KOH TAO, Thailand (5 May 2008) — Canadian marine archaeologist Rob Rondeau has asked the Government of Thailand to crack down on scuba divers who loot important historical shipwrecks in the Kingdom. In a letter to Consul General Kosit Chatpaiboon, of the Royal Thai Consulate General in Vancouver, Rondeau asked that Thailand declare several archaeologically important shipwreck sites in the Gulf of Thailand off-limits to recreational divers. And, he wants a charter boat company, based from the resort island of Koh Tao, investigated for looting and violating international maritime law. Rondeau learned last week that a group of New Jersey tourists recently chartered the company's boat, the MV Trident, to take them to the wreck of the notorious Japanese "hell ship," the Tottori Maru. Dive celebrity Richie Kohler, co-host of the popular t.v. series Deep Sea Detectives, lead the dive trip. The group is reported to have taken numerous artifacts from the wreck, including one of the ship's telegraphs. On October 8th, 1942, approximately 2,000 American prisoners of war (POWs) were taken aboard the Tottori Maru in the Philippines. From there, the ship traveled to Korea, picking up more Allied POWs at different ports along the way. Some were off-loaded at the city of Pusan and shipped by train to Manchuri, where they were interred at the infamous Mukden concentration camp. It included "Unit 731," where deadly medical experiments were peformed on Allied POWs. The rest were sent to Osaka, Japan. Few of the original 2,000 POWs who went aboard survived the war. The Tottori Maru was sunk by the US submarine Hammerhead near Koh Samui, Thailand, on May 15th, 1945. Fortunately, it was not transporting POWs at the time. The freighter had been taken over by the Japanese Imperial Navy at the beginning of the war. Under the terms of the International Law of the Sea Convention, it remains classified as a military war ship. As such, everything aboard the ship still belongs to its flag country, Japan. "Technically, divers are stealing property that belongs to Japan. They certainly didn't ask that government, or Thailand's, for permission to dive, and take things from, it," Rondeau said in his letter to Chatpaiboon. And, in March the MV Trident is known to have visited an unidentified WWII-era shipwreck (believed to also be Japanese), this time in nearby Cambodian waters. More artifacts are known to have been recovered from it by Trident divers, according to the company's own website. Cambodia is a signatory member of the United Nation's UNESCO Convention of the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (2001). It calls for the in situ preservation of shipwrecks and prohibits their commercial exploitation. Rondeau is most concerned by the attitude of the charter boat's operators. "They openly acknowledge that they are stealing artifacts." A report posted on the company's website states, "artifacts recovery on this trip was very precise, most of the divers flew in from overseas, so "small was best" and prize items were tiny sake cups and Noritake porcelain." And, Rondeau is concerned that the MV Trident is taking things from another important WWII wreck, the USS Lagarto. In addition to being a source of artifacts, it's also a war grave; containing the remains of the American submarine's 86-man crew. It was discovered by the MV Trident in 2005. "They say they're not (taking artifacts), but anecdotal evidence says otherwise. And, given their recent actions (and attitude) it's difficult to imagine that they're not!" The US Navy has stated emphatically that it doesn't want the wreck disturbed. "The only way to do that is to restrict access to the site. And, that's up to the Thais!" Rondeau has also forwarded a copy of his letter to Cambodia's embassy in Washington DC. And, he's written to Admiral Robert F. Willard, Commander of the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet based at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, advising him of the problem. Stolen Goods Artifacts from historically important shipwrecks like the Tottori Maru belong in a museum and not a New Jersey basement or on a fireplace mantle, says Rondeau. "They don't belong to only those who have the ability to dive down and retrieve them. They are pieces of time and part of a story that shouldn't be forgotten. They belong in a museum where everyone can appreciate them." Artifacts mean Business Likewise, other scuba diving destinations have learned that every artifact removed by a diver is one less for the next to see. At Truk Lagoon, in Micronesia, scuba divers explore WWII Japanese shipwrecks. The site attracts thousands every year and is the mainstay of the local economy. Diving tourists caught with artifacts taken from Truk's shipwrecks receive substantial fines and risk going to jail. Instead of allowing what amounts to modern-day piracy, Thailand would be wise to capitalize on this unique opportunity - turning its WWII shipwrecks into an economic resource, as well as a cultural one, Rondeau says. | | A renowned marine archaeologist has accused TV scuba diving celebrity Richie Kohler (pictured above) of stealing artifacts from a WWII shipwreck and looting a war grave. According to marine archaeologist Rob Rondeau, the owners of the Koh Tao-based MV Trident are boasting about how much beer they drank and how many artifacts they managed to steal while looting the 'Tottori Maru', a Japanese war wreck. "Clearly, tourists from around the world will pay big money to dive Thailand's shipwrecks. The thing is to make sure that they don't destroy them!" I really feel that this is about a few rotten apples making it bad for everyone else. If divers aren't prepared to be responsible then government(s) should get tough with them! Hopefully, this will happen in this case, Rondeau notes. ProCom Diving Services is a world leader in providing marine archaeological services to both the public and private sectors. Rondeau is a marine archaeologist with over 20 years of experience. He is currently leading several marine archaeological expeditions in Scandinavia and other parts of the world. This October, he begins a project that will look for the wrecks of several Hell Ships in South East Asia. Rondeau also has a reputation for getting tough with wreck looters and treasure hunters. He's helped Canada's federal and provincial governments protect several important shipwrecks in that country, including the Empress of Ireland - its worst maritime disaster, and the Auguste, one of Canada's most important historic shipwrecks. SOURCE - Rob RondeauPartners in crime: Grave robbers Leigh Bishop and Brad Sheard. Following the lead of dive industry-endorsed shipwreck looters Bishop and Sheard, scuba diving thieves around the world are destroying historically and culturally significant wrecks for bragging rights, coffee table displays and internet auction profits that amount to a fraction of the revenue shipwrecks can generate as fully protected underwater museums.FROM THE EDITORS OF CDNN Scuba looters around the world aggressively compete for bragging rights, product endorsements and profits from the sales of stolen artifacts that are now on a par with those from smuggling humans and drugs. "The vast majority of the global scuba diving community opposes shipwreck looting and underwater grave robbing," said CDS President Evan T. Allard. "Shipwrecks are part of our historical and cultural heritage. For scuba divers, shipwrecks are fascinating underwater museums that must be fully protected for our children, our grandchildren and all future generations of divers who will dive deeper and longer thanks to ongoing improvements in diving technology ," Allard added. "It is absolutely imperative that the global scuba diving community, archaeologists, coast guards, police and tax authorities act now to prevent Leigh Bishop, Brad Sheard, David Morton (of the Boston Sea Rovers) and other shipwreck looters from exploiting and destroying sunken ships for their personal coffee table displays, internet self-promotion schemes, commercial 'museum' profits and tax-evasion scams." CYBER DIVER ALERT | If you have information pertaining to the theft and/or sale of wreck artifacts, or desecration of underwater grave sites by Leigh Bishop, Brad Sheard, organized crime gangs or anyone else, please contact CDNN immediately and your information will be passed along to appropriate authorities. REPORT SCUBA LOOTER |
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