*Now, let's welcome Mr. Sun Chung Mu, president and publisher of Inside the World magazine in Korea. Mr. Sun Chung Mu was winner of the 1993 International Human Rights Award. Only three people have received this award so far. One is President Mandela of South Africa, the second is multi Nobel Prize nominee, Mr. Kim Dae-Jung, and the third is Mr. Sun Chung Mu, who will now give us a speech.

Let us now welcome Mr. Sun Chung Mu.



*I wholeheartedly welcome Chairwoman Barbara, from the International Federation of Human Rights, Supreme Master Ching Hai, and journalists from all over the world, as well as students who are studying Supreme Master Ching Hai's philosophy, and their family members. I am very honored to be invited to this occasion. I think you invited me on this occasion because I am the recipient of the International Human Rights Award and journalist from South Korea, and I was also a journalist who covered the Vietnam War. Today, I think that both Formosa (Taiwan) and Âu Lạc (Vietnam) are very blessed countries. Following the Vietnam War, there were a large number of helpless Aulacese (Vietnamese) refugees around the world. When I think of the fact that we have a saintly woman such as Supreme Master Ching Hai, who guides them and leads them to righteous ways of living, and the fact that this lady is working with her world headquarters in Formosa (Taiwan), I feel these two countries are very blessed countries. We thought we would have world peace when the old Soviet Union was demolished and the Cold War ended, but we still have many wars around the world and many people die, and we have tens of thousands of helpless people such as the Aulacese (Vietnamese) refugees. I think it reflects the fact that we humans are still not awakened by God's words, the Creator's words, and the Truth that we have inside us. Please, give a very big applause to Madam Supreme Master Ching Hai, who has toured around the world and has spread the Truth and God's good intention, and has awakened the Truth.

During the Vietnam War, I worked as a war correspondent and I witnessed the horrible scenes of war. As a participant of the war, I sincerely apologize to you that the South Korean government and citizens have not taken a lot of responsibility in helping the Aulacese (Vietnamese) refugees. However, the more than 200 representatives and leaders who came here from South Korea have a mission now. When you go back to South Korea, please inform our government and our citizens to actively participate in activities that help the unfortunate Aulacese (Vietnamese) refugees scattered around in Asian countries. In addition, the more than 5,000 family members who came here, especially Supreme Master Ching Hai's family members, when you go back to your country, when you go back to the country that you live, you have to start a campaign directed to your governments, parliaments, and religious circles and journalist circles to spread the noble cause of Supreme Master Ching Hai, and to give your loving hand to help the numerous Aulacese (Vietnamese) refugees who are suffering in Asian countries. The purpose of the campaign is to spread Supreme Master Ching Hai's noble cause to the people who are not awakened to the Truth and to deliver with sincerity what you learned from her to them. Please, write what you think and send letters to governments, politicians, and conglomerates. Ladies and gentlemen, when you go back to your countries, please complain vigorously to England's government, Hong Kong's government,

Formosan (Taiwan) government, Aulacese (Vietnamese) government and the Chinese government - who will take over Hong Kong in the near future - and write letters, pleading letters, to them. I urge all of you to participate in this (human rights) return effort by sharing our values as human beings and our inborn dignity with all of them, so that they can keep their values and truth that God has given to us forever, so that their life may become better and they may fulfill their potential in this lifetime in a comfortable environment. Thank you.



*Being an international human rights activist as well, Mr. Sun has spoken with great respect for and expressed affirmation in Supreme Master Ching Hai. Let us now present the awards. Mrs. Barbara Finch, Director of the International Federation for Human Rights, and Mr. Chen Hung-Kwang, General-Secretary of the World Cultural Communication Association, will now present to Supreme Master Ching Hai the World Humanitarian Leadership Award and the certificate of the Honorable Advisor-in-Chief of the International Federation for Human Rights, in recognition of Master's humanitarian contributions. We respectfully invite Supreme Master Ching Hai to the stage to receive this honor. This is the plaque of the World Humanitarian Leadership Award.



*And I have a certificate for the Master from the International Federation of Human Rights: “We extend an invitation to the Supreme Master Ching Hai who has rendered assistance as well as demonstrated such deep and wide concern for international Human Rights and worldwide refugees. Our federation is in great need of your divine wisdom and experienced guidance. We therefore wish to hereby invite your grace to be our honorable adviser in chief. President Barbara J. Finch and Hung-Kwang Chen.”



* This is the certificate of the Honorable Advisor-in-Chief of the International Federation for Human Rights.



* The International Federation for Human Rights and the World Cultural Communication Association from the United States are presenting the World Humanitarian Leadership Award to our great Supreme Master Ching Hai. This carries a profound significance because it is the first time in 12 years for both organizations to present this award to an outstanding humanitarian leader. This award was initiated by the state of Iowa with the concurrence of the states of Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kansas, and Hawaii, as well as the city of Honolulu. The governors of these seven states and the mayor of Honolulu had arranged to fly in for this grand occasion but were eventually unable to make the trip.

Therefore, Mrs. Finch, Iowa Secretary of State, and I, General-Secretary of the World Cultural Communication Association, are here to present the award on their behalf. This time they are honoring two of the most compassionate leaders in the world. One is Supreme Master Ching Hai. Her tremendous contributions in offering aid to Aulacese (Vietnamese) refugees, the flood victims of six US states in the Midwest, the fire victims of LA, the homeless in California, the lepers in Hawaii, and the flood victims in France, and many more, have proved her worthy of recognition as an unprecedented world peace leader and world spiritual leader. We will also present the World Distinguished Leadership Award to the President of Formosa (Taiwan), Mr. Lee Teng-hui. Supreme Master Ching Hai has the qualifications for the World Human Rights Leadership Award. Here, as I stand in front of this great humanitarian leader, in this moment of magnificence, we realize how great her actions in rescuing the Aulacese (Vietnamese) refugees are. This is such a moving evening! The love of Supreme Master Ching Hai, the world leader and the recipient of the World Human Rights Leadership Award, encompasses the whole world.



*Dr. Richard Schneider of the International Peace Radio Station, also President of the Global Education University, will now present the World Citizen Humanitarian Award to Supreme Master Ching Hai. Supreme Master Ching Hai has spread the message of

universal love and peace throughout the world. For a long time, she has devoted tremendous manpower and material assistance to disaster victims in countries such as Thailand, Âu Lạc (Vietnam), China, the Philippines, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Formosa (Taiwan), etc. During her ten-year stay in Formosa (Taiwan), not only did she have her disciples visit the destitute, she herself also visited prisons, giving spiritual comfort to those incarcerated. Her Formosan (Taiwanese) disciples have also participated in a wide range of social activities and organized a series of activities called “Compassionate Heaven, Loving World” to help homeless people, clean up the environment, and fund the purchase of garbage trucks. When heavy floods struck the American Midwest and wild fires broke out in Los Angeles last year, Supreme Master Ching Hai requested volunteers from her worldwide meditation centers to offer emergency relief to the victims. She also donated US$1 million to lepers, veterans, and cancer and AIDS research programs in the US. Now let us invite Mr. Richard Schneider to present the World Citizen Humanitarian Award to Supreme Master Ching Hai.



*God in His mercy and compassion from time to time sends an enlightened person to the Earth to personify compassion, and tonight we honor such a person. The two million listeners of Radio for Peace International and the University of Global Education is proud and pleased and honored to recognize the enormity of the humanitarian effort, the personification of thoughts and feelings and spirit in action in real work, unselfishly, around the world. And for this tremendous effort and this tremendous demonstration of compassion and caring for all of humanity, regardless of their state or condition, we are proud to present our highest award, the World Citizen Humanitarian Award to Supreme Master Ching Hai.



*Chairman of the Asian Pacific Youth Freedom League in the Philippines, Dr. Rene Santos, and his wife, Mrs. Amy Santos, will now present the Humanitarian Paragon Medal to Supreme Master Ching Hai.



* Good evening. Supreme Master Ching Hai, distinguished guests from abroad, friends: “On behalf of the Filipino people and on behalf of the Asian Pacific Youth for Freedom League and the Rotary Club of Biak-na-Bato Silangan, Rotary International district 3780 Quezon City, Philippines, humbly presents this plaque of recognition to Supreme Master Ching Hai for her humanitarian concern and effort to help the countless refugees of the world - those in Palawan and Bataan centers in the Philippines; also for her immeasurable contributions to the victims of Mt. Pinatubo volcano eruptions. Approved by the board this 23rd day of May 1994, and this to be presented during the International Human Rights Conference in Taipei, Formosa (Taiwan), on May 25th, 1994. Signed, Ameurfina Amy G. Santos, President 1993-1994, Rosario Biologlovski, Secretary, and Yours sincerely, Reynaldo Rene G. Santos, Charter President.” And this is our motto for the year 1993-94. "Believe in what you do, do what you believe in."



*Director of the International Federation of Human Rights, Mrs. Barbara Finch, will present a painting to Supreme Master Ching Hai.

Honored guests and Supreme Master Ching Hai, I just want to say, “Iowa loves you.” And on behalf of Iowans, we present you with this painting. Thank you.



*On behalf of the government of Iowa state, Mrs. Barbara presents this painting to Supreme Master Ching Hai. We now cordially invite Supreme Master Ching Hai to deliver a speech.



Thank you, Barbara. Thank you, Mr. Chen, and thank you all the honored guests who have come from very faraway places like America, Canada, France, Korea, Africa, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, etc., also even Switzerland.

Thank you, Barbara. Thank you, Mr. Chen Hung-Kwang. Thank you, honorable guests, for coming from faraway places such as France, England, America, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Thank you, Formosan (Taiwanese) dignitaries. Thank you for your generosity and magnanimous love. I think this world is wonderful because of you. Yes. I feel undeserving to receive an award, because %%%personal glory can never replace the world's suffering. %%% If I could die today for those suffering sentient beings, I would do so immediately. All we can do is to live on for them, and together we'll think of ways to help them. We have been meditating and praying this week for world peace and for disaster-stricken people in countries such as Rwanda and Bosnia, and for the Aulacese (Vietnamese) refugees as well. We have helped refugees around the world with material and physical assistance. The problem of the refugees in other countries could be solved quickly because they are new refugees. But the Aulacese (Vietnamese) refugee issue has remained unsolved for nearly 20 years. The international community is concerned about it. Even the United Nations has been unable to find a solution for it. That's why I have approached world political leaders with feasible proposals to solve the refugee issue. We are prepared to donate all our money to any country willing to accept the refugees. We are ready to make monthly donations of hundreds of thousands of US dollars to help them until they can support themselves. We are not begging for compassion from the nations around the world; we believe that every nation is compassionate. Every nation must have suffered, or will one day suffer the turmoil of war or other disasters. Most nations have, more or less, gone through the refugee situation. Decades ago, war and other catastrophes sent tens of thousands of Chinese people fleeing to Âu Lạc (Vietnam), which was peaceful at that time. Âu Lạc (Vietnam) opened its door and offered a vast piece of land near its capital of Saigon to the Chinese refugees. The refugees developed that land into a flourishing Chinatown. Some of the Hong Kong people are descendants of these refugees. When the Chinese fled to Âu Lạc (Vietnam), we offered them land and citizenship. They could either become Aulacese (Vietnamese) citizens or retain their national status as overseas Chinese. They had absolute freedom to establish a business, work, go to school, and build a home. They have developed a business hub known as the "Big Market" today, because Chinese people are good businesspeople. When they first arrived, they began doing business and grew prosperous. We Aulacese (Vietnamese) welcomed the Chinese very much, because the Chinese had superb skills, and they opened the best and cleanest hotels, and they had the best service. We welcomed and respected the Chinese people. We called them "third elder brother" or "third elder sister" instead of overseas Chinese. We regarded them as our own brothers. We did not call them "big brother" because that refers to our own native brothers. We call them “third elder brother” to demonstrate our hospitality and magnanimity. I hope that this can serve as an example for all nations. %%%When refugees come to our country, we should treat them as our brothers and sisters, %%% because we ourselves might become victims of disasters someday as well. Up to now, no country can be exempt from the suffering of war or of becoming refugees. That's why we should help one another. It would be strange if we refused to do so.