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."

Canada ALPHA, Human Rights Committee of Greater Vancouver Japanese Canadian Citizens Association, and Canadian Jewish Congress (Pacific Region) launched the Signature Campaign for War Crime Victims in Support of Their Just Request for Compensation from the Japanese Government.  The group of Japanese lawyers, representing the victims of Nanking Massacre, Unit 731 (Germ Warfare Squad) and Indiscriminate Bombing in their compensation lawsuit against the Japanese government, had been seeking for international support.  Demonstration of international concern to such war crime compensation lawsuits would give pressure on Japan to face its responsibility for the crimes against humanity committed by the Japanese military before and during World War II.  In six weeks’ time, over 3000 signatures were collected in B.C. The chief counsel of the lawsuit presented these signatures to the court.

January 1999

B.C. ALPHA supported “Perspectives” & “U-Voice” (bilingual student newspapers of University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University respectively) to organize photo exhibition and survivor’s testimony regarding Asian Holocaust in their university campus.  The events were well attended.

March 1999

Canada ALPHA assisted and supported student organizations of Queen’s University and McGill University to organize photo exhibitions on Asian Holocaust from 8 - 11 March and from 29 - 30 March respectively.  The response was encouraging, some professors of social and political sciences would consider include this topic into their curricula.

March 16 - 22, 1999

B.C. ALPHA supported the Newfoundland-Labrador Human Rights Association in conjunction with other members of the Committee for March 21^st to organize a photo exhibition on “Inhumanity: When Intolerance Runs Rampant” at Memorial University, St. John. The three sets of exhibits supplied by ALPHA were: 

·         the “Rape of Nanking” - the invasion and destruction of Nanking city and its populace by the Japanese Imperialist Army

·         Unit 731, the “medical experimentation unit” of the Japanese Imperial Army who used living human beings as guinea pigs in their medical experiments.  Unit 731 also developed biological & chemical warfare weapons.

·         “comfort women” - the plight of women captured from occupied territory by the Japanese Imperial Army and forced to endure horrendous sexual abuse as sex slaves for the Japanese military.

It had approximately 1100 visitors in 4 days.  In a number of instances professors returned with their class. Many visitors remarked that they previously had no idea of the extent of the horrors suffered by the victims of the Japanese Imperial Army. There were many responses to this event, and they were strong.  The overall reaction, however, was one of interest and support for what the organizer was attempting to do.  It was successful in attracting a lot of media attention, a lot of visitors and, in the larger sense, was successful in achieving the aim of this event: Educate the public on the dangers of intolerance, racism and hatred.

March 19, 1999

"A Glimpse of Reconciliation - Confession of a Unit 731 Soldier & Photo Exhibition on Japan's Germ Warfare in WW II", the joint project by B.C. ALPHA and the JCCA Human Rights Committee received the 1999 End Racism Award from the BC Ministry of Multiculturalism.. On behalf of organizations supporting the project, Ms. Thekla Lit, President of BC ALPHA remarked at the End Racism Awards giving ceremony "... an educational and humanity approach is important in the process to heal wounds of history and to seek reconciliation. This approach is particularly meaningful in the light that the Japanese government has been reluctant to apologize and accept responsibility for the crimes against humanity committed by its Imperial Army."  

April  - November 1999

Canada ALPHA launched a Campaign to Support the Recognition of Crime Against Humanity Act.  Mr. Sarkis Assadourain, M.P., (Liberal Party, Brampton Centre) first introduced Bill C-479 in the House of Common during the 1^st Session of the 36^th Parliament. (The number of Bill was later changed to C-224 because the House prorogued and began a new session.) This Act was cited as the Recognition of Crimes Against Humanity Act. The purpose of the Bill was to mandate the establishment of an exhibit in the Canadian Museum of Civilization to recognize the crimes against humanity, as defined by the United Nations, that was perpetrated during the twentieth century.   Canada ALPHA was in full support of this Bill and strongly believed that the proposed humanity education exhibit should include "Exhibits on the systematic and organized atrocities and crimes against humanity committed by the Japanese military machine throughout Asia before and during WW II."   100,000 printed postcards as well as electronic postcards were sent by the general public to Members of the Canadian Parliament to petition their support for this Bill. The postcards were historical photos of the atrocities committed by the Japanese Imperial Army during 1931-1945.    On November 30, 1999 there was an unanimous consent of the House of Common to refer the subject matter of Bill C-224, the Recognition of Crimes Against Humanity Act, to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage for review and report no later than June 15, 2000.  

December 10 –12, 1999

The International Citizens' Forum (ICF) on War Crimes and Redress – Seeking Reconciliation and Peace for the 21^st Century, held in Tokyo on December 10-12, 1999, was organized under the initiative of the Japan Organizing Committee (JOC).  The Committee represented many groups of  Japanese attorneys, scholars, doctors, and activists who are in support of victims’ redress movement in Japan.  Global Alliance for Preserving the History of WW II in Asia (GA) joined the JOC initiative as the Forum’s co-organizer.  Other supporting organizations to this landmark Forum included World Jewish Congress, Canadian Jewish Congress, and Teachers’ Federations from Hong Kong and Taiwan.  President of B.C. ALPHA was appointed to represent GA to formulate and organize ICF together with JOC.  There were some 80 delegates from the United States, Canada, Germany, the Philippines, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China, and an attendance of over 1,000 Japanese citizens at this three-day event.  International support and concern of the redress movement for victims of Japanese atrocities as expressed in ICF was enormous.  It brought great encouragement to the Japanese groups who have been fighting hard against deniers of the atrocities and ultra-nationalists in Japan. ICF also provided an important opportunity for scholars, lawyers and activists who supported the redress movement to network with and support each other.  ICF was concluded with the adoption of the "Tokyo Appeal" which called upon the Japanese government to accept wartime responsibility, and to offer unequivocal official apology and meaningful compensations to its victims.    (For more details of ICF, please go to B.C. ALPHA’s website.)  

December 10, 1999

The Newfoundland-Labrador Human Rights Association (NLHRA) hosted the “Human Rights Fair" at St. John's City Hall on December 10th, 1999 (International Human Rights Day).   There were over thirty participating organizations and well over 500 visitors.  With the support of B.C. ALPHA, NLHRA displayed the exhibit on Pacific War in Stamps and Japanese Atrocities.  The exhibition panels supplied by ALPHA were well received.   

January 15 – 28, 2000

B.C. ALPHA sponsored “In Light of the Truth – Photo Exhibition & Open Forum”.  This was a 2-week event organized by Perspectives and UVoice (bilingual student newspapers of UBC and SFU).  The event was kicked off on January 15 with video documentary screening on “The Rape of Nanking”  followed by an Open Forum at Fletcher Challenge Theatre, SFU Harbour Center.  “The Rape of Nanking” was produced in 1999 for History Channel by Mr. Lou Reda who was an American documentary producer and had made a number of award-winning documentaries.  Speakers of the Open Forum were: John Price - History Professor of the University of Victoria, Tatsuo Kage - Member of Human Rights Committee of Greater Vancouver Japanese Canadian Citizens' Association and Thekla Lit - Co-chair of Canada Association for Learning & Preserving the History of WW II in Asia (ALPHA) & President of B.C. ALPHA.  Gabriel Yiu, current affairs commentator and regular contributor to Vancouver Sun was the moderator.  The objective of this event was to “promote humanity, justice and racial harmony”.  Through facilitating the public to learn and reflect on the humanity aspects of WW II in Asia, it was hope that atrocious chapters of history would not be repeated, and that there would be no more denial of war crime responsibility among mankind.  

February 14 - 18, 2000

Canada ALPHA supported The Empress, (bilingual newspaper of Queen’s University) to organize an on campus photo exhibition on Unit 731 – Biological and Germ Warfare of Japan.  The event was well attended and supported by other ethnic student groups of the University.  

February 2000

B.C. Ministry of Education invited B.C. ALPHA to work in partnership to develop a learning resource dealing with humanity and justice in the context of World War II in Asia together with teachers recommended by BC Teachers’ Federation.  The learning resource would address the Prescribed Learning Outcomes contained in the Social Studies 11 curriculum and it would be distributed to all secondary schools in British Columbia.

May 22 - 26, 2000   

Canada ALPHA supported the Foundation of Japanese Honorary Debts (JES) to organize a photo exhibition in the Hague during the period of the Japanese Emperor’s state visit to Holland. JES is a Dutch organization working on the redress for survivors of the Japanese atrocities committed in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) during World War II.  The exhibition panels were on loan from B.C. ALPHA and the purpose of the exhibition is to educate people about humanity and justice in regard to Nanking Massacre, Unit 731 – Biological and Germ Warfare of Japan, Japanese Military Sexual Slavery and the Pacific War.  Co-chair of Canada ALPHA together with President of the Global Alliance for Preserving the History of WW II in Asia were invited by JES to attend the press conference held on May 22 in the Hague to show support to the redress for the Dutch victims and to report to the media about the recent development of the redress work worldwide.  The exhibition will later be displayed in another city, Roden of Holland in July.

June 8, 2000

Canada ALPHA was invited to attend the hearing session of the Canadian Heritage Standing Committee at Ottawa in pursuant to the Order of Reference of the House of Common of November 30, 1999 to study the subject-matter of Bill C-224 (previously called Bill C-479), an Act to establish at the beginning of the Twenty-first century an exhibit in the Canadian Museum of Civilization to recognize crimes against humanity perpetrated during the twentieth century.  Besides ALPHA representative, the hearing included other 6 witnesses representing Ukrainian, Armenian, Rwandans, Muslim and Arab ethnic community organizations.  President of B.C. chapter representing ALPHA shared the reflection on this subject-matter and expressed strong support for the proposed exhibit which should include crimes against humanity committed by the Japanese imperial forces before and during WW II in Asia.

August 15, 2000

Mr. Ujjal Dosanjh, the Premier of British Columbia proclaimed this day as “Day of Peace in the Pacific” in a celebration ceremony organized by B.C. ALPHA.  The ceremony was also attended by Ms. Sue Hammell, B.C Minister of Multiculturism & Immigration and Ms. Jenny Kwan, Minister of Community Development, Cooperatives & Volunteers. Representatives from different ethnic communities and WWII veterans organizations participated in lighting the “Candle of Hope for Peace”.  They include:-

·         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

·         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

November 4, 2000

B.C. ALPHA co-presented the screening of the history documentary “Nanjing Nightmares” at the 4^th annual Vancouver Asian Film Festival.  The documentary tells the disturbing story of Japanese invasion of Nanjing in 1937 and follows the history of the Wang family now residing in Calgary.  This family was forever scarred by this dark episode in history. The documentary was directed by a Chinese Canadian director, Guo Fangfang and filmed in Canada and China.

November 10-12, 2000

B.C. ALPHA assisted in the organizing of the 4^th Biennial Conference of Global Alliance for Preserving the History of WW II in Asia held in Washington, DC. It was attended by more than 70 delegates and speakers of different ethnic origins coming from all over the world.

November 18, 2000

Representative of B.C. ALPHA made a presentation at the workshop “From Racism to Justice and Global Citizenship” of ERA 21. End Racism! Activism for the 21st Century (ERA 21) was a 3-day international forum held in Vancouver to sharpen the tools for anti-racism practice in the 21st century. B.C. ALPHA shared its belief that anti-racism and humanity education in schools needs to include lessons from tragic events against humanity that happened in Asia during the Asia-Pacific War (1931-1945).

December 8-12, 2000

Representative of B.C. ALPHA attended the Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal on Japan’s Military Sexual Slavery held in Tokyo, Japan (http://www.jca.apc.org/vaww-net-japan/en/Dec2000/tribunal.html). The objective of the Tribunal is to restore justice, human rights and dignity to all the victimized women and to end the cycle of impunity for violence against women in wartime and armed conflict situations. One of the Chief Prosecutors of the Tribunal was Patricia Viseur-Sellers (Legal Adviser, International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and until recently the Rwanda Tribunal). Judges of the Tribunal included Gabrielle Kirk McDonald (Former President of the Yugoslavia War Crimes Tribunal) and Carmen Maria Argibay (President of the International Association of Women Judges). There were testimonies by expert witnesses and survivors.

(If you need further information about Canada ALPHA or like to be a volunteer, please contact us at 604-439-7738)