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CELEBRATION AND BOOK LAUNCHING
Amsterdam
9 May 2009
I feel honored to be asked for this occasion to be the mc. In behalf of the
committee DEFEND I welcome you to this Celebration and Book Launching.
We celebrate the legal victory of Prof. Jose Maria Sison over de false charge
against him and join in the launching of his two latest books.
The launching Prof. Sison's books comes at the time of global recession and
global warming. State debts in increasing and warming goes faster than
expected. It is very important to be provided with Prof. Sison's perspective
on the crisis of imperialist globalization and the need for the people to struggle.
OPENING SPEECH
The opening speech will be done by Dominee Hans Visser who has
supported prof Jose Maria Sison since he came to the Netherlands in 1986.
Dominee Hans Visser
In the seventies he worked as pastor in Indonesia. Back home he was
appointed the director of the Church Social Work, and became the pastor
of the Paulus church that developed as meeting point for homeless and drug
addicts. With his actions he brings the church on the street. He is national
know as the defender of the marginalized people in society. In 2007 he went
on emeritus.
Recently Hans has established a new foundation to focus on the voiceless
people's in Rotterdam. They will try to help people who in one way or the
other can not avail of social help. With a solid group they will visit lonely people
and prisoners and they plan to give shelter to homeless and illegal people.
In 2000 he defended at the Univ. of Utrecht the thesis "turn city challenges into
action". He is also the writer of the book "Jezus was a stranger". Hans Visser has
ever been defending Jose Maria Sison. In 2002 he presented a petition letter to
the Tweede Kamer asking to withdraw Sison from the list and to support the
GRP-NDFP peace negotiations.
REVIEW VOLUME I: FOR JUSTICE, SOCIALISM AND PEACE.
The review is done by Prof. Sivanandam Sivasegaram.
Prof. Sivanandam Sivasegaram
Prof. Sivanandam Sivasegaram is from Colombo, Sri Lanka. Professor S. Sivasegaram
has been extensively writing on Sri Lanka and International Politics for more than
thirty years in Tamil and English, besides contributions to poetry, translation and
literary criticism. His latest article is: 'Sri Lanka: A Besieged Society'
He is born in Jaffna, he is a former head of the Mechanical Engineering Department
of the University of Peradeniya. He also served in the Imperial College, London and
has authored a large number of research papers in his field of profession. He is
member of the New Democratic Party and editor of New Democracy.
Professor C. Pathmamanoharan, who is a professor on chemistry on the university
of Utrecht, will read the book review.
REVIEW VOLUME II: FOR DEMOCRACY AND SOCIALISM AGAINST IMPERIALIST GLOBALIZATION
The review is done by Bert den Belder
Bert de Belder
He studied medical science in Leuven and did his internship in Chili. Than he and
his wife Rita went as barefoot doctors for 9 years to the Philippines. Bert worked
on the rural areas training health workers and developing health committees in
farmer communities. Over that period he wrote a book on liberating healthcare.
An important saying to him is: learn to do well, seek justice, relieve the oppressed.
Back in Brussels Bert is the coordinator of the NGO "Third World Healthcare". They
focus on Latin America, Cuba, Congo, Palestine and the Philippines. There theme is"
achieve health by eradicating injustice. Bert is also a strong promoter of the committee
defend for the defense of Sison and all other progressive people from the Philippines.
BOOKS VOLUME I AND II
Books vol. I and II printed by Aklat ng Bayan
Rey Casambre
Rey Casambre is from the Philippine Peace Center. The Philippine Peace Center
documents and closely follows the developments regarding the peace negotiations
between the NDF and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines. Rey want
to say a few words in behalf of Aklat ng Bayan (books for the people) that did do
the printing of the volume I and II.
WORDS OF THANKS ABOUT THE LEGAL VICTORY
Before giving the word to Prof Sison I want to address a few words to him in behalf
of the committee Defend.
Prof. Jose Maria Sison
The committee DEFEND admire your unwavering stand from your days as a young
activist to the time that you were held in prison by the Marcos dictatorship - tortured
and kept in solitary confinement with the death penalty hanging over your head - to
the present.
Your statements criticizing the Philippine government - from Marcos to Arroyo - for
its betrayal of Philippine sovereignty, its elitist policies and human rights violations,
has been one of the most consistent and loudest voices ever heard and discussed.
Your criticism of the actions and policies of the US and other governments that cause
sufferings among people has earned you the ire of some of the most powerful
governments of the world, but it has also earned you the respect and support of
many people, organizations and movements for social change.
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