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| Special Event - September 11th Memorial |
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| Masaki Takahashi, chairing the panel discussion
and two speakers; Jasna Bastic from Bosnia and American Susan
Tuck |
Peace Boat, scheduled to be in Singapore on September
11th, commemorated the one year anniversary of the terrorist attacks
on New York's World Trade Centre and the Pentagon a day early. Those
onboard reflected on the consequences of the incident and the US response,
as well the causes of terrorist activity and how both government and
individuals could act to bring about world peace. In the daily newspaper
Japanese participants and international guests reflected on the question,
"Do you think retaliatory attacks can eliminate terrorism?" while
events included a discussion, hosted by panellists from five countries,
a drama workshop and peace ceremony. |
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| Panellist Nicola Liscutin from Germany |
In the first event, Bosnian Jasna Bastic kicked
off the discussion by emphasising the need to discover the root causes
of terrorism and identify what makes people angry enough to sacrifice
their own lives and the lives of innocent citizens. In contrast, American
citizen Susan Tuck, whose son narrowly escaped being a victim of the
World Trade Centre bombings, gave an account of how the attack affected
her personally. She then talked about what she felt were the positive
consequences such as strengthened patriotism as well as negative repercussions
including an increase in prejudice and discrimination against minority
groups, particularly Muslims. The following speaker, Nicola Liscutin
observed how the declaration of unconditional support of the US by
Germany and several other European governments affected democratic
principles, undermining political autonomy and rendering public debate
of the issue superfluous. She also stated that new surveillance laws
and anti-terrorist measures, whose legislation was a direct result
of the September 11th attacks, infringe the right to privacy of citizens
and result in human rights violations of people detained as suspected
terrorists. Ved Bhasin, founder of the Kashmir Times, argued that
despite decades of terrorism in Kashmir and other conflict areas,
America only recognised the threat of terrorism when US citizens themselves
became targets. He declared that the retaliatory strikes initiated
by the US in Afghanistan were destablising the area by sharpening
internal conflicts and further polarising religious groups and that
the War on Terrorism was merely a cover for America to establish its
supremacy in the region. In conclusion, Cruise Director Takayoshi
Kise spoke of the Japanese reaction to the incident, in particular
the mobilisation of Japanese youth opposing US action in Afghanistan.
He questioned the Japanese media neglect of these demonstrations and
summed up by reflecting on how Japan could take on a role as an intermediary
in a post-September 11th world. |
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| Panellist Ved Bhasin of Kashmir
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Following the panel discussion, questions from the
floor focused on several issues, from the problem of state-sponsored
terrorism to selective broadcasting and the role of the media in directing
public opinion. Several of the panellists and audience members postulated
that America acted in a unilateral fashion to protect its political
and economic interests and expressed deep unease at the way in which
the US and its allies were undermining internationally agreed upon
laws and conventions. Concern was also expressed over the lack of
interest in political matters on the part of ordinary citizens and
the need for a willingness to learn about and gain a respectful stance
towards others. Amongst the conclusions drawn were that aggressive
retaliation and a lack of accountability cannot guarantee the eradication
of terrorism and often lead to an escalation of violence. Furthermore,
it is impossible to fight terrorism without addressing its causes,
such as poverty, ignorance, disease and environmental degradation.
In an ideal world, a dialogue should be created between groups of
people on all levels, enabling political process to create a global
civil society that can pursue a democracy of peace. The discussion
raised several emotive issues and even as participants filed out of
the venue, heated debate continued, with echoes of the arguments still
to be heard round the ship a few days on. |
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| Peace Boat participants unite in a moment of silence |
On the evening of the 10th a Peace Ceremony was
held, uniting participants, speakers and International Students in
reflecting on how the world has changed since September 11th, 2001
and offering a message of hope for the future. International Students
Zainab and Saptarshi spoke of the threat of nuclear war and how discrimination
according to race and religion in Pakistan and India is destroying
people's lives. They appealed for people to live in peace and let
others live in peace. |
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| Members of Team Space display messages of peace collected in the Philippines |
To open the event a video was shown depicting the
attack on the Twin Towers, followed by reflections on the terrorist
attacks. However it was recognised that October 7th 2001, the date
retaliatory strikes commenced, should also be remembered. Continuing
the ceremony, P-Mac (the Peace Boat Mine Abolition Campaign), showed
footage of the suffering of the Afghan people and talked about their
fund-raising activities and campaign for land-mine clearance. Another
group active on the ship and in port is Team Space, who presented
a cloth containing messages of peace from Japanese-Philippine children
before requesting members of the audience to add their own. Finally,
a minute of silence dedicated to victims of terrorist action worldwide
allowed the audience to consider the role we all can play in working
towards peace. |
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| Peace Boat's
39th Voyage index |
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PEACE BOAT is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. |
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