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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."
January - March 2001 B.C. ALPHA was one of the organizers for the worldwide Nomination of Professor Saburo IENEGA for the 2001 Nobel Peace Price (http://www.alpha-canada.org/ienega/letter.htm). For 35 years, this distinguished historian and educator challenged the Japanese government in court on their censorship of history textbooks authored by him. The wars of invasion and atrocities committed by the Japanese soldiers and government during the Asia-Pacific War and earlier have been documented by research. Yet, the authorities have censored history textbooks by deleting or whitewashing references to these invasions and atrocities. Professor Ienaga has dedicated his life to the mission that Japanese young people are able to learn the truth about their own country's recent history and to learn lessons of humanity from it. He has fought for the rights of scholars, particularly those who author textbooks, to honestly record truths about the period they are describing. 251 distinguished professors of history, law, philosophy and political science, and also 19 members of national parliaments nominated Prof Ienaga. Amongst them were Canadian MPs from different political parties, namely Hon. David Anderson, Ms. Libby Davies, Mr. Stan Dromisky, Mr. Derek Lee, Mrs. Sophia Leung, Mr. Stephen Owen, Mr. Joe Peschisolido, and Mr. Svend Robinson. On March 7, 2001, a press conference was organized by B.C. ALPHA to report on this worldwide nomination of Professor Ienaga in Canada. The speakers present were as follows:-
March 10, 2001 Exhibition panels on Sexual Slavery of the Japanese Imperial Army were setup at the International Women’s Day Education Fair in Vancouver. The exhibits aim to educate the public about this chapter of history in the Asia-Pacific War and the importance of ending the cycle of impunity for violence against women in wartime and armed conflict situations. April 11, 2001 The Launching of of the learning resource for Social Studies 11, History 12 and Law 12 “Human Rights in the Asia Pacific 1931-1945: Social Responsibility and Global Citizenship” was held at Templeton Secondary School. Ms. Joy MacPhail, Minister of Education; Ms. Jenny Kwan, Minister of Community Development, Cooperatives & Volunteers; a teacher representative of the writing team and the president of B.C. ALPHA introduced the learning resource. In February 2000, B.C. ALPHA was invited by B.C. Ministry of Education to work in partnership to develop this learning resource together with 2 historians (Prof. John Price, History Department of University of Victoria and Mr. Tatsuo Kage, Greater Vancouver Japanese Canadian Citizens' Association Human Rights Committee) and teachers recommended by BC Teachers’ Federation. This resource aims to develop students to become responsible global citizens, with understanding of human dignity, human rights values, and see the world with compassion and sense of justice. It contains materials which help students to gain understanding of the human rights violations during the Asia-Pacific War. It also gives students the opportunities to critically reflect on the events and make reasoned judgments. It encourages them to apply the knowledge and skills learned to current issues that affect their lives and to make a better future for the world. It is believed that such kind of education is going to prevent the atrocities of the past from happening again. The learning resource would be distributed to every secondary school in B.C. in June 2001 and would have a French version available in the near future. April 11, 2001 March – April, 2001 B.C. ALPHA coordinated the nomination of the three conveners of the Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal on Japan’s Military Sexual Slavery (Ms. Yayori Matsui, Professor Yun Chung-Ok and Ms. Indai Lourdes Sajor) for the 2001 John Humphrey Freedom Award. Rights & Democracy (International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development) presents the John Humphrey Freedom Award each year to a non-governmental organization or an individual for exceptional achievement in the defense or promotion of human rights and/or democratic development. The Award consists of a grant of $25,000 as well as a speaking tour of Canadian cities to help increase awareness of the recipient’s human rights work. It is named in honour of the Canadian John Peters Humphrey, the human rights law professor who prepared the first draft of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Twenty-seven renowned human rights activists and scholars joined the nomination.
Sept 6-9, 2001 At the 50th Anniversary of the San Francisco Peace Treaty, BC ALPHA supported Global Alliance for Preserving the History of WW II in Asia. (GA) in creating a web site on “San Francisco Peace Treaty: An Unjust Treaty” (www.global-alliance.net). To protest against the celebration of 50th Anniversary of the San Francisco Peace Treaty organized by the US-Japan 21st Century Project and The Japan Society of Northern California Representatives, a series of events organized were organized in San Francisco area by GA and its affiliate organizations. Representatives from BC ALPHA actively participated in these events together with an estimated 20,000 San Francisco. President of BC ALPHA convened workshop at the international conference "50 Years of Denial: Japan and it's Wartime Responsibilities” hosted by the University of California Berkeley Asian American Studies Department and organized by Rape of Nanking Redress Coalition (RNRC), an affiliate of GA. October 4, 2001 BC ALPHA in cooperation with Rick Beardsley, social studies teacher and a writing team member of the learning resource “Human Rights in the Asia Pacific 1931-1945: Social Responsibility and Global Citizenship” organized a workshop to introduce the resource to Richmond teachers on 4 October at Cambie Secondary School. In support of the workshop, the Richmond School District offered copies (up to 35) of the Resource for each school that has a representative at the workshop. October 18, 2001 President of BC ALHPA was invited to speak on the learning resource “Human Rights in the Asia Pacific 1931-1945: Social Responsibility and Global Citizenship” at Macalester College in Minnesota for students and faculties. October 19-21, 2001 Social Studies Provincial Conference was held in Nainamo, BC from Oct 19 - 20, 2001. A workshop on the learning resource “Human Rights in the Asia Pacific 1931-1945: Social Responsibility and Global Citizenship” was held during the conference. BC ALPHA supported Graeme Stacey, social studies teacher and a writing team member of the learning resource to organize the workshop. October 19-21, 2001 President of BC ALHPA was invited to speak on the International Symposium on Asian Tragedies of World War II sponsored by the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of Minnesota on October 19-20, 2001. This Symposium aimed at introducing World War II in Asia and its postwar remembrance to the main stream audience and teachers of the Holocaust and genocide studies in the United States. The symposium also featured a the “First U.S. Teachers' Institute on the History and Memory of East Asia in World War II”. The Institute geared for educators at all grade levels and aimed at providing new insights and tools for teaching the history of East Asia. President of BC ALHPA spoke on the learning resource “Human Rights in the Asia Pacific 1931-1945: Social Responsibility and Global Citizenship” December 15 & 16, 2001 BC ALPHA actively supported the Hong Kong Coalition for Preserving the History of WWII in Asia in organizing the “Witnessing Forum on Japanese Atrocities in the Asia-Pacific War” on 15 & 16 December 2001 at the City University of Hong Kong. The co-organisers were Contemporary China Research Project, City University of Hong Kong, Asian Human Rights Commission and the Chinese History Education Society. GA was the sponsor. President of BC ALHPA introduced the learning resource “Human Rights in the Asia Pacific 1931-1945: Social Responsibility and Global Citizenship” at the Education Workshop of the Forum. She also helped to arrange survivors and speakers of the Forum to share their experience at 9 secondary schools, they were very well received by over 2,500 student. January 18, 2002BC ALPHA supported the public seminar on “Comfort Women of World War II: Their Suffering Must Not Be Forgotten” sponsored by The Centre for Korean Research at the University of British Columbia on January 18, 2002 at the Asian Studies Center of UBC. The other supporters were the UBC Program in Women's Studies and the Canada Asia Pacific Resource Network.The 3 speakers were Sylvia Yu, a Korean Canadian journalist from CHTV in Victoria who talked about "The History of the 'Comfort Women' and Impact on Canadian Society" and 2 scholars from Japan visiting UBC. Etsuro Totsuka, a Japanese law professor and activist reported on "The NGO's Legal Efforts to Obtain Redress and Compensation for Former Comfort Women”. Young-Ae Yamashita from Ritsumeikan University in Japan discussed "The Re-discovery of the Comfort Women Issue in Korea". A video documentary on testimonies made by former military sex slaves (“comfort women”) at Women’s International War Crime Tribunal on Japan’s Military Sexual Slavery held in Tokyo 2000 was presented at the event. May 16, 2002 B.C. ALPHA together with Uvoice (the SFU’s Bilingual Chinese Newspaper), Canada Asia Pacific Resource Network (CAPRN), the Greater Vancouver Japanese Canadian Citizens’ Association Human Rights Committee and the Vancouver “Hanin” Korean Development Society jointly sponsored AN ASIAN HERITAGE MONTH EVENT, “HISTORY, REDRESS AND RECONCILIATION”. The event was held on May 16 (Thursday) from 7-9 p.m at the Simon Fraser University Habourside Centre Campus. It began with a video documentary on testimonies made by former military sex slaves (“comfort women”) at Women’s International War Crime Tribunal on Japan’s Military Sexual Slavery held in Tokyo 2000. Four representatives from the Chinese, Dutch, Japanese and Korean communities then discussed how various issues arising out of the Asia Pacific War are still impacting their relations with one another. Panelists include Tatsuo Kage, Greater Vancouver Japanese Canadian Citizens' Association Human Rights Committee; Thekla Lit, president of B.C. Association for Learning & Preserving the History of WW II in Asia (ALPHA); Marius Van Nooten, former slave labourer in a Japanese concentration camp; Sang Hoon Park, former South Korean colonel. The panel was moderated by Jenny Kwan, MLA of Mount Pleasant June 8, 2002 Chinese Canadian National Council organized the World Conference Against Racism Post Conference in Canada: “Our Voices, Our Strategies: Asian Canadians Against Racism” in University of British Columbia from June 7-9, 2002. President of of B.C. ALHPA was invited to speak on the Workshop on “Redress for historical injustices” on June 8, 2002. Other speakers in the workshop were Prof. Roy Miki of Simon Fraser University and Hayato Nakamura of the International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism from Japan. August 8, 2002 Sponsored the Vancouver Premiere of "Yesterday is Now - the war, 55 years after Japan's surrender" (Canada 2002, documentary video, 96 minutes, English and Japanese with English subtitles) held at Pacific Cinematheque. This documentary is supported by the National Film Board of Canada-Filmmaker Assistance Program and Canada ALPHA. Yesterday is Now explores the divisions in today’s Japanese society as it struggles with the question of how to consider the war and Japan’s responsibility for the crimes it committed during its occupation of neighbouring Asian countries between 1895-1945. These crimes include sexual slavery, slave labour, the use of humans in biological warfare experiments, and the massacres of civilians. (If you need further information about Canada ALPHA or like to be a volunteer, please contact us at 604-439-7738) |