Update: See the photos on the candle vigil for Yang Yoon-Mo in front of the Jeju prison, here, here and here
Update: See the photos of solidarity for Yang Yoon-Mo in Okinawa, see here.
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International Solidarity Messages for Prof. Yang Yoon-Mo
(Feb. 11 to 14, 2013)
The Gangjeong Village International Team has requested the peacemakers in the world to send the solidarity message for Prof. Yang Yoon-Mo with about 100words, through the website and facebooks. Here are the messages collected from Feb. 11 to 14. You can see the Korean translations here. Thanks so much, friends to send the messages. Thanks, Mr. Kang Dong-Seok, and Ms. Park Youn-Ae, for translation.
# Alphabet order by last name
Catherine Christie
Dear Professor Yang,
From the U.N. Environmental Sabbath Program:
We join with the earth and with each other,
To bring new life to the land
To restore the waters
To refresh the air
We join with the earth and with each other,
To renew the fields
To care for the plants
To protect the creatures
We join with the earth and with each other,
To celebrate the seas
To rejoice in the sunlight
To sing the song of the stars
We join with the earth and with each other,
To recreate the human community
To promote peace and justice
To remember our children of the earth
We join with the earth and with each other
We join together as many and diverse expressions of one loving mystery:
For the healing of the earth and the renewal of all life.
Professor Yang – you have showed us this prayer in your living and acting for Gangjeong land and sea. Thank you. –
Catherine Christie, Seoul
Coco (Peninsula Peace & Justice of Blue Hill, Maine, United States)
We invite you to sing these lightly revised words from Les Miserables as Mr. Yang liked the movie and the book so much:
Will you join with us today?
Who will be strong and stand with me?
Somewhere beyond the barricade
Is there a world you long to see?
Do you hear the people sing?
Say, do you hear the distant drums?
It is the future that they bring
When tomorrow comes…
Peninsula Peace & Justice of Blue Hill, Maine, sings with you as we hold Mr. Yang in our thoughts during his courageous hunger strike. May his release from his unjust imprisonment be swift.
(Coco on behalf of the Peninsula Peace & Justice of Blue Hill, Maine, USA)
Ron Engel
‘Dear Professor Yang Yoon-Mo,
We have never met in person but it is clear that we have met in spirit.
When you say your faith is to save the things of beauty in the world we understand and share this with you.
We visited Gangjeong Village last September and we beheld there a thing of beauty that should be preserved.
We tried to bring this to the attention of the world through the World Conservation Congress with the help of wonderful people like.
We revere your courage and commitment on behalf of the beauty of the people and place of Gangjeong Village and stand in solidarity with you.
Ron and Joan’
# Ron Engel has greatly supported the Gangjeong village and made a beautiful speech for Gagjeong on Sept. 15 during the 2012 WCC Jeju. You can hear Ron’s speech on Sept. 15, here.
Bruce Gagnon
‘Professor Yang:
I am once again deeply touched by your determined stand to hunger strike while in jail to call attention to the illegal and unjust “laws” that protect the destruction of nature so an insane and provocative Navy base in Gangjeong can be built. How can good people go to jail for trying to protect nature while people who destroy the future are not charged with any crimes?
I can assure you that I will do all that I can to help educate people in the US and around the world about the struggle to stop the Navy base.
Please know that you are not alone in your effort. Please take good care of yourself. You are important to all of us.
For justice and peace,
Bruce K. Gagnon
Coordinator
Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
globalnet@mindspring.com
www.space4peace.org
http://space4peace.blogspot.com/ (blog)
Thank God men cannot fly, and lay waste the sky as well as the earth. ~Henry David Thoreau’
Andrew Jackson
I can’t think of a more perfect example of an ‘unharmful gentle soul misplaced inside a jail’ than Yang Yoon Mo. He has already been imprisoned for the struggle for peace and nature on Jeju, and has suffered greatly due to his hunger strikes in prison. The ridiculous South Korean law against ‘obstructing business’ is designed to frustrate legitimate protest, and in Gangjeong peacemakers can be picked off at will for huge fines or spells in prison.
One of my favourite videos about the Gangjeong struggle is Yang Yoon Mo interviewed at The Gurumbi rock. In this long interview his words are full of intelligence, wisdom, morality, justice and love. He is overflowing with the human qualities that can not even be traced among the greedy, the blind, the ignorant and the corrupt who are bringing this disaster to Jeju. His return to jail, following appealing the terms of his probation, is the result of spite, and possibly insanity, in one judge. The decision must be reversed.
Last year I was fortunate to visit Gangjeong for a few days in summer. I can’t count the number of wonderful, kind, loving people I met. I also met Yang Yoon Mo, but it was not until my last night in Gangjeong that I realised this quiet, dignified, seemingly elderly man, who I had greeted daily at the destruction site gates and who had sat silently as we drank rice wine outdoors with villagers in the evening, was the youthful-looking middle aged guy in the Gurumbi interview. His 70 day hunger strike seemed to have changed his physique and appearance. I was pleased I could express my admiration to him and receive words of kindness from this wonderful man.
The news of Yang Yoon Mo’s imprisonment is simply terrible. His renewed hunger strike is something I wish was not happening. But one can only respect his decision and pray that liberty and health is restored swiftly to this ‘unharmful gentle soul’.
FREE YANG YOON MO!!
Andrew Jackson
London
Masami Kawamura
Message from Okinawa to Prof. Yang Yoon-Mo
The Okinawan islanders’ hearts are broken to hear that you are in prison again.
We send our solidarity to you, Prof. Yang Yoo-Mo, brave activist, struggling for the peace, environment and justice of Jeju.
While we light candles in Okinawa together with Gangeong people on February 15, we believe, Prof. Yang Yoon-Mo, you yourself are the candle which shows us the right direction to move on to.
You are not alone. We stand with you.
Masami Kawamura
Okinawa Outreach
Renie Wong Lindley
‘Dear Yang Yoon-Mo,
I understand why the Gureombi Rock is so beautiful to you. I too love rocks. In California I have hiked far above the timberline where there is only sun, rock and water and where the energy between those simple forces make a profusion of life happen. Our lives belong to these forces. You are not misled. You are led by your heart, your soul.
I will think of you every day and hold you in the Light.
Renie Lindley
Quaker, Honolulu Friends Meeting.’
Okamoto Yukiko
日本語で書くことをお許し下さい。
ヤン先生が早く解放されることを強く望んでいます。
私は、動画で拝見した、
ヤン先生がクロンビ岩の上で静かに語っている姿を、
いつも鮮やかに思い描いています。
済州島の海軍基地計画は、
沖縄での新しい米軍基地の建設と同様、
アメリカの世界戦略の一環です。
済州島の苦しみは、私たち沖縄の苦しみであり、
済州島の闘いは、私たち沖縄の闘いです。
沖縄では、知事をはじめ全ての市町村長、議会、住民の反対にもかかわらず、
日米政府は辺野古に基地を造ろうとあがき、
米軍の新型輸送機MV22オスプレイを強行配備してきました。
私たちは、沖縄で、頑張ります。
平和な日々を取り戻すまで、共にあることを願っています。
岡本由希子okamoto yukiko
（沖縄平和市民連絡会）
Judy Robbins, Peninsula Peace & Justice of Blue Hill, Maine, USA
To the people of Gangjeong Village and Jeju, Island of Peace.
The Peninsula Peace & Justice Committee of Blue Hill, Maine, USA, sends greetings and solidarity for your struggle for justice and peace. The courage and love of Mr. Yang inspires the world to be strong and to sustain. We light a candle for you in the 15th day of your fast. Thank you.
Peter Simpson
My name is Peter Simpson, and I am an associate professor at Okinawa International University. As a teacher, and a responsible human being, I feel it is my duty to raise awareness of the environmental crisis facing our planet, and to make sure that we leave a legacy of peace, equal rights and environmental justice. For this reason I support Professor Yang Yoon-Mo’s responsible action in trying to prevent the destruction of Gureombi and support the campaign for his immediate release from jail.
Yuzi Tanaka
私は昨年、済州島に訪れました。
そこで米軍基地問題に向き合う済州の皆さんを知りました。
東アジアを緊張させる米軍基地も必要無いし、
済州の自然を大切にして欲しい。
そしてYang Yoon-Moさんを解放してください。
Last year, I visited the island of Jeju.
I know all of you facing the problem Jeju U.S. military base there.
You also do not need to strain the U.S. military base in East Asia, I want to cherish the nature of Jeju.
Please free up and Mr. Yang Yoon-Mo.
田中 雄二
Yuzi Tanaka
Regis Tremblay
‘Dear Professor Yang;
You have my great admiration for your principled stand against the construction of this base in Gangjeong Village.
I met you while I was in Gangjeong during September of last year. I was there to film a documentary about Jeju and have many images and video clips of you. At the present, I am in post-production of my film and hoping to receive funding from the Sundance Film Fund.
It was only at the end of my stay that I was able to visit the April 3rd Peace Museum. Our mutual friend, Gilchun Koh accompanied me. Until then, I could not understand why everyone, including Bishop Peter Kang were telling me I had to visit the museum in order to understand the protest. Gilchun’s exhibit overwhelmed me with sadness and grief.
I was angry, ashamed, and tearful at what I learned and came home determined to tell the whole story of the American complicity in Jeju and Korea since 1945. The film places the protests against the base in the broader context of the American military expansion in its attempt to encircle China and dominate and control the Pacific Ocean. The protest in Gangjeong represents the modern-day struggle of people around the world against militarism, violence, and the destruction of the environment, no to mention the total disregard for self-determination, human rights, and social justice.
The curator of the museum, with Gilchun’s help, provided me with 8 DVDs packed with archival film, photos, and documents that I will use in my film, including interviews with some of the survivors. I am also using film and photos from the U.S. National Archives and from the Associated Press.
I have already filmed interviews with Bruce Cumings, and Charles Hanley who wrote the book, The Bridge at No Gun Ri. These are very powerful and will add a great deal of credibility to the film. Also, Bruce Gagnon was interviewed about America’s real plans for world domination. It is an expose of the supposed Pax Americana.
I have created a 38 minute rough-cut of the film to apply for a grant from the Sundance Film Fund and to raise money by showing it to small Peace & Justice groups. The reaction is always the same. Some people cry, some express disbelief that their government could be guilty of these crimes, most are angry to learn, and nearly all ask what can they do. That is my hope for the film, that it will motivate people to take action.
Finally, I believe you have become a powerful symbol of the protest through your imprisonments and fasts and I thank you for the example you have set for the entire world.
Hardly a day goes by when I don’t think about you and the people of Gangjeong Village.
Peace to you, Professor Yang and thank you for your witness to peace and justice in the world,
Regis Tremblay
Maine, United States‘
Ana Traynin
‘Dear Prof. Yang,
I was so privileged to join a tour of Gangjeong village with you,
just a few days before they took you away.
Your peaceful yet strong and resilient character, recognition of real
beauty, love of nature and unbending struggle to save both will stay with me forever.
As Utah Phillips said “the degree to which you resist is the degree to which you are free.”
Prof. Yang, your courageous and self-transcending actions in the name of peace, even as the state steals your physical freedom, show the freedom you hold inside. You are a visionary and inspiration to us all.
I send you light and endless positive energy from this crazy world.
In solidarity,
Ana Traynin’
Hideki Yoshikawa
Solidarity Message to Prof. Yang Yoo-Mo from Okinawa:
Outraged by the repeated imprisonment of Prof. Yang Yoon-Mo,
Dismayed by the Korean government’s disregard for human rights and environmental justice,
Still encouraged by Prof. Yang Yoo-Mo’s determination to fight to keep Jeju Island as “the Island of Peace,”
I am sending my solidarity message to Prof. Yang Yoo-Mo and my friends in Jeju.
Hideki Yoshikawa
Citizens’ Network for Biodiversity in Okinawa
Save the Dugong Campaign Center
