August 14, 2000

 

Press Release

 

 

What: Celebration for the Proclamation of Day of Peace in the Pacific by the B.C. Government in Commemoration of the 55th Anniversary of the End of WW II in Asia

 

Officiating Guests:

Honourable Ujjal Dosanjh, Premier of British Columbia;

Honourable Sue Hammell, Minister of Multiculturalism and Immigration; and  Honourable Jenny Kwan, Minister of Community Development, Cooperatives and Volunteers    

Participating Organizations:

·        Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans in Canada, Pacific Unit 280

·        Burma Star Association

·        Canadian Hong Kong Veterans Association of B.C.

·        Chinese Veterans Association in Victoria

·        Chinese Military Museum of Vancouver Chinese Cultural Centre

·        Philippines War Veterans & Servicemen Society of B.C.

·        August 15, 1945 Foundation (Dutch)

·        Canadian Jewish Congress

·        Japanese Canadian Citizens Association, Human Rights Committee

·        Korean Women's Association of Western Canada         

·        Rwanda Association of B.C.           

·        Vancouver Forum Against Human Rights Violation in Indonesia      

·        B.C. Association for Learning & Preserving the History of WW II in Asia

 

 

When: August 15, 2000 (Tuesday)  11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon

 

Where: Alma VanDusen Room (LL Floor) of the Vancouver Public Library (Central Branch), 350 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

 

 

A recent proclamation by the BC government has made August 15, 2000 the "Day of  Peace in the Pacific". It is the day that World War II in Asia ended 55 years ago and the day that millions of victims and survivors of Japanese aggression, occupation and torture were given the freedom to count their losses and their dead.

 

The proclamation remembers with honour the contributions and sacrifices of those Canadians who served in the Second World War in Asia and to commemorate survivors and those who perished.  This day, above all, serves as hopeful commemoration of the need for reconciliation between the Japanese government and those victims who continue today to seek a formal apology and compensation from the Japanese parliament - an apology that will begin the road towards healing, and which will finally bring an end to the mistrust that permeates the life of many Pacific nations and peoples. And this day will also serve to remind people of the dangers of racial supremacy and the pains of war.

 

In commemoration of this day, B.C. Association for Learning & Preserving the History of WWII in Asia (ALPHA) is to organize a gathering of Canadian veterans who had served in World War II in the Pacific theater and representatives of different ethnic organizations that are concerned about peace, humanity and justice issues in the Pacific to celebrate together the "Day of Peace in the Pacific".

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