resurrect charges dismissed a decade before. That decision was made by the President. The decision to withdraw the Coast Guard from the beaches was the responsibility of the government. The government could have provided protection for Jairo. They can pass the blame onto the police but Costa Rica is not a police state. The police do not control the government, the government controls the police. I do hope I am not wrong about this. If this case is not solved, it will not be the police who will be blamed, it will be this government and rightfully so. The murder of Jairo Mora is something that we all regret and the prompt resolution of the case is something we all want to happen. The Environment Ministry (MINAE) respects judicial authorities and urges them to announce at any time the results of their investigation and arrest the murderers. Captain Paul Watson: Hopefully they will do so and they will do so soon. These killers need to be brought to justice. However there would have been no need for regret if the government and the police had heeded Jairo’s concerns before he died. –In terms of its responsibilities, MINAE has taken various steps in coordination with environmental organizations involved and interested in the protection of sea turtles, as well as consulting Jairo Mora’s family. Principal among these actions, among others, include: the prompt creation of a protected area in Moín and the renaming of the Gandoca Manzanillo Refuge as the “Jairo Mora Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge” in honor of Jairo; the creation of a memorial fund with an initial investment of ₡20 million ($40,000) for environmental education and other activities that will be defined by, and in coordination with, NGOs; and the putting in place of a Plan to Protect Turtles in Costa Rica with the participation of MINAE-MSP-Coast Guard (MSP is the Spanish acronym for the Public Security Ministry) and NGOs that will begin very soon. Captain Paul Watson: A protected area without protection is just a name on some paperwork, however I am happy that Jairo is being acknowledged with this honour. He deserved it. As for $40,000 I have to say that is not a very large investment. Sea Shepherd spent three times that amount assisting the rangers at Cocos Island a decade ago until we were stopped from doing so by the government. Let us hope that by the time the next turtle nesting season takes place, this plan is in place and enforced. –On Facebook, people can emit criteria at their will, without proof and without basis. A member of the news media should corroborate and verify, before giving publicity to the affirmations of a person who is being processed by the judicial branch of Costa Rica and is wanted internationally by Interpol. The offenses, speculation and insinuation against the country that is made by a person who faces Costa Rican justice should be taken with reserve and in that context, and as such, we don’t consider it appropriate that any Costa Rican or news organization take seriously these claims, much less support the offensive assessments that seek to damage the image of Costa Rica (as regrettably occurred in some of the comments at the end of the message). Captain Paul Watson: Costa Rica and Japan’s pursuit of me through Interpol is political. Interpol rejected Costa Rica’s initial request. Interpol rejected Japan’s request. I was detained by Germany at the request of Costa Rica. When I left Germany and skipped my bail I was placed on the Interpol list because of Germany. Germany has withdrawn their warrant for me. I made no speculations or insinuations nor did I say anything offensive to Costa Rica. My arguments are directed at the government and not the people of Costa Rica. I do find it interesting that MINAE would suggest that any media would be acting inappropriately by allowing me to speak. The media do not take orders from the government thankfully. It is not my words that are damaging the image of Costa Rica. The government of Costa Rica is doing a very good job of damaging that image themselves. –The interview with Minister René Castro that Paul Watson mentions in his post never happened. So much so, that he indicates he interviewed the “then-Minister of Foreign Relations René Castro” in May of 2012, when Minister Castro left that post in August 2011 (nearly one year prior). This type of blatantly obvious incorrectness should be a sufficient indication for a news media member or any other person to doubt these assertions instead of giving them credit, much less reproducing them. Captain Paul Watson: She is correct. The interview did not take place with Mr. Castro and I readily admitted that mistake. The interview was with Costa Rican Foreign Minister Enrique Castillo the Minster of Foreign Affairs. It was not a blatantly incorrect statement, it was a mistake. The words were accurate, the name of the Minister was not. I do not believe Herrera can say that the interview with Foreign Minister Enrico Castillo never happened because members of the Costa Rica media were witness to the meeting in Stuttgart, Germany. –Costa Rica, with all its deficiencies and problems (such as the recent assassination of Jairo), continues being a country that loves Nature and that struggles day to day to maintain its ecological principles, increase its forestry coverage, diminish its carbon emissions, strengthen its institutions and environmental laws, assume its goals with water and seas, guide its productive sector toward sustainability and achieve sustainable development. It’s not an easy task, and much less one that’s finished, but it is the path this country has chosen. The international community should recognize this effort by Costa Rica. Captain Paul Watson: With regard to the majority of the people of Costa Rica, I agree. They do appreciate their natural environment. I do not believe the Costa Rican government shares in this appreciation. We have seen the diminishment of the Cocos Island Marine Reserve. The government was not there to provide protection for Jairo or the turtles. The government does very little to control the illegal trade in shark fins. Token measures at best. Neither Sea Shepherd or myself wish to damage Costa Rica. We have repeatedly spoken out against a tourist boycott because it would hurt the wrong people economically. Many thanks for your attention, Gabriela Hernández Herrera Press adviser Environment Ministry MINAE- Costa Rica
Posted on: Sun, 14 Jul 2013 13:54:28 +0000
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