Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad listens attentively to a question from a journalist
A three-day conference on War Crimes and Exhibition initiated by the Perdana Global Peace Organisation (PGPO), which starts in Kuala Lumpur's Putra World Trace Centre, Monday (Feb 5), would emphasise on war crimes or criminalising war. It was kicked off by an informal discussion among invited participants on the subject today.
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the PGPO chairman and former Malaysian Prime Minister, said a cross-section of people from around the world are attending the conference. The conference receives support from the Malaysian Government in particular the Prime Minister's Department.
He hoped that the conference would be able to do something to criminalise war apart from setting up a commission and tribunal to try war criminals brought to its attention including trials in absentia.
Dr Mahathir said the legal process would be carried in a proper way. It would not be a kangaroo court. Participants including journalists, scientists, victims of war crimes and anti-war activivts from Canada, the United States, Japan, Africa, Palestine, Iraq, Iran are attending the conference.
2 comments:
Pak Tuan,
I was there at Dewan Merdeka in the company of more than 2,000 peacemongers (the words of emcee wan zaleha radzi) during the keynote address by tdm. glad i came and listen attentively for it was like sitting tru WarCrime 101 lecture. It seemed like yesterday i heard The Grand Old Masta ranting, raving, rambling and re-demonizing the warmongers as he did during his years in the stewardship or our country. In my humble opinion, the 81 years old man did not lose any of his old self in calling a spade a spade in the eyes of the world (hence the world rpess was there covering the event as well). It also seemed a deja vu of sort for me to hear the GOM (grand old masta)'s address vis-a-vis umno general assembly etc.
I have not been to pwtc in a long while (not even to umno general assemblies after 2004) and coming as i did with my wife today was like taking a refresher couse in NewsWriting 101! Was listening and trying to figrue out the intro of the speech and the side-bars! it was a choice between criminalising the war and stigmatizing bush and blair as war criminals or both, in the same intro but must not fail the one breath test(i am sure Pak Tuan will remember bernama's guideline (i have no idea who coin it but it was hell of a task)that "awak punya intro mesti bole sebut dan baca dalam satu nafas sahaja", hence the one-breath-test).
That tdm was at his best was a academic and that his plain and simple english in communicating his message was enlighthening nevertheless. It was equally tdm at his usual best when he was interviewed over aljazeera's 101 east and it seemed to me that this old man (the usual nickname to everyone) will not not stop and retire after his last heart attack.
I was hoping to meet u up there today but had to make my way out of the conference earlier to meet up some ppl over pressing matters. will be back tomorrow and hopefully we could take a breather together (for kopi and rokok) at the back of the dewan merdeka. today they had an ok dalca (not so good lah) with roti canai and hopefully i could meet up with you Pak Tuan tomorrow 4 a better light brunch.
zaki tok tam
Anakbukit, Alor Setar, Kedah.
You are right, Tun is Tun. Vintage Tun. He is one of a kind. The only one in Malaysia.
I will be at the PWTC after lunch tomorrow. See you there.
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