Activists Face Barriers in Return to Disputed Islands HONG KONG - A group of activists who triggered a confrontation between China and Japan by sailing to disputed islands on Aug. 15 revealed on Wednesday that their vessel was not seaworthy for a return to the islands and that they faced legal and financial barriers to repairing it. One question in the territorial dispute has been whether the activists here could raise tensions further by making another trip. Even without another trip by the activists, tensions between China and Japan remain high over the five uninhabited islands, which total a little over two square miles. Claimed by both countries, the islands are known as the Diaoyu in China and as the Senkaku in Japan. The pro-China activist group, the Action Committee for Defending the Diaoyu Islands, held a small protest on Wednesday near the base of Exchange Square, the downtown Hong Kong office complex that houses the Japanese consulate, the stock exchange and many businesses. The protest drew a large and watchful police contingent, but was peaceful. David Ko, a committee spokesman, said in an interview at the protest that the group's aging fishing vessel, the Kai Fung No. 2, had suffered hull and engine damage during its trip last month to the islands. He blamed Japanese Coast Guard vessels for colliding with the vessel while trying to prevent it from reaching the islands. The fishing boat's engine room partly filled with water after the impact, Mr. Ko said, and had to be pumped out before the vessel could return to Hong Kong. The activist group wants to sail the Kai Fung No. 2 across the Pearl River delta to an inexpensive repair yard in Zhuhai, China, because the group cannot afford the far higher cost of repairing the vessel in Hong Kong, Mr. Ko said. But Hong Kong marine authorities have barred even this 35-mile journey on the grounds that the vessel is unsafe, he said, adding that he suspected that the local government, possibly with Beijing's backing, did not want the vessel fixed for fear that the activist group might make another trip. The Marine Department had no immediate comment. Hong Kong police tried unsuccessfully to prevent the vessel from making the trip last month, saying that the vessel had not received permission to leave Hong Kong waters. But the activists locked entrances to the wheelhouse, cabin and engine room, preventing access by the police, who left just before the vessel entered international waters. The authorities had prevented a similar trip on Jan. 3, asserting then that it was a fishing boat and lacked regulatory approval for any other types of trips.