×

News

President of East Timor holds dialogue with Hiroshima citizens in pursuit of nuclear abolition

by Yumi Kanazaki, Staff Writer

On March 19, a forum entitled "A Dialogue with President Ramos-Horta: Promoting Nuclear Abolition and Peace Building," organized by the Chugoku Shimbun, was held in the east wing of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. In the forum, residents of Hiroshima Prefecture and Hiroshima City interacted with José Ramos-Horta, 60, the president of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who was visiting Hiroshima.

In front of an audience of about 300, President Ramos-Horta discussed the themes of the elimination of nuclear weapons and peace building with two A-bomb survivors (hibakusha) and four university students who joined him on the stage. Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba and Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki also took part in the discussion as commentators.

When hibakusha Emiko Okada, 73, made the appeal that "Peace will not come to the world as long as nuclear weapons exist," Mr. Ramos-Horta responded that civilian power and democracy were the keys to security, not nuclear weapons. The president expressed his hope that Japan will play a leading role in advancing toward the abolition of nuclear weapons and requested that the Japanese government overcome historical distrust and build better relations with China and South Korea.

With regard to peace building, Mutsunori Aoyama, 23, a senior of the Faculty of Integrated Arts and Sciences at Hiroshima University, asked a question about the leadership needed to rebuild a nation after conflict. President Ramos-Horta said that it was vital to heal the hearts of the people and the rifts within society as well as hold an uplifting vision and be capable of communicating that vision.

Prior to the forum, the president delivered a keynote speech titled "Hiroshima: From the City of A Thousand Cranes to A World Without Nuclear Weapons And Poverty."

(Originally published on March 20, 2010)


President of East Timor tours Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum

by Sakiko Masuda, Staff Writer

José Ramos-Horta, the president of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is one of the signatories of the "Hiroshima-Nagasaki Declaration" calling for a world without nuclear weapons, a statement signed by 17 Nobel Peace Prize laureates and released by the Chugoku Shimbun last year. On March 19, President Ramos-Horta toured Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and listened to the account of an A-bomb survivor. The president also offered paper cranes to the Children's Peace Monument.

Guided by Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba, Mr. Ramos-Horta laid a flower wreath at the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims. He then toured Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. He gazed at the display featuring Sadako Sasaki, a girl who died from A-bomb-induced leukemia ten years after the bombing. The president also listened to the account of Shizuko Abe, 83, a resident of Kaita Town in Hiroshima Prefecture, who was, at the age of 18, exposed to the atomic bombing at a location 1.5 kilometers from the hypocenter while demolishing houses to create a fire lane. She spoke of the devastation at the time and her experience of suffering from keloids.

At a news conference, the president stressed that he hoped strong action toward nuclear non-proliferation would be taken in anticipation of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in May.

At a forum featuring a dialogue between President Ramos-Horta and residents of Hiroshima City and Hiroshima Prefecture, which began at 6 p.m. at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, the president introduced efforts for peace in East Timor, which has overcome conflict. He also stressed the importance of rising past bitterness and pursuing efforts over generations to realize peace.

(Originally published on March 20, 2010)

HIROSHIMA: From the City of A Thousand Cranes To A World Without Nuclear Weapons And Poverty
Speech by The Hon. J. Ramos-Horta
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate,
President, TIMOR-LESTE
In Hiroshima, Japan
March 19, 2010

Governor of Hiroshima, the Hon. Hidehiko Yuzaki,
Mayor Dr. Tadatoshi Akiba,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Before I address the topic of this meeting here, I wish to pay respects to the late Mr. Takahisa Kawakami, Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Security Sector Support and Rule of Law, who died on 15th March of natural causes while on duty in my country.

Mr. Kawakami, a citizen of Japan and of the world, was an outstanding and dedicated international civil servant who served with distinction in Cambodia and Afghanistan and before he took up his last post in Timor-Leste less than two years ago.

To his mourning widow and other family members, the UN family, and to the government and people of Japan I bow in respect and sympathy.

Japan has been in the forefront of the efforts deployed by the international community to assist Timor-Leste in the transition from the conflict of the past to a stable, peaceful, democratic and prosperous new country.

In this regard we are indebted to Japan for the support it has provide us since the December 1999 Tokyo Donors’ Conference, both through various multilateral agencies and through project support with the Government of Timor-Leste.

We share a tragic past. But we also share fundamental universal values of human rights - the sanctity of human life, individual freedoms and dignity, the right to life, freedom from fear and torture, the right to freedom of expression and worship.

These are values imbued in our beliefs as individuals and as a Nation. Our Constitution reflects these deep beliefs and consistent with the principles and provisions of our Constitution we ratified all seven major International Human Rights Conventions. And consistent with our deep belief in the sanctity of human life, our Constitution bans the Death Penalty and the maximum prison sentence is 25 years.

We have recovered from the 2006 crisis. Our people are now enjoying three years of peace and a robust economic recovery.

After years of stagnation or slow growth our economy registered a real 12.7% growth in 2008 and 14% growth in 2009.

Our economy will continue to grow in 2010 driven by public and private sector investments in individual homes, small business, family agriculture, and large public investments in the power sector and roads. Expenditure on education and health remains very high. Our finances are sound, with the highest surplus as percentage in the world of GDP, and we continue to manage our modest resources with prudence.

Timor-Leste enjoys strong ties of friendship and cooperation with all our neighbors and other countries, from Asia to Africa, Latin America and Europe.

With Indonesia we have walked away from our tragic past, honoring our dead, healing the wounds of the surviving victims, and forging a stronger relationship.

Timor-Leste is increasingly integrated in our immediate region. We are working towards joining ASEAN in the next few years and we believe that a stable, peaceful, democratic and prosperous Timor-Leste will be beneficial to ASEAN and we believe that further integration in the region will help accelerate our economic development and wellbeing.

Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me turn now to the theme of today’s dialogue. The history of World War II, the worst calamity ever inflicted by men against fellow human beings, has been written in countless books, relived in epic films, plays and songs and the ugliness of that senseless war is still fresh in the collective memory of many in Japan, beyond Japan and in many parts of the world.

So I will not elaborate on that tragic war that brought so much suffering to tens of millions of fellow human beings, Jews, Gypsies, Europeans, Americans, Russians, Africans, Asians, combatants and civilians, men and women, elderly and children.

Above all, a vast majority of the victims, millions of them, were innocent human beings, gassed to death in Hitler’s death chambers, machine-gunned in the streets of Warsaw, executed without mercy in occupied France and starved to death in the jungle labor camps of Burma, humiliated and raped from Asia to Europe.

While Imperial Japan unleashed the war in Asia, in the end the war brought almost total annihilation to Japan itself, being the only country that directly experienced the effects of nuclear bombs. More than 60 years later the effects of the radiation are still felt by many.

And we had expected that the horrors of World War II would have woken up in us our humanity and we would never witness again such barbarities.

But again and again, soon after World War II, from the 60’s till these days we continue to be witnesses to human beings’ ability to kill each other – the Korean and the Vietnam Wars; the 1965-66 bloodbath in Indonesia, the “Killing Fields” of Cambodia in the 70’s, Timor-Leste in 1975-1999; Uganda under Idi Amim Dada in the 70’s, the Rwanda genocide in 1994, the Balkans in the 90’s, today in DRCongo, Darfur (Sudan) and Somalia. And this is not even an exhaustive list. I could go on citing many more examples of wars of aggression and occupation, or violence carried out against innocent civilians in the name of religion and God.

As I sat in the U. N. Security Council Chamber in New York this past September listening to President Obama’s inspiring speech on nuclear disarmament, my mind veered towards Hiroshima that still reminds and haunts us all about the immense destructive power of nuclear weapons and humanity’s darkest side, its ability to manufacture sophisticated weapons of mass destruction and its readiness to use them.

As I stand here in this city of a thousand cranes, I can feel the pain of the ghosts of the Hiroshima nuclear holocaust, and I bow to the memory of young Sadako Sasaki and all victims of World War II from Asia to America, Europe and North Africa.

Timor-Leste shares with Japan an abiding commitment to rid the world of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction.

So we wholeheartedly support Japan’s leadership on abolition of nuclear weapons as we equally applaud President Barack Obama’s pledge to work towards a world free of nuclear weapons and hope that the April Summit of Nuclear Powers in Washington and the NPT Review Conference in May in New York will make tangible progress.

In May 2009 I joined with 16 other Nobel Peace Prize Laureates in issuing the “Hiroshima-Nagasaki Declaration”, calling on the leaders of nuclear powers to seriously dismantle all nuclear arsenal.

As human beings we must all pledge to work towards the abolition of weapons of mass destruction, nuclear, chemical and biological, large conventional weapons, cluster bombs and land mines.

We must also address the roots causes of wars, stemming from historical border disputes, mutual suspicion, prejudices, ignorance and greed.

Suspicion and prejudices are caused by ignorance, false representation and caricatures of other societies, and by lack of open information and dialogue.

While the Asian region is undoubtedly the richest of all regions, in terms of history, cultural and religious diversity; the birthplace of some of the greatest civilizations and philosophies; while it is the most dynamic and promising economically, I submit, the Asian region is also the most complex, volatile and dangerous.

From Pakistan to India to China to North Korea we have a ring of nuclear weapons amidst extreme poverty, religious extremism, ethnic tensions, and land disputes of such severity that in the last 50 years some of these countries have gone to war with each other and their ground troops continue to clash today.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
More than several decades after the founding of the United Nations, it is urgent that we recommence the debate in the UNGA on the reform of our collective organization.

Serious consultations between the P5 and others, including regional groups, must start on how to forge a sufficient consensus to move the reform process one step forward.

Timor-Leste shares the view of a vast majority of countries that the U. N. system, in particular, the Security Council, founded more than 60 years ago, must be reformed and rebalanced to reflect the new demographic, economic, and security realities and challenges of the 21st Century.

In my view, besides the need to correct the current regional imbalance, there has to be some serious thinking in making the UNSC more representative of the world’s oldest civilizations and religions like Hinduism and Islam. As it stands today, there is an over-representation of the Western Group that encompasses the U. S., Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

In this regard, we believe that Asia’s representation in the U.N. system must be adjusted to reflect the fact that Asia is home to almost half of the world’s population. As it is, Asia is grossly and unfairly under-represented. We believe that Japan, a non-nuclear and pacifist country, open and democratic, should be accorded permanent membership status in the Security Council together with India and Indonesia.

Ladies and gentlemen,
The Copenhagen Summit on Climate Change ended without a meaningful binding post-Kyoto Treaty. The gap between the rich and the poor, the powerful and the weak, was not bridged.

What can we do collectively to move forward - a new nuanced approach, without confrontation, taking into consideration the sensitivities and interests of all parties, in particular the more vulnerable nations, and the legitimate demands of the emerging industrial powers?

At stake is the survival of our planet and of hundreds of millions of human beings. Asia is home to half of the world’s population, 60% of the world’s poor and yet it has the largest accumulated wealth in terms of cash reserves.

While Asia is undoubtedly the most dynamic and promising region of the world, it is also one that faces the greatest challenges, ranging from demographic pressure to extreme poverty, from conventional and non-conventional security threats to nuclear proliferation.

If we don’t act now, in few decades many hundreds of millions of fellow Asians will be up-rooted and become climate refugees exacerbating existing tensions and conflicts; we will kill each other over water, land and energy resources in addition to the decades old border conflicts, religious and ethnic tensions and regional rivalries that have plagued our region.

While the enemies of the past have partially overcome old rivalries and conflicts, the scars, old and deep, have at times resurfaced, with emotional intensity, clouding their present relationship and weakening what could be a great and unique tri-lateral partnership for peace, stability and prosperity in the Asian region.

Of the three East Asian countries, only Japan had attained modern industrialization before World War II, but even Japan was reduced to rubble and extreme deprivation by 1945.

Japan’s two other neighbours, China and Korea, were still struggling with under-development and extreme poverty, compounded by wars of aggression and occupation that caused immense suffering.

Today all three East Asian nations are economic dynamos, inextricably linked through geography and history, through tragedy in times of poverty and war, and triumph and prosperity in times of peace.

Japan, the Republic of Korea and China are nations with thousands of years of history, with rich and old traditions that have survived modernity.

With a combined population of over 1.5 billion people and combined GDP of more than US$10 trillion, Japan, the Republic of Korea and China – three neighbours with proud and hard-working people, fiercely competitive and creative - are the economic engines of our region and of much of the world.

And if on top of these three East Asian powerhouses we add India and Indonesia, the five economies dwarf any other in the world. The numbers, in population (2.9 billion people, or 43% of the world’s population) and GDP (nearly US$12 trillion, or almost 20% of global GDP) are staggering.

The question is, can Asians bury the tragic chapters of their past, and resolve border disputes; can they turn economic rivalry into partnership, harnessing their cash reserves, science, technology and their best minds? Can Asia rescue the legions of poor in the region, save our degraded environment and forge a new Century - an Asian Century - of peace and prosperity?

It is in times of crisis that great true leaders lead people with courage and wisdom into a new era. The 2008 economic and financial meltdown in the U. S. reverberated around the world and has impacted on the lives of tens of millions. An estimated 150 million people have lost their livelihood and descended back into poverty as a consequence.

This only illustrates how inter-dependent we are all today, unable to insulate ourselves from problems occurring elsewhere and it calls for greater global solidarity and cooperation in all fields.

Crisis test true leaders and offer opportunities. This is such an opportunity presented for Asia and for Asian leaders to take centre stage and lead.

Asians who have shown ingenuity and creativity over thousands of years must today innovate and invest even more in research in renewable energy and find alternatives to fossil fuels for our industries and cities.

Rather than engaging in finger pointing, Asians must show greater wisdom and launch aggressive and visionary strategies on climate change, restoration of our forests, rivers, lakes and seas, and in eliminating extreme poverty and illiteracy.

We must stop commercial logging and the continuing destruction of our forests; we must replant, return to the soil the hundreds of millions of trees that - out of necessity or greed - we took away, which caused desertification, soil erosion, floods, and landslides.

We must stop dumping plastics and all forms of non-degradable material into our lakes, rivers and seas. We must turn waste into clean energy and we must stop wasting water.

After all we are half of the world population and many hundreds of millions will be up-rooted, become climate refugees, and we will kill each other over water and land if we don’t act now.

Timor-Leste and Maldives are working together and seek to work with others towards an Asian Summit, convened to charter a common agenda on environmental protection and recovery, on land and water management, sustainable development and poverty elimination, public health, education and illiteracy elimination.

And we must engage others from Africa to Latin America, North America and Europe, Russia, bridging the cultural divide, lessening the tensions and narrow self-interests, realizing our Vision of One World free of poverty and wars.

The test for those who lead or aspire to lead is their ability to build bridges and forge consensus. The Climate Change Summit debacle in Copenhagen was a sad failure of leadership by all involved.

I hope that in the meantime, after the vitriolic exchanges in Copenhagen and the unhelpful mutual recriminations and sanctimonious lectures by certain NGOs, serenity and leadership return and we all prepare the stage for a meaningful outcome in the next Climate Change round.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
A World free of Nuclear weapons, a world free of wars, a world free of extreme poverty, a world without TB and malaria, is possible in our lifetime.

What are required are men and women with courage and vision, a partnership among the powers that be, a partnership of equals, of leaders with vision, wisdom, compassion and humility, to build bridges, to connect societies of this very rich and diverse world, a world inspired and united by a common noble agenda, an agenda for peace, to eliminate all weapons of mass destruction, extreme poverty - and save our planet, our common Home.

Only some 20 years ago, political leaders, elected and non-elected, had a monopoly on decision-making, good and good, in this 21st Century of the global village made smaller and interconnected by the Information Technology, individuals can make a difference, influence and shape decisions on national, regional and international scale.

We must demand from the nuclear powers that they begin to dismantle and abolish all weapons of mass destruction within this decade; we must demand from the rich North and the larger powers of the South that they show statesmanship and leadership and agree on a common agenda on sustainable development and poverty eradication within a decade; we must demand from them all that they take visible steps towards a cleaner, safer world for all, and save our planet.

May God the Almighty and the Merciful Bless Us All.

Archives