HWPL Newsletter February 2018

No. 34

2018.02

Monthly Newsletter of Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light

HWPL NEWS

˙ Footprints of the 26th Peace Tour at a Glance

˙ When will Freedom Prevail in the South of Thailand?

˙ Interfaith Dialogue Discusses Spiritual Human Well-being and the Popular Appeal of Religion in Thailand ˙ Peace Triumphs Again! The Winds of Peace Travel to Korea for the Peace Olympics

Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light

THE 26TH PEACE TOUR

Footprints of the 26th Peace Tour at a Glance I advocated to achieve peace and cessation of war and leave it as a legacy to the future generations.

I witnessed the world that has become anew. It was outstanding this time. Politicians, ministers, educational professionals, religious leaders and anyone else that I met even took the initiative in saying they would help (the work of peace) at the risk of their own lives, stated Chairman Man Hee Lee of HWPL regarding this world peace tour.

Let us follow the footprints of the world peace tour which lasted a total of 11 days (from 23 January to 2 February) and spanned a total of four countries with the Philippines as the first country visited this year, followed by Indonesia, Malaysia, and Myanmar.

01 JANUARY 23

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The Philippines Establishment of a MOA with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) 27

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Malaysia

Establishment of the HWPL Peace Academy MOU Meeting with H.E. Oesman Sapta Odang Meeting with Indonesian youth leaders / Bar Association Religious Leaders’ Conference Interview with TVRI

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Peace lecture at Polytechnic University of the Philippines Talk show at PTV, Media Forum, and Interview with ABS-CBN IPYG Youth Meeting at University of Makati in Metro Manila Religious Forum 30

Indonesia

02 FEBRUARY

26

Batu Cave, third Hindu Event at Thaipusam HWPL and IWPG Branch Commemoration Peace Forum Religious Leader’s Peace Forum Interview with BERNAMA TV

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Myanmar 2 FEBRUARY 2018 HWPL NEWS

Meeting with the Ministry of Social Affairs of the Yangon Region Seminar for Support for the Implementation of the DPCW Interviews with MNA and MITV Religious Conference

THE 26TH PEACE TOUR | PEACE EDUCATION |

At the Forefront of Peace Education: the Philippines and Indonesia tained by starting the campaign in the state universities and colleges.

Subsequently on January 29th in Indonesia, the "HWPL Peace Academy” MOU Signing Ceremony was held at the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN) in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Commissioner Ronald L. Adamat

Dr. Barsihannor Zuhri

HWPL, an organization committed in promoting peace, and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) of the Philippines signed a Memorandum of Agreement on Peace Education on January 23, 2018 at CHED Central Office. This is in line with CHED’s plan of introducing and integrating peace education in the higher education curriculum.

After the signing and during the press conference, Commissioner, Ronal Adamat emphasized the need to promote peace by giving a realistic example when he said: “Children easily imitate war through toys depicting weapons of war but they don’t know how to play and imitate peace.”

Dr. Barsihannor Zuhri, the Dean of UIN Alauddin of Makassar, stressed the importance of such peace academies, stating that “Since Indonesia is a multicultural, multi-religious country, conflicts are constantly taking place. Therefore, harmony and peace are more desperately needed. Educators with the perspective of peace should strive to make peace education and the culture of peace spread to Indonesia.”

Chairman Man Hee Lee of HWPL said "All students should be taught peace from the textbooks they learn every day, and the teachings of war must be changed and discontinued. How can we achieve peace? Peace begins by teaching students about peace,” once again emphasizing the importance of peace education.

It is hoped that through the collaboration of HWPL and CHED; the aim of promoting peace will be at-

HWPL and CHED of the government of the Philippines signed a MOA regarding peace education on January 23rd.

HWPL and UIN signed a MOU regarding peace education on January 29th.

FEBRUARY 2018 HWPL NEWS 3

Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light

THE 26TH PEACE TOUR | LAW FOR PEACE |

Indonesian Bar Association, Himpunan Advokat Pengacara Indonesia (HAPI) Seeking the Solution for Dispute Resolution through the Development of the DPCW

In Indonesia, the second country visited during the 26th Peace Tour, the HWPL peace delegation discovered an opportunity that would become the turning point in the direction of achieving “harmony inside of peace”.

through a legal foundation in the country. This is one of the obvious solutions for the achievement of sustainable peace.” said Mr. Man Hee Lee, Chairman of HWPL, emphasizing the need for the international society’s advocation and cooperation.

On January 27th, the President of Himpunan Advokat Pengacara Indonesia (HAPI) and 13 lawyers gathered in Jakarta to discuss the establishment of a legal framework for settling disputes of the national and international society to secure peace. At the event, the 10 articles and 38 clauses of the DPCW were introduced as a mechanism to strengthen the peaceful coexistence among nations, peoples and religions, as well as to expand peace awareness through peace education and the spreading of a culture of peace.

“The solution for eradicating the structural causes of violent conflicts is not through force or the use of armed weapons, but rather through the enactment of a peace-related law compatible with the DPCW.” added Ms. Hyun Sook Yoon, the acting Chairwoman and Director of IWPG HQ.

“HWPL is committed to bringing world peace and cessation of war through the establishment of an enforceable law compatible with the 10 articles and 38 clauses of the DPCW, which can prohibit all kinds of armed conflicts. Thus, the people of Indonesia are also responsible for advocating peace building 4 FEBRUARY 2018 HWPL NEWS

Mrs. Dr. Hj. Elza Syarief SH. MH., Chairwoman of HAPI, stated, “HWPL has a great vision to achieve peace all over the world. Also, I am moved that all members of HWPL are working voluntarily for peace. I think HAPI members will work together for peace building with HWPL,” expressing high expectations and ambitions for a peace movement in Indonesia.

THE 26TH PEACE TOUR | THE HWPL MALAYSIA BRANCH |

Establishment of the HWPL Malaysia Branch

Building a Basis for the Initiation of Diverse Peace Projects including Peace Campaigns Advocating for the DPCW

HWPL, together with the IWPG, held the inauguration ceremony for the HWPL Malaysia branch and the IWPG Malaysia branch on 31 January at the University of Malaya, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

“I am so pleased HWPL has been registered by the Government of Malaysia. From now on, I will actively contribute by doing diverse peace projects including peace campaigns urging for the implementation of the DPCW. We cannot and should not take peace for granted, we have to work for it, we have to preserve it and keep it for the future generations,” explained Mr. Ghani Bin Ibrahim, Chairperson of the HWPL Malaysia branch.

More specifically, the yearly plan for 2018 of the HWPL Malaysia branch includes a campaign for the enactment of the principles of the DPCW of HWPL as an international law through the opening of peace clubs in each university starting from International Islamic University Malaysia with cooperation from the law schools. Every three months the members of the peace clubs will plan to gather and have a group discussion regarding further activities related to the DPCW.

HWPL’s Malaysia branch also presented its plans for the future. First, it plans to work with the government to advocate for peace education and the DPCW. Secondly it has resolved to work with civil societies and education institutions to implement activities and campaigns, walking step by step with HWPL HQ. Finally, it will work to establish both short- and long-term peace projects and programs from a grassroots level.

FEBRUARY 2018 HWPL NEWS 5

Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light

THE 26TH PEACE TOUR | ALLIANCE OF RELIGIONS |

Religious Leaders to Discuss their Role

in Peacebuilding, Religious Freedom, and Human Rights On January 26th, an interfaith dialogue for peace building in the name of the World Alliance of Religions' Peace Office (WARP Office) was held at University of Makati in Metro Manila to promote understanding among religions and the peace activities of religious leaders. A total of 1,300 participants including religious representatives from Christianity and Islam and students from the University of Makati joined the event.

Rev. Acharya Prem Shankaranand Tirth, the Hindu High Priest of Shree Gita Ashram, explained, "I had very clear ideas regarding the boundaries of religion, but while I participated in the WARP offices, I realized that the names of god in each religion are different, but they have something in common: what God wanted to teach us was love and peace.”

"Religious individuals should love and respect others in the same way they love themselves. I would like to ask what kind of God the religious leader who attempts to force religious conversion believes in and what doctrine he is practicing. Religious leaders should not try to exclude different religions, but they should work together in harmony and do good in society," he added regarding coercive conversion leading to the recent murder case in the Republic of Korea.

On January 31st the Conference for Interfaith Harmony was held at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur and was attended by 120 representatives and believers from Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Taoism. Following this, on February 1st in Myanmar the HWPL Religious Leaders’ Conference was held and around 600 individuals from religious and women’s groups, including religious leaders, participated.

6 FEBRUARY 2018 HWPL NEWS

On the same day, during an exclusive interview with MNA, a national news agency of Myanmar, HWPL’s Chairman Man Hee Lee explained about the meaning of the opening of the HWPL Religious Leader’s Conference, “We have the Peace Conference today in Myanmar because it is important to have conversation and dialogue between different religions in Myanmar where different faiths live together. Today, in Myanmar, we hope that this peace and cessation of the war in the world is the big-picture goal of everything we do.”

Among the religious events that were held during this peace tour in particular, HWPL presented about and urged for a statement by religious leaders regarding the freedom of religion and human rights.

Mr. John Rommel Garces, General Director of the HWPL Philippine Branch, said, "For world peace, there is an increase in the suppression of distorted reports by some religious leaders of the Republic of Korea concerning HWPL, which is cooperating with religious leaders around the world without any distinction of religion. Thus, HWPL has issued a statement to further strengthen peace, the freedom of religion and human rights."

THE 26TH PEACE TOUR | LAW FOR PEACE |

Discussion of the Establishment of the DPCW

as a Legal Basis to bring forth a Peaceful Society in Myanmar

On February 2nd in Yangon, Myanmar an international law seminar was held and attended by 130 government figures and lawyers, all aiming to seek effective ways to urge for the development of the DPCW and its enactment as a domestic document in Myanmar in the future.

U Shein, the founding president of Happy, Healthy and Helping Society gave her support by saying, “The DPCW, which was written by HWPL consists of 10 articles. It has many similarities with the constitution of Myanmar, which consists of 7 articles. This declaration is essential for Myanmar and needs to be supported.”

On the same day, about 350 young students gathered together to support the realization and introduction of peace education in Myanmar. The Deputy Director

General of the Department of Higher Education and 10 representatives from different colleges and universities also participated in this event. The purpose for which this event was held was to lay the foundation for the application of peace education in the education field in Myanmar with a fundamental level of education that transcends any religion or ideology.

U Shein, the founding president of Happy, Healthy and Helping Society

FEBRUARY 2018 HWPL NEWS 7

Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light

When will Freedom Prevail in the South of Thailand?

Thailand, also called the “Kingdom of Freedom”, ประเทศไทย in Thai, is famous for tourist sites such as Phuket. In fact, according to the data released by the United Nations World Tourist Organizations (UNWTO) in 2016, it was the 9th most visited place by tourists in the world. Many tourists remember Thailand for its beautiful landscape and peaceful lives.

However, if you take a closer look in places distanced from Phuket, people in the Southern region are far from enjoying peaceful lives, having been caught in the midst of armed conflicts for several decades.

Despite many attempts by the government to bring peaceful reconciliation between the two faith groups, Thai people still do not fully enjoy the religious freedom that is supposed to be protected by the constitution of Thailand.

Thailand Pacific Ocean

The conflict was triggered by the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 through which the northern region of Malaysia was integrated into Thailand. Since then, Thailand, with the majority of the population identifying as Buddhists, has also governed the southern region where its people hold closer ties to the Islamic faith and Malays, both culturally and ethnically.

Since the 1930s, the central government of Thailand has enforced the acculturation of its people in the South. As a result, resistance from the Malay Muslims quickly grew into an annex movement that was meant to protect its independence as well as its identity. There have already been 16 coup d’états up until today (World War Watch data released by KIDA).

8 FEBRUARY 2018 HWPL NEWS

Disputed area Pattani Yala Narathiwat Satun

When will Freedom Prevail in the South of Thailand?

To make matters worse, anti-government protests in the Malays region are now deteriorating into hate crimes. Indiscriminate assaults toward schools, family members of local officials, Muslims who have assimilated with the majority of the people of Thailand and others are quickly spreading throughout the region.

The Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) reported a death toll of 21 citizens due to the bomb explosion in the Yala province on 22 January 2018.

Such incident is not uncommon as there have been over 16,000 terrorist attacks, taking away 6,600 lives in the Deep South since 2014.

Several peace talks have been mediated between the Thai government and the leaders of the Muslim Annex Movement without much success. The International Crisis Group points out the following as the underlying reasons for the failure to reach an agreement: deeply rooted distrust from over a decade of conflict and a growing uncertainty from the collapse of the Yingluck Shinawatra government and death of the former king Bhumibol Adulyadej. Peace talks between the separatists and the government present clear setbacks to safeguarding peace.

learned through the past peace-building efforts.

For instance, the Philippines’ and Colombian governments have both experienced the frustrations of finding common grounds on which to hold peace talks. Despite UN interventions, they have not found ideal positions that satisfy both parties. Not only are the two parties far from reaching an agreement, but both the government and separatists have set their positions without the support of the citizens. To prevent a further loss of lives, collaborative efforts in peace-building should be found not in particular organizations or governments but rather with the support of all citizens.

HWPL’s approach to peace-building is accomplished through multidimensional efforts. The articles of the DPCW presented by HWPL find the core values of peace-building in both legal approaches and the creation of a group of friendly states. The articles also emphasize spreading the spirit of interfaith harmony rather than creating division and conflicts, as well as the value of the importance of education in instilling the spirit of peace. We believe that public support for peace should come from the culture of peace. The situation today calls for citizens to speak up in a unified voice advocating for peace as the basis for bringing about peace in Thailand.

We must continue to seek the means of resolving conflicts, taking into consideration the lessons FEBRUARY 2018 HWPL NEWS 9

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Interfaith Dialogue Discusses Spiritual Human Well-being and the Popular Appeal of Religion in Thailand Inter-Religious Understanding and Harmony for Solidarity On January 19th, the 32nd interfaith dialogue at the World Alliance of Religions’ Peace (WARP) Office meeting was held in Bangkok, Thailand. Religious representatives from Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and Hinduism discussed the relationship between human beings and the spiritual world in the context of the role of religion in making a peaceful society.

In the meeting, the panel discussion was carried on with a question regarding the founders of religion and spiritual messages. “The founder of religion (The Messenger) can’t teach from his own knowledge, they have to teach only from the will of the heaven which is revealed to them from God,” said Dr. Husni Hamad, director of Pan Asia International School and president of the Social Welfare Society.

Speaking about Jesus’ teaching in the Bible, Senior Pastor Virendra Arora from the Seventh-Day Adventist Church said, “The founder of religion should not teach from his own knowledge but on the basis of which the person has received from heaven.”

In the Theravada Buddhist cosmology explaining actions of the individual that leads to a new existence, Ven. Sumanpriya Bhikkhu from Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University said, “Gautama Buddha received his own knowledge by doing meditation. He discovered the 31 planes of existence in which rebirth takes place.”

“I am Buddhist, but I don’t go to temple.”

Pew Research Center recently reported that Buddhist populations in Asian countries including Thailand are expected to decline in the next few decades. In the report it stated that such expected decrease comes from low fertility rates and aging populations.

“This indicates that young generations in Asia are more prone to having a distance from religion. As Christianity in South Korea shows drastic decline in terms of the number of congregation members within churches, young people in Thailand are also losing faith and hope in Buddhism,” said Ian Seo, General Director of Public Relations, HWPL HQ. “Now is the time for religions to consider how people come to recognize that their daily issues with material values can be on par with satisfying the spiritual value at the same time,” he added.

10 FEBRUARY 2018 HWPL NEWS

Sathit Kumarn, President of Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of Thailand/ Advisor to the Committee on Religions, Art, Culture and Tourism, and the National Legislative Assembly

When we talk about religious dialogues for peace based on scriptures, what would you say to those who are not familiar with this approach?

Most religions say that the scripture is the absolute authority. No matter what religion you believe in, you bring ideas from the scriptures and find common values from them. This is how we can understand what religions talk about regarding the same value. What Hinduism says about a specific topic leads to what other religions understand with the same topic based on the scriptures. All religions teach people to be good. So, when we take scripture as the basis, we can reach our righteousness and correctness.

How did you come to promote the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) to the Thai government?

When I was in Korea, I asked for several copies of the DPCW. I needed them to explain it to people as an international law. There have already been agreements written and promoted by the United Nations, like human rights. Articles 8, 9 and 10 of the DPCW are an essential part for the parliamentary people to study. Not only can they support them, but they can also use them as a reference to form a future requirement. That is why I took the declaration to the working group of the parliament and asked them to read it.

Young generations in Thailand are losing serious thoughts about religion.

Please provide suggestions regarding worries on the decreasing role of religion.

The first thing is to establish religious studies in schools and build programs regarding human development together with spiritual enhancement. What is required is to think about how to make people as a proper human being and teach the values of being human. We must be able to understand the trend of young generations and modify the language to be attractive to them, so that we can find their needs according to their demands. It can be music, sports and many other activities for youth to develop ideas of peace. Culture and religion can mix together.

FEBRUARY 2018 HWPL NEWS   11

Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light

Peace Triumphs Again! The Winds of Peace Travel to Korea for the Peace Olympics All the snow and cold seemed to melt away with the burning hearts of the athletes from around the world who rushed towards their dreams and the people all over the globe who were cheering for them with one heart at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, which were held in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, Korea from February 9th to 25th.

The Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 is truly meaningful in light of the fact that the world has made a commitment towards the realization of these Peace Olympics by adopting the ‘Olympic Truce Resolution for PyeongChang’ at the 72nd United Nations General Assembly. In addition, the Republic of Korea hosting this Olympic Games, as the only divided country in the world, showed great resolve towards this goal with the two Koreas participating together to achieve the Olympic spirit of peace and harmony.

The start of the Olympics! Let Everyone Shine The flame of the Olympic torch relay that started last November finally arrived in Seoul, the capital city of South Korea, and made its journey through each region of the country. Under the theme of this year’s Olympic torch relay, ‘Let Everyone Shine’, the flame of the torch was reflected in the hearts of the citizens, and the people who came to experience this event were seen with bright expressions.

Q. How was it to watch the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics Torch Relay? the torch relay travels all around the country until it reaches Pyeongchang. Truly, it will be a wonderful festival to all of us.

Seo-ho Lee It was amazing to watch the torch relay. I very much look forward to the upcoming Olympics. Also, I heard 12 FEBRUARY 2018 HWPL NEWS

Q. Seeing everyone coming together from around the world for this event what are thoughts about the significance of this event beyond the borders of Korea? that everyone wants peace to happen. Especially for people like me who are also involved in doing peace work, I think that if we can all have that mindset and hold onto that dream, then we'll make it happen. I think that, with events like this, it's great for us to be able to say, “It's going to happen one day. It's going to happen.”

Joshua The Olympics have been going on for so long, and I think that with everything going on in Korea, that they've chosen this to be place that all of this is happening, is great for the world. I think it suggests

Q. What do you anticipate the most at the Pyeongchang Olympics?

After 101 days of travel, in order to fulfill the desire of the global community, the Olympic cauldron was lit at Pyeongchang on February 9th. Thirty years have passed since this flame was seen at the Seoul Olympics in 1988, so now the light has returned to Korea for a period of 17 days in 2018.

Hyerim Kwon North and South Korea have been exchanging great dialogues lately. I hope both the North and South will deliver more peace news to us so we can no longer point guns at each other but rather encourage one another and exchange good dialogues.

The fire that passes through the 30 hoops leading up to the cauldron represents these 30 years from 1988 to 2018, symbolizing the wish for peace on the Korean peninsula. In addition, the light show visualized the connection of space between the sky and earth.

The messages of hope for the future were featured in different languages, which also emphasizes the Olympics as a medium of peace and communication.

FEBRUARY 2018 HWPL NEWS 13

Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light

Legislate Peace Campaign Gallery

Nepal Students at Siddhi Binayak Secondary School in Nepal took the time to think about the value of peace after watching the video of the 3rd Annual WARP Summit.

Iraq Educators at Koya University in Iraq discussed practical action plans to implement the DPCW.

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Nepal To raise awareness of the importance of peace in Nepal, students held a discussion with three themes: 'Youth as a Catalyst for Peace', 'Youth as a Peace Reservoir' and 'Youth Contribution for Peace'.

Pakistan At Al-Karam Campus in Pakistan, students identified strengths within each other in order to fully understand "mutual respect", which is the first step toward achieving peace.

Mongolia Mongolian artists painted a mural to convey the spirit of harmony and culture of peace to the children at Ulaanbaatar Munkh-Buyant Kindergarten.

Ukraine Ukrainian young people had time to understand the process of peaceful compromise through intervention activities and discovered ways to cooperate with IPYG's peace project.

Nigeria The Chief of the Niger State Kwamba Community in Suleja town, Nigeria, signed an agreement to support the DPCW and decided to carry out HWPL’s peace campaign in cooperation with The Integrity Organization.

Nigeria In Kano State, Nigeria, young people shared their thoughts after drawing pictures of peace and war.

Nigeria In Kano State, Nigeria, young people listened to a presentation regarding Nigerian history and took a quiz in order to have time to think about the importance of the youth’s mission to achieve peace.

FEBRUARY 2018 HWPL NEWS 15

2018.02

Monthly Newsletter of Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light

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