- Title: JAPAN: Dalai Lama and other Nobel Peace laureates gather ahead of APEC Summit
- Date: 13th November 2010
- Summary: CAMERA OPERATOR MORE OF CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 28th November 2010 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Japan
- Country: Japan
- Topics: International Relations
- Reuters ID: LVA2LRPJA4O751CESJ4POKU0X9QW
- Story Text: Past recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize are gathering in the Japanese city of Hiroshima on Friday (November 13) to kick off a three-day annual conference to push their messages of human rights and non violence.
This year's summit, being held in one of the world's two nuclear-bombed cities, will focus on nuclear nonproliferation.
"65 years ago, Hiroshima became the first place in human history of an atomic bombing, which devastated the city in an instant and deprived countless people of their precious lives. Without forgetting the disaster and anguish that still torments the bomb survivors, people of Hiroshima have continue appealing for the world peace without nuclear weapons," said Hiroshima Prefectural Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki.
Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, whose visit to Japan overlaps with Chinese leader Hu Jintao's attendance at an APEC regional summit in Yokohama, agreed that in a world where human emotions dictate our decisions, such weapons serve no purpose.
"Although sometimes nuclear weapons ..useful for, what its called deterrent. But still, it brings a lot of fear. And if some mad person comes, of even normal person, who had absolute power and mind becomes fully emotional, then, naturally, emotion runs our mind, and fully dominated by emotion, then there's no room for reasoning," the Dalai Lama told the conference.
Human rights issues in Myanmar and China also took centre stage at the meetings. Aung San Suu Kyi, a pro-democracy leader in Myanmar, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 but has been under house arrest for 15 of the past 21 years for speaking out against the government. Her sentence is supposed to be lifted Saturday (November 13).
"There's no reason to keep her in detention in anymore. That she is released from her detention means that to step up real democratisation in Burma, including the initiating of national reconciliation," said Kyaw Kyaw Soe, who represents the National Democratic League of Burma.
In China, the 2010 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Liu Xiaobo, is also currently being detained for speaking out against the Chinese government. China was furious that Xiaobo was awarded the prize and has labeled him a criminal.
The Dalai Lama has lamented over Xiaobo's absence in Hiroshima, and other participants shared the same frustration.
"Regarding the newly, 2010 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Mr. Liu Xiaobo, who is now in detention, I would like to urge the international community to demand the Chinese government release him immediately and unconditionally.... The Chinese government should realize that the release of Mr. Liu Xiaobo is indeed a dignity of China and an important sign that China respects human rights," added Kyaw Kyaw Soe.
The Dalai Lama is expected to meet Liu's comrade Wuer Kaixi, one of the leaders of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protest in Beijing, who is also visiting the Hiroshima event. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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