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".
___________________