[Pressrelease] G8 Japan: Left activist is returned to sea by Sapporo authorities

[Presswork G8 2007 (english)]

*A first shadow of G8 repression goes through Siberian Russia and Japan*

After leaving Russian FSB detention, left activist is returned to sea by 
Sapporo authorities

Sapporo-Otaru. 10.03.08 – 13:00 GMT: The German left activist Dr. Martin 
Kraemer has been refused landing in the port of Sapporo-Otaru. He has 
been condemned by Japanese authorities to remain stay put on the Panama 
vessel BM-2, which had brought him from Sakhalin on Friday, 7th of 
March. “Just released from special confinement by the Russian political 
police FSB, it’s now the Japanese repressive forces who try to top them.

In Russia, I got kicked and received an official death threat in 
custody, but this is worse,” says Martin: “Today’s blow against Japanese 
dignity set in before I could even open my mouth in this splendid 
country.” The surprising decision by Japanese immigration officers was 
announced today after receiving central instructions at 16:00 o’clock 
local time (8:00 GMT). At that time, Dr. Kraemer had already spent 66 
hours waiting in the port of Otaru to get landing permission.

Sapporo Esperanto activists and the German embassy in Tokyo tried to 
intervene favorably for Dr. Kramer, but all in vain. As a German 
citizen, Dr. Kraemer needs no visa to enter Japan. Landing permission 
for German tourists up to 90 days is normally a mere formality on 
entering Japan. Simultaneously, the eldest officer of Otaru Immigration 
control confirmed that according to his memory today’s refusal is an all 
time first for the port of Sapporo-Otaru. Today’s refusal was preceded 
by an 8 hours ordeal of repeated luggage searches virtually to the last 
sewing needle followed by meticulous cross examination of Dr. Kramer and 
the Japanese inviting part both alike in separated rooms respectively. 
Special emphasis was put on examining the question why Dr. Kraemer had 
been wearing a red hard-head on board of the ship and played the 
International on his trumpet when saying farewell to an enthusiast 
Russian crew on leaving the vessel. All this questioning however could 
bring up no presentable pretext for refusing Dr. Kraemer to land. “In 
the end they just hid behind paragraphs, they were cautious not to cite 
in detail,” records Martin Kraemer.

Dr. Kraemer is now in a special situation. He has been returned by force 
on the ship and refused permission to set his feet on Japanese soil 
whatsoever for the time being. However, the splendid hospitality of the 
Russian crew and captain welcoming him back after a long day has its 
limits. Their ship, which took Martin for free from Sakhalin to Hokkaido 
as a token of internationalist friendship, is to sail back to Russia on 
Friday. According to the Japanese authorities, Martin Kraemer is to stay 
with the crew, but his Russian visa has been cancelled on 6th of March 
by the port authorities of Korsakov (Russia). Within the next 72 hours 
he will now file a formal complaint will to the attention of the 
Japanese Ministry of Justice. If the ministry refuses to revoke today’s 
decision or if it takes longer than Friday to decide, the Japanese 
authorities will face the odd job of how to deport a German citizen from 
their waters, who has not even been granted to set foot on their soil.

Today’s arbitrary decision of the Japanese authorities foreshadows what 
is to come when hundreds and thousands of left activists will apply for 
landing in Japan to voice their protest against this year’s G8 summit 
near Sapporo. “No matter whether Russian or Japanese Big Capital 
dictatorship: when G8 approaches they seem all united to kick us into 
the Pacific Ocean! Won’t stay under water for long, though,” promised 
Dr. Kraemer tonight: Japan, we are coming!

For further information: please call Mr. Torkler from the German embassy 
in Tokyo under +81-357917700 (or mobile +81-9017084960) and the Japanese 
Esperanto activist who has invited Dr. Kraemer to Sapporo under 
+81-11-717 41 89 (or mobile +81-9075147265).

The Russian member of the Duma Oleg Shein supports Dr. Kraemer after the 
incidents of FSB torture, please contact his assistant Andrej Demidov in 
Moscow under +7-495-6928906 (or mobile +7-926-2379977).

* More about detention last week and beating up in Russia: 
http://gipfelsoli.org/Repression/Hokkaido_2008/4816.html