DAY ONE: 5th Feb 2007 Monday
War Criminal Conference & Exhibition
[Dewan Merdeka, PWTC, Kuala Lumpur]
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SESSION 1: WAR CRIMES - AN OVERVIEW (10.45-11.15)
QUESTION AND ANSWERS WITH PANEL SPEAKERS FROM SESSIONS 1 & 2
Q & A Sessions
 
Q1: (Prof. Jalair Jaafar from Iraq)
The modus operandi to start war usually started by the aggressors from neighbouring countries. Examples were Iraq, Iran, Palestine & Lebanon. How the NGOs can deal with the regimes who act as puppet of the superpower?
A1: Tun Mahathir
The first rule here is not allowing the neighboring countries to establish themselves in the country. However it is very difficult to implement this rule. The second option for the country to overcome this is by having good economy and political stability which will make the coutries stronger and not depending too much on the neighbour countries that may act as a puppet to superpower in the future. One of the consistent answers that TDM believe is by boycotting the US Dollar and using others currency.
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Q2: (Ahmad Al-Farma)
George W. Bush and Tony Blair is part of the game play by the Neo-Conservative movement. New leaders might replace them but the destructive action will be still be continue. What do you think about this game plan?
A2: Tun Mahathir
The game plan will always continue if there are still people who want to be part of the game. This orchestrated war will always happen no matter what. The single way to overcome this is through education. Only through education we can expose the wrongdoings and produce a peace-loving people.
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Q3. (Afiq from UNISEL)
What can the students do in view of criminalize wars?
A3:

Tun Mahathir
The students shall take pro-active thinking on what they doing. They need to be sympathetic to other people and always thankful. So far Malaysia is a peaceful country, but it make not very long. The first step that the students should take is to go the Criminalize war exhibitions. The Ministry of Tourism Malaysia agreed to bring this exhibition nationwide. The students especially must remember that all human being in the world are brothers and sisters. An example was Bosnia, Malaysia show sympathy to them and who's know Malaysian need their assistance in future.

Ms. Cynthia
Students can spark change constructively - like they did in the Civil Rights Movement. Students can equip themselves with critical thinking and analysis when they obtain information.

Ms. Moret
Educate young people. It is wonderful if we got exchange program. Example bring US Student learn about peace economics. Educate about the paradigm shift, create prosperity & equality in proper economics conditions.

Mr. Von Sponek
In today's world, learning is not obligatory, but it is vital for our survival. Therefore, students should learn as much as they can.

Prof. Chussodovsky
Confront critically everything professors present in classroom, especially in economics and political science. Tendency to propagate Anglo-American scholarship - spread US ideals through economics, and political science topics.

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Q4. (Dr. Ronald McCoy)
The media - how we're being programmed towards war. Many say it is impossible to eradicate war, because we are naturally aggressive. This might be true, but war - is organized violence and aggression - can be disorganized  change the way we think, change concept, but we have to change the way we think  the media glorified violence - need political will. Abolish capital punishment which is for drug trafficking and for murder, in Malaysia - why not, please abolish it?
A4.

Tun Mahathir
I will convert the statement into a question. Agree - too much violence - in media  effects - seeing people being killed - will agree to war because they can kill people personally. Ban violence - Put pressure on government. Support candidates that support banning violence on media - will vote people that do so. During my administration - the public had demonstration to protest on key issue - so, have demonstration to government that agree with violence. Censoring the Internet was supposed to curtail the freedom - everything - violence and sex online - leads to the increase crime rate in this country - learn from the internet. I support the freedom of speech, but there is a limit - have to censor violence and sex on the media and the internet. If the law is powerful enough to be applied extra-territorially - where people who post explicit pictures on the internet - when they visit Malaysia - charge them under Malaysian laws

Dr. Chossudovsky
Without wishing to complicate matters - Pentagon and the VIA are among the major Financiers in Hollywood - sponsor series and movies to nurture public opinion to a particular mindset - example:- realistic Bin Laden portrayal, movies propogating the Nuclear Doctorine - right after it was introduced in real life

Dr. Moren
My relatives - producers in Hollywood - and mentioned once that in Hollywood, White, Anglo-Saxon Protestants - run Hollywood  conditioning the public, US - biggest export is entertainment, but it is doing mind control to the whole world

Cynthia
As a parent - I think we should hold children close to us as possible - if we don't parent them properly - we will loose them to the influence around them, eg: do not buy toys that will promote violence and unhealthy self-image. Talk to children - about what they see on TV, how it is related to them

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Q5. (Unidentified)
What happened to Bosnia is happening to Iraq today. Saddam Hussein's time - Kurds were the only ethnic group with issues, but now, Sunnis and Shi'ites are fighting - for reasons unknowns. I suggest that we instill Islamic values to Iraqi people.
A5. Refer to A6 for answer.
To Tun M - My family and I are praying for you to have the courage and longevity - to champion this cause
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Q6. (Sayed Nurul Haq)
To Tun M - Malaysia - In 1990 - Malaysia, as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, voted for the war on Iraq. How do you feel about it now?
A6.

Malaysia supported the war against Iraq because Malaysia was against the invasion of Kuwait. We always support a country that is under attack and Kuwait was no exception. By stopping the war, we hope to go back to the negotiation table and avoid bloodshed. In 2003, when Iraq is attacked by the Allied forces - we were supporting Iraq - will always side those being attacked.

To Prof. Chossudovsky - What do you feel about Apacalypto - the movie which portrays the fall of civilization?

To Mr. von Sponeck - Has the horrors of economic sanctions - make you too idealistic? History lessons have shown that there will always be dominant nation, and this is not necessarily a conspiracy.

A6: After 6 and a half years of oil for food programme - the benefit is, according to reliable sources, 50 cents per person per day. The gap - between rhetoric and the actual situation - is huge - is this idealism? Look at the stars and keep your feet on the ground - popular German saving - that's how we operate - it is realistic.

To Mr.Webre - What sanctions will victims of war crimes get? Will justice be guaranteed?

A6. Victims - access to justice - The KL War Crimes tribunal - access to justice and capacity - can issue judgment and findings - crimes of aggression/genocide/war crimes - recommend appropriate sentences, compensation, restore society and earth - fairly broad jurisdiction - if enforced - in national courts - need popular movement in those countries - the ICC - abit more tactical - 144 signatories - UK is a signatory - it is a relatively young institution - need to be initiated by the SCC - can begin procedures against Blair and other British perpetrators of war. War crimes - sanctions - criminal penalties - technically as well - extraordinary circumstances - the ICC is able to bring justice to non-signatories - can take investigation - our movement, and movement of time - prison sentences.

To Dr. Almusawi - How do you expect peace to happen when the Americans leave? This is because they have sown the seed of future problems for Iraq?

A5 and A6. Actually, Iraqis are united. US tried to divide them - by implementing sectarian rule in Iraq. Iraqis will stick to national unity - it is impossible to separate Iraqis. Kurds in Iraq have national identity - are respected within Iraq - identity - government of Iraq (pre invasion) gave more privileges to the Kurds than other countries. Scheme to Iraqis apart is against the logic of history and the will of Iraqis

Prof. Chossudovsky
Yugoslavia - breaking it up - Regan administration - create dimensions between ethnic groups - that were homogeneous - had intermarriage. US funded the insurgency - brought in fighters - linked to Al Qaeda - proven by Congressional documents - the Dayton Agreement -carved up the region according to ethnic lines - and redefined ethnicity - that is the model. Furthermore, in Bosnia - there was a central bank, but Bosnians cannot be the chairman, and must be elected by the IMF. There are a lot of things to learn from there to what's happening in Iraq.

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Q7. (Ahmad Izzudin, MAS)
To Dr. Moren - Do you believe that depleted uranium - have continued effect around the world?
A7.

Depleted Uranium - all atmosphere testing of nuclear weapons equivalent to 40 000 Hiroshima bombs - 1945 to 2000. Since 1991 - Depleted uranium - US and UK equivalent to 400 000 Nagasaki bombs.

The Resistant's rockets - blew up USD$1bil worth of depleted uranium. Industries in US are storing huge amounts of depleted uranium at their sites - the diabetes epidemic - in US and Japan - has an environmental cause. The WHO in April 2003 - global cancer - will increase 50% by 2020, diabetes will increase from 30 million persons affected to 230 million persons by 2020. 800 tons of depleted emission s- equivalent to 83 000 Nagasaki bombs. The British Atomic Agency - 1990 - issued a concern about using depleted uranium - greatest mass extinction is occurring since the time of the dinosaurs. All species of frogs will be extinct in 30 years - a harbinger of things to come - all species will become extinct.

Increase in infant mortality - radiation is causing it.

Alternative energy - most effective action - change our energy use - replace nuclear plants with natural gas plants - just take out the reactive core - cheap too. When I left the Livermore Lab - someone told be that nuclear labs exists for Pentagon, and Pentagon exists for the petroleum industry. All the weapons of mass destruction - originated from the 1943 Manhattan Project - this plan - long incubation period - regions of Iraq and the South China Sea was identified - rich in petroleum reserves - targeting long ago. Oil companies are stopping the use of alternative energy trying. The trick is getting alternative energy technology to the Third World (so that they will no longer be dependent on the West for energy sources) without getting killed.

Mr. Webre
Alternative energy - needs to be addressed at two levels - US Black Budget - untraceable government funds - $1trillion per annum. Alternative fuel - have been developed to replace petroleum and nuclear - classified under black budget - if brought forward change human society - will be no more dependent on petroleum and nuclear energy resources - very powerful change. Corporate sectors are buying up - inventions on alternative energy - and take them off the market - no threat to their oligopoly, also - state terror on inventors of alternative energy technologies - eg: Eugene Mallor - died under mysterious circumstances. By admitting that alternative energy sources are viable and useable - can bring a positive future of mankind.

To Dr. McKinney - I agree that parents are important

To Dr. Moret - Will America murder its own people for the benefit of their oil companies?

A7. Dr.McKinney
We can see how US - treats the African Americans - the Martin Luther King, Black Ultra movement, as a result of the ill-treatment the US govt has done - the family of a movement's leader - suing the US government. The Tuskegee experiments are another examples. A declassified document - Operation Northwood's documents - military and the Joint-Chiefs-of-Staff - decided to go to war with Cuba - to blow up plans, wreck havoc on American streets - President Kennedy - the president during that time - refused to go along - and look what happened to him.

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Q8: Did US follow international law in the trial of Saddam Hussein. What can be done to improve international law?
A8:

Tun Mahathir has issued a statement regarding the trial. Everyone deserves a fair trial. Saddam was tried by a kangaroo court, judges were removed and his defense lawyers were killed. His hanging was also rushed and done on a Muslim holy day. Hence the dissatisfaction.

The invasion of Iraq was illegitimate and his trial was also illegal. Saddam Hussien was the legitimate leader. The world didn't stand by when Kuwait was attacked and they should not stand by when Iraq is attacked

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Q9. What happened to the effort to promote gold dinar as currency?
A9: Use something else other than the gold dinar. When you refused money although it is available, you can reduce the value of dollar. When a country does not have the money, they cannot manufacture war.