April 2005 to June 2006 Report on BC ALPHA's Activities

4 May 2005    As a member organization of the British Columbia Committee Against Japan’s Bid for UN Security Council Permanent Seat organized and participated the May 4 Rally to oppose Japan's bid for permanent seat on UN Security Council and to protest Japan’s further whitewashing of its aggression and atrocities in their history textbooks. http://www.alpha-canada.org/petition/

18 May 2005   Issued the Multi-Ethnic Joint Position on the Recent Tension in East Asia - For Redress, Reconciliation and Peace in the Asia-Pacific to urge the Canadian government to support redress for victims of WWII in Asia and to take action to assure Canadians have an equal opportunity to learn lessons from World War II in Asia as well as in Europe. http://www.alpha-canada.org/multiethnic

28 & 29 May 2005     A fundraiser film show “Go Home” was organized in support of the 2005 Peace & Reconciliation Study Tour to China for Canadian Teachers to be held from July 11 - 24. www.alpha-canada.org/StudyTour.

11 – 24 July 2005  The 2nd Peace & Reconciliation Study Tour to China for Canadian Teachers was jointed by a total of 29 delegates from both BC and Ontario.  Participants met with survivors of war crimes committed by Japanese Imperial Army, visited historical sites and attended seminars with scholars and lawyers supporting the redress movement.  They visited 4 cites including Shanghai, Yiwu, Nanjing and Beijing to explore issues on “comfort women”, germ warfare, Nanking Massacre and forced labour.  A video documentary on this Study Tour was also produced. http://www.alpha-canada.org/StudyTour/report.htm

10 August 2005  Commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the End of WWII in Asia cum Global Day of Action in Support of Redress for "Comfort Women" and other Asian Holocaust Victims was organized in front of the Japanese Consulate in Vancouver.  At this occasion, Vancouver City Council proclaimed August 15, 2005 as Day of Peace in the Pacific.  Representative from the 3 levels of governments also attended and addressed in this event. http://www.alpha-canada.org/commemoration

15 August 2005  President of BC ALPHA has been invited to be a guest of honor to speak at the Commemorative event for the 60th Anniversary of the End of WWII in Asia hosted by the Lieutenant Governor of BC at the Government House in Victoria.  http://www.ltgov.bc.ca/whatsnew/pg/60thAnniversary/050815_60anniv_photo01.htm

20 August – 23 September 2005 To commemoration the 60th Anniversary of the end of WWII in Asia, BC ALPHA was invited by the Chinese Consulate in Vancouver to co-host an exhibition on “Contribution of Overseas China to the War of Resistance to Japanese Invasion” held at the Chinese Cultural Centre in Vancouver and in Victoria.  Three seminars related to the themes were held on August 20 and 27 at the Vancouver Chinese Cultural Centre.

29 October 2005  Launching of the Oral History DVD, Witness To History: Canadian Survivors Of Wwii In Asia was held at the Vancouver City Council.  The documentary features the story of four Asian Holocaust survivors, namely Miriam, Tang Yongjiang, Tony Cowling and Marius van Dijk van Nooten.  Three of them were in their childhood at wartime and Tony was only 17 years old when he became a POW.  They witnessed and experienced the sufferings and horrors of war, particularly the impact of atrocities on women and children.  Length of each survivor’s testimony ranges from 21 to 31 minutes and each story was appropriately “chapterized” to allow teachers the versatility in classroom use.  There is also a 17 minute excerpt of testimony highlights available for teachers if they want to introduce briefly more than just one survivors’ experience to the class. This is a companion DVD for the learning resource, Human Rights in the Asia-Pacific 1931 – 1945: Social Responsibility and Global Citizenship jointly developed by BC Ministry of Education and BC ALPHA in 2001. http://www.alpha-canada.org/OralHistory  

17 February 2006  Organized a workshop and information table at the BC Social Studies Teachers’ Association Provincial Conference to introduce the learning resource, “Human Rights in the Asia-Pacific (1931- 1945): Social Responsibility and Global Citizenship” and the 2006 Peace & Reconciliation Study Tour to China for Canadian Teachers.

9 March 2006  Invited by Vancouver School Board to organizer a workshop to introduce the learning resource, “Human Rights in the Asia-Pacific (1931- 1945): Social Responsibility and Global Citizenship” and the 2006 Peace & Reconciliation Study Tour to China for Canadian Teachers.

13 & 21 May 2006  A fundraiser film show “King of Masks” was organized in support of the 2006 Peace & Reconciliation Study Tour to China for Canadian Teachers to be held from July 27 – August 9, 2006 www.alpha-canada.org/StudyTour.