Embassy of Japan in Timor-Leste
在東ティモール日本国大使館
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It seems that the tropical climate of Timor-Leste has gone to Japan, and that you are experiencing fierce heat everyday. Especially, the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake must be having hard days. Please do take good care of yourselves.
Through the NHK satellite programme, I am watching the junior high school students from the disaster affected areas singing “YELL”, a song which they have practiced very hard for their graduation ceremony, to the displaced victims of the disaster.
“Good-bye is not a sad word. Yell binds our dream and ourselves. We will fly away to the future, our next stage, on our own, keeping our memories of the days we have spent together…”
To the students of junior high school in Japan,
There were grief and parting, past incidents which nobody in Timor-Leste can forget. We cannot possibly infer pains and sufferings which the Timorese people went through.
Yet, I can say one thing for sure.
People in Timor-Leste study history, pay respect to their history, and in order to reflect lessons learned from their history, they value their hard-won peace and are now putting all their efforts towards their nation-building.
They are not confined in their past history.
To the students of junior high school in Japan,
I would like to introduce a concluding paragraph from the Strategic Development Plan (page 218), which is a nation building plan up to 2030, launched on July 12.
I would like to quote the paragraph as below, for providing the occasion for you to learn English:
“Today we face a new challenge to develop the nation we fought so hard to achieve. With the same values and commitment we brought to our independence struggle, and in a renewed spirit of solidarity, we can work together to realise our dreams. This new struggle will be difficult. It is easy to simply identify problems and criticise plans for change. The braver path is to recognise our strengths, build on our successes and work together for a better Timor-Leste and for a brighter future for all our people”
To the students of junior high school in Japan,
I will send YELL from bottom of my heart, with might and main, from Timor-Leste.
Hold on there!
In the year of Great East Japan Earthquake, yet again we are in August 15.
August 15, 2011
Iwao Kitahara
Ambassador of Japan to Timor-Leste
(c) Embassy of Japan in Timor-Leste Avenida de Portugal, Pantai Kelapa, Dili, Timor-Leste (P.O. Box 175) Tel: +670-3323131 Fax: +670-3323130