Need your support for a movie about Nanking

[Henry]

Dear Friends,

The following is a worthwhile cause, won't cost you a penny, just two minutes of your time to sign up. The world has heard and seen the Holocaust, but not the Nanking Massacre. This is our opportunity to show what Imperial Japan did to the Chinese.

Ted Leonsis, Vice Chairman of AOL and owner of Washington Capitals hockey team, spent over a year and his own money to make a documentary film about the massacre in Nanking when the Japanese army invaded the city in 1937. During a two weeks period, the Japanese killed over hundreds of thousands of innocentChinese citizens and raped tens of thousands of women and young girls.

It is a history that we cannot forget. But some Japanese nationalists tried to change history and deny what happened almost 70 years ago. Ted's team has done a great deal of research. They found and collected over 500 hours of historical film footage, interviewed many war survivors in China, and even talked to Japanese soldiers who took part of the killing.

This is a very powerful movie. It is now accepted by Sundance Film Festival and will be shown at the festival in mid January 2007 (Check out Ted's Take - Nanking FilmAccepted at Sundance). Ted's goal of making this movie is to let every one in the world to see what the Japanese did to Chinese and he wanted the Japanese government to apologize to the Chinese people.

Ted's team created a web site to educate people about the upcoming film and they wanted to collect one million petitions from people wanting to see the movie when it is coming out.

Ted sent the following message to a group of people asking for help. As members of the Chinese community, I strongly encourage every one of us to support this effort by signing your own name, asking your family to sign their names, and forward the message to your friends and others in your community. I have signed my name already! Let's show the world that we care about the victims of our fellow Chinese citizens and history cannot be changed.

Please visit the web site:

Nankingthefilm.com

When you get there, please click on the following:

"Please click here if you want to see this film"

Then put your name, city, state, country and email to show your support for this movie.

Please forward this request for support to your friends and family.

[Henry]

Interagency Working Group Announces Press Availability for Experts on New Japanese War Crimes Records Volume and Records Guide

January 16, 2007

www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2007/nr07-45.html

[David Wong]

Japanese Prime Minister Abe just denied that their past military was involved in any atrocities - in particular the mass kidnapping of Korean, Chinese, Philipino and other Asian women for their armies' brothels. Abe denied that these systemic rape stations were planned, and suggested that all the women who were victimized at the brothels were willing participants.

An outcry from various nations occurred, and it will be interesting to see how all of this unfolds.

U.S. Congressman, Michael Honda, tabled a bill denouncing the denial by the Japanese government...and stated on March 6, 2007:
" Madam Speaker, I rise today in shock and disappointment at recent news from Japan, where it was reported that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has denied the historical fact that the Japanese Imperial Army forced as many as 200,000 women into sex slavery during the Second World War, and publicly stated that Japan will not issue an apology, even if a resolution is passed in the United States House of Representatives."

Apparently this sort of reaction occurred in a number of nations, led by their respective leaders ... except here in Canada. In Canada, Prime Minister Harper made a major gaffaw a couple of days ago by accepting Japanese PM's view of history... and this morning unleashed a torrent of criticism from various ethnic media - including the Chinese, Korean, Indian and Philipino media. Apparently I've received an email box full of events to protest Harper.

This is most interesting for us Canadians, as our nation is about to jump into a federal election, and this slip up by our PM, is the last thing our governing Conservative party needs.

For more info... check out this link: chineseinvancouver.blogspot.com/2007/03/chinese-canadians-should-target-japan.html

[Woodson]

VancouverWong,

Stephen Harper is a politician, nothing more. He professes to take the high road but in reality frequently the opposite is true. The Emerson affair was a good indication. How does he have to hide in the Wajid Khan report? Is there one?

He'll sway with the wind. An example is the sudden interest in the environment after spending almost a year dismantling what was in place, blaming and bad-mouthing the previous government. Now don't get me wrong that the Liberals were blameless. Far from it. My opinion is he should just buckled down and started making a difference. Instead he threw in the towel because we can't meet the goal in the Kyoto Accord.

His current comment on the Japanese revisionist is evident that last year's Head Tax repayment was an election issue.

Of course, it also calls into question his position as defender of human rights. Or is he exercising his rights of cherry-picking issue to champion as he had done many a times before?

Will I vote for him? Currently the answer has to a no. Again, I'm afraid it'll be a case of voting for the local candidate rather than the party.

[David Wong]

You are right Woodson.

PM Harper insulted the Chinese government last Fall, by declining a relationship with China and then sparked a ripple of awkward diplomatic gaffs when Harper complained about " Human Rights violations" with the Chinese. Harper was then reminded of the Human rights violations inflicted on our own Aboriginal peoples.

And now this.

It is most hypocritical for Harper to complain about Human rights violations overseas and then conveniently ignore and excuses the Human rights violations committed and now denied by another Asian country.

He doesn't have my vote.