Past RI President Luis Giay
(left), RI President Sakuji Tanaka (centre), and Rotary Foundation Trustee
Chair Wilfrid J. Wilkinson (right) lay wreaths at the Memorial Cenotaph in
the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park during the Rotary Global Peace Forum 17
May. (Photo courtesy of Noriko Futagami, The Rotary-no-Tomo)
Arnold R. Grahl & Pratheep S. Malhotra
Photos: Noriko Futagami & Monwipa Sangma
In a ceremony heavy with symbolism, RI President Sakuji Tanaka joined
other Rotary and community leaders in laying a wreath in Hiroshima
Memorial Park, dedicated to the victims of the atomic bomb dropped on
the city during World War II.
The subject of peace has been at the heart of Tanaka’s year as president
of Rotary International. A member of the Rotary Club of Yashio, Japan,
Tanaka selected ‘Peace Through Service’ as Rotary International’s theme
for his year, and he organized three global peace forums to motivate
Rotarians and others, particularly youth, to work for peace in their
daily lives.
The wreath-laying ritual took place on May 17 in Hiroshima, Japan during
the Rotary Global Peace Forum held on 17-18 May. Tanaka also visited the
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and signed the guest book, which
contains messages of peace from many past and present world leaders.
Artist extraordinaire, Past President Nit
Duangdee sits pensively in front of his finished ‘Masterpiece for
Peace’.
More than 2,700 delegates attended the forum, including Rotarians,
community leaders, and students and alumni of Rotary’s Peace Centers
program - a peace studies initiative that provides future leaders with
the skills needed to resolve conflicts and promote peace. The governor
of Hiroshima Prefecture, Hidehiko Yuzaki, and the mayor of Hiroshima,
Kazumi Matsui, also attended the solemn ceremony.
Previous forums were held in Berlin, Germany last November and in
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA in January this year. Tanaka selected all three
sites because they were affected by the events of World War II and now
represent the healing power of sustainable peace between nations.
A small contingent of Thai Rotarians attended the 2 day event bearing
with them a unique token of peace which was presented to President
Tanaka.
District Governor (3340) Thatree
Leetheeraprasert (2nd right), PP Noppadol Sangma (right) and PDG
Pratheep S. Malhotra (left) present the ‘Peace through Service’ portrait
to Rotary International President Sakuji Tanaka (2nd left).
At the presentation Thatree Leetheeraprasert, governor of district 3340
in Thailand explained the purpose and symbolism of the ‘Painting for
Peace’ project saying, “Rotarians in Thailand are most impressed and
emotionally touched by your theme ‘Peace Through Service’ for 2012-13.
Every Rotarian in Thailand is in total agreement that we should
promulgate this message to the people in every corner of our beautiful
country.”
To realise this plan, DG Thatree and the Rotary Club of Pattaya
initiated a project called “Painting for Peace”.
An eminent artist, Past President Nit Duangdee of the Rotary Club of
Pattaya was commissioned to paint a portrait of ‘Sakuji Tanaka’.
PDG Pratheep Malhotra presents President
Tanaka with letters written by Rotarians in the restive southern
provinces of Thailand in the hope that Rotary can play a part in
bringing peace to their communities again.
During the painting process, Past President Noppadol Sangma carried the
unfinished portrait to every district in Thailand where Rotarians wrote
their messages of peace on the picture. They also made contributions,
the sum of which will be presented to the relevant organisations for the
promotion of peace and conflict resolution in Thailand, most especially
in the restive south.
“This painting is the only one of its kind in the world,” said DG
Thatree, “and we hope that this project will not only instil the true
meaning of peace in our hearts but will also foster goodwill between the
Thai and Japanese people.”
In his closing address President Tanaka said, “Every Rotary project,
every act of service, is an act of love and kindness. When we serve in
the right ways, and for the right reasons, we bring people together, in
peace and in harmony. How could it be otherwise?”
Artist Nit Duangdee created a special work
of art portraying President Tanaka and his wife Kyoko, which was warmly
received by Tanaka-san.
Participants at the forum also adopted a declaration, “Peace Begins With
You” which serves as a call to action for individuals to make a
conscious effort in their daily lives to promote harmony with their
neighbours and create friendships that transcend the divisions of
nationality, politics, religion, and culture.
“Today, as we leave this last Rotary Peace Forum, I ask you to
understand that peace, in all of the ways that we can understand it, is
a real and realistic goal for Rotary,” Tanaka said. “Peace is not
something that can only be achieved through treaties, by governments, or
through heroic struggles. It is something that we can find, and that we
can achieve - every day, and in many simple ways.”
RI President Sakuji Tanaka graciously thanks
District Governor Thatree Leetheeraprasert, PP Noppadol Sangma and PDG
Pratheep S. Malhotra for a most meaningful symbol of peace.
Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair-elect Past R.I. President Dong Kurn Lee,
of the Rotary Club of Seoul Hangang, Korea, spoke about the
contributions Rotary has made in moving the nations of Korea and Japan
closer together as allies and economic partners, healing old wounds. He
quoted a Korean saying, “It takes two palms to make a clapping sound,”
to illustrate that neither nation could decide alone to live in peace
with its neighbour.
“Every year, for the last eleven years, Japanese and Korean Rotarians
have had a very special meeting: a Japanese-Korean friendship meeting,”
Lee said. “It is a wonderful event. We talk about Rotary, and we do some
Rotary work. But the most important part of the meeting is simply coming
together, in Rotary fellowship. ... Rotary has helped us to make our
dream of peace between our countries real.”
President-nominee Gary C. K. Huang noted that the idea of treating
others as we would like to be treated ourselves is a common concept
across cultures and religions. Rotary members strive to achieve this by
putting service above self and by laying a foundation for peace.
“We build peace in the world by building peace in our communities -
within our Rotary zones and districts, and within our neighbourhoods,”
Huang said. “We build peace in our communities by forging friendships,
and by cultivating an open mind and a welcoming spirit within
ourselves.”
Rotary has a long-standing commitment to peace. At the grassroots level,
members have worked to address the underlying causes of conflict and
violence, such as hunger, poverty, disease, and illiteracy. Ten years
ago, Rotary decided to take a direct approach to promoting world
understanding by providing future leaders with the tools they need to
“wage peace” on the global stage.
Since 2002, Rotary clubs have annually sponsored up to 110 scholars who
embark on one to two years of study, earning either master’s degrees or
professional certificates in peace and conflict resolution at Rotary
Peace Centers at universities around the world.
In Thailand, The Rotary Peace Center at Chulalongkorn University
provides a three month; professional development certificate program
twice annually to individuals currently working in related fields.
Sessions run from January-April and June-August each year with a maximum
of 25 Rotary Peace Fellows in each session. For more information and
application go to:
http://www.rotarychula.org/
