Hundred years of Anzacs - in the pursuit of peace

[webfact]

Hundred years of Anzacs - in the pursuit of peace
Reuben Levermore
Special to The Nation

A tribute to the courage, compassion and comradeship of New Zealanders and Australians who have served in military conflicts and peace-keeping roles

At dawn tomorrow, New Zealanders and Australians will gather together in Thailand, and all around the world, to commemorate the service and sacrifice of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzac) soldiers who landed exactly 100 years ago at Gallipoli in modern Turkey during the First World War (WWI).

On this day - Anzac Day - we also remember the courage, compassion, and comradeship of all New Zealanders and Australians who have served in military conflicts and peace-keeping roles around the world.

Today, there are 260 New Zealand Defence Force personnel deployed in nine operations and UN missions across eight countries.

In Thailand, we commemorate Anzac Day at Hellfire Pass, where tens of thousands of allied prisoners of war and forced labourers from Asia lost their lives during the construction of the Thai-Burma railway during World War II.

Almost 3,000 Australian and at least 16 New Zealand servicemen are buried in Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, and along the length of the railway.

In Thailand, Anzac Day is also a time to reflect on New Zealand's long-standing commitment to peace and security in Southeast Asia, and the sacrifices that we have made in support of regional security.

War at Gallipoli

On April 25, 1915, Allied soldiers landed on the shores of the Gallipoli peninsula. The troops were there as part of a plan to open the Dardanelles Strait to the Allied fleets. The Allied forces encountered unexpectedly strong resistance from the Turks, and both sides suffered enormous loss of life.

The Gallipoli campaign was a costly failure for the Allies, who after nine months abandoned it and evacuated their surviving troops. The under-resourced and poorly-conducted campaign did not have any significant influence on the outcome of the war. Approximately a fifth of the New Zealanders taking part had been killed.

Legacy from WWI

By the end of WWI, New Zealand had the highest percentage of its military-age men killed among the countries in the British Empire.

Over 18,000 New Zealand men and women were killed and - as with all victims of war - many of those who survived suffered from post-traumatic stress, making it difficult for them to adjust to life back home.

However, New Zealand's experiences in WWI and at Gallipoli in particular were an important step towards our full independence.

Similarly, events at Gallipoli paved the way for the emergence of modern Turkey.

The terms "Anzacs" and "Kiwis" were coined during WWI as New Zealand and Australia suffered together the unprecedented shock of an industrial-era conflict a long way from home.

New Zealand's experiences in WWI taught us a lot about the futility of war, and helped forge a nation committed to the endless struggle to build a more stable and peaceful world. This includes a long-term commitment to the security and stability of South East Asia.

New Zealand became involved in the Malayan Emergency in 1949 to help the British and Commonwealth armed forces fight communist aggression spreading to the region. Approximately 4,000 New Zealand personnel served in the Malayan Emergency. Of these, 15 lost their lives.

The Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) were concluded in the wake of the Malayan Emergency and the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation.

In 1971, New Zealand joined the UK, Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore to form the FPDA. Initially intended as an interim security solution for Malaysia and Singapore, allowing them time to develop their military capabilities to meet their own defence needs, the FPDA has become the most enduring multilateral security arrangement in Southeast Asia. It is the only one with an operational arm in the form of the Integrated Area Defence System Headquarters at Butterworth in Malaysia.

Exercises under the FPDA have adapted to confront the changing threat environment in the region and now include humanitarian and disaster relief operations. Other Asean countries are also able to observe the FPDA's exercises, reflecting the member countries' ongoing commitment to the security of the entire Asean region.

Timor-Leste is looking to become the 11th member of Asean. This is something that would not have seemed possible 20 years ago during a violent and brutal occupation.

Peace in Timor-Leste would not have come without a joint peace-keeping operation known as the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor Peace Keeping Force (UNTAET PKF), in which the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) played a key role.

NZDF's primary role in UNTAET PKF was to provide security along the volatile southern border of the West Sector, as well as air transport and training support to the East Timor Defence Force. Sadly, five New Zealand peace-keepers died in East Timor.

Asean member states played a key role in the UNTAET PKF with four countries - Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand - contributing troops and civilian police. Indeed, Thailand's Lieutenant General Boonsrang Niumpradit served as UNTAET PKF Commander from July 2000 until September 2001.

The NZDF continues to provide assistance to Timor-Leste through the Mutual Assistance Programme, while New Zealand development assistance and a Community Policing programme support Timor-Leste's growth into a stable, democratic and prosperous country.

New Zealand's commitment to international peace and security continues to this day. Last year, New Zealand gained a seat on the United Nations Security Council for the first time since 1994. This is a great privilege, and a commitment that has its roots in the courage, compassion, and comradeship of the Anzacs who fought and died 100 years ago.

Lest we forget.

Reuben Levermore is New Zealand's ambassador to Thailand, Cambodia, and the Lao People's Democratic Republic

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Hundred-years-of-Anzacs--in-the-pursuit-of-peace-30258623.html


-- The Nation 2015-04-24

[Cats4ever]

Good on the Kiwis - Aussies have a thoughtless tendency to skip over their contributions.

[anon4546543]

Since WW1, Aussies and Kiwis have had few occasions to actually fight together. In WW11, the Kiwis fought in Europe ( a renowned battle was fought at Monte Cassino) whilst the Aussies left after the debacle in Greece and returned from Egypt to fight with the Yanks in the Pacific. They had short stints together in the Malay conflict and Korea, while a company of Kiwis joined the 4th Royal Australian Regiment in Vietnam. At all ANZAC Day dawn ceremonies I have attended in Australia, the Kiwis have been mentioned with equal distinction as the Aussies. I also think we are forging better commercial agreements now, even a common coinage has been mentioned. Regardless of that, ANZAC Day is a commemoration to all of our fallen military, nurses and the families of the fallen in fruitless expeditions far from our shores. Lest we forget.

[neverdie]

Lest We Forget !

[wow64]

We will remember them.. Lest we forget.

Sent from my c64

[kilvingtono]

Lest we Forget