1997 to 1998 Report on B.C. ALPHA's
Activities
B.C. Association for Learning &
Preserving the History of WW II in Asia (ALPHA)
was established in January 1997. The
three chapters of ALPHA in BC, Toronto and Calgary joined force to form Canada ALPHA In June 1997.
Our
mission is to promote humanity education and racial harmony.
In cooperation with other ethnic groups, including the Japanese Canadian
community, ALPHA organizes or participates in events that facilitate the public
to learn and reflect on the humanity aspects of WW II in Asia. We agree with
Harvard philosopher George Santayana's belief: "Those
who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
For better
understanding of ALPHA's mission, some of our works are highlighted below.
February 22, 1997
A multicultural
seminar "Crying for Justice"
was organized to seek reconciliation and understanding among ethnic who were
victimized by the Japanese Military in WW II. Representatives from the Japanese,
Chinese, Korean, Dutch and Jewish communities took part to soothe the
unhealed wound of history.
March 20-21, 1997
Representatives from ALPHA joined the Canadian
delegation organized by the Canadian Jewish Congress to participate in the program
for International Day of Anti-Racism in Washington DC.
Discussion with Special Investigation Unit of the US Justice Department on the watch-list
of Japanese war criminals was held.
March 22, 1997 Participated
in the "Forum on Building Bridges"
organized by the National Association of Japanese Canadian (NAJC).
ALPHA representative was invited to speak about the Asian
Holocaust and the long overdue redress for its victims to the members and
board of NAJC.
May- August 1997 A
Support Letter
Campaign was jointly organized by Canada ALPHA, the Human Rights Committee of the
National Association of Japanese Canadians, the Korean Women's Association of
Western Canada, the August 15, 1945 Foundation (Dutch), the Philippine War
Veterans & Ex-Servicemen Society of B.C. and the Canadian Jewish Congress
to support a Japanese
professor, Sabaro Ienaga who had been suing the Japanese government of
distorting and concealing historical facts in his history textbooks. More
than 10,000 support letters were collected across Canada and sent to
the Japanese government. A ruling was
given by the Japanese supreme court that the censoring of the facts of Unit 731
in the history textbook of Professor Ienaga by the Japanese Ministry of
Education was illegal.
August 2, 1997 Jointly
organized with the Japanese Canadian Citizens Association Human Rights Committee
to present "The
Asian Holocaust" in the Vancouver Japanese Festival --- Powell
Street Festival.
October 3, 1997 Together
with the other four ethnic organizations, the
Human Rights Committee of the National Association of Japanese Canadians, the
Korean Women's Association of Western Canada, the August 15, 1945 Foundation
(Dutch), and the Philippine War Veterans & Ex-Servicemen Society of B.C., a
joint presentation on the importance of learning lessons of humanity from WW II
in Asia and introduction of resources materials were made to educators attending
the Anti-Racism
Workshop organized by the B.C. Teachers Federation.
December
8-10, 1997 A book
reading/signing session was held in the Vancouver Library, Central
Branch
for
the new book, The
Rape of Nanking - The Forgotten Holocaust of WW II, by
Iris Chang. The book
has made various
bestseller lists including New
York Times for 5 months.
December 12-13, 1997 In
commemoration
of the 60th anniversary of the Nanking Massacre and to promote the
message of reconciliation, a multimedia
show "Unhealed Wound of History"
was successfully presented with the help and support of over a hundred local
artists and celebrities. More
than 1300 audience attended this event.
April 10, 1998
In cooperation with National Association of
Japanese Canadians, a presentation on the proposal of incorporating humanity
aspects of WW II in Asia into the social studies curriculum was made in the "Beyond
Multiculturalism" workshop
organized by the
National Association of Asia-Pacific American
Education and the National Association of Asia-Pacific Canadian Education.
July
3 - 9, 1998 As one of the 5
participating member organizations of the North American Witnessing and
Exhibition Event,
"A Glimpse
of Reconciliation - Confession of a Unit 731 Soldier 7 Photo Exhibition on
Japan's Germ Warfare in WW II" was organized. The event was co-organized
by the Human Rights Committee of the Greater Vancouver Japanese Canadian
Citizens Association, and sponsored by the Korean
Women's Association of Western Canada, the August 15, 1945 Foundation (Dutch),
the Philippine War Veterans & Ex-Servicemen Society of B.C. and the Canadian
Jewish Congress (Pacific Region). A total of 14
delegates from Japan including lawyers for the lawsuit of the Unit 731 victims,
medical doctors, scholars, a former Japanese Imperial Army medical doctor, a
representative of the Unit 731 victims, and an activist in Unit 731 and Poison
Gas Exhibition in Japan, attended
the Opening & Witnessing Forum of the event on July 4. The exhibits show
nature of the atrocities committed by the Japanese Imperial Army during and
before WW II, the extent of Japanese invasion, the background for the rise of
Japanese Militarism and the ongoing denials of history by revisionists in Japan.
Visitors who view the exhibits with their hearts can feel the pains, sorrows and
injustice suffered by the victims. The exhibits are grouped under 5 sections,
namely: "Germ Warfare Squad Unit 731"; "Military Sexual
Slavery"; "Nanking Massacre"; "Pacific War in Stamps"
and "Japanese Militarism Now and Then".
October 16 - 18, 1998
Assisted in organizing and attended the 3rd
Biennial Conference of Global Alliance for Preserving the History of WW II in
Asia held in Toronto. The theme of the conference was Humanity
Education and International Justice. It was attended by more than 100
people of different ethnic background from all over the world.
(If
you need further information about B.C. ALPHA or like to be a volunteer, please
contact us at 604-439-7738)