july 15, 2019

At the invitation of H.E. Mr. Taneti Maamau, President of Kiribati, Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze, President of the Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL), led delegates of FOWPAL to visit Kiribati in July 2019 for the first time to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the nation's independence. Dr. Hong has been treated with great respect and honor by the Kiribati authorities.

On the early morning of July 12, Kiribati’s National Day, representatives from various countries and thousands of Kiribati people gathered at the Betio Sports Complex in Tarawa, the capital of Kiribati, to celebrate the National Day and watch a colorful parade. The FOWPAL delegation took part in the parade and presented fabulous cultural performances, including Golden Phoenix dance; kungfu fan demonstration by knights-errant; graceful dances by princesses from various ethnicities; Celestial Officials bestowing good fortune; Energy Boys waving “flags of conscience,” and so forth, to wish Kiribati and the spectators peace, health, happiness, and prosperity. In his National Day address, President Maamau twice expressed his gratitude to FOWPAL and Dr. Hong for adding color to the celebration.

Following the parade, FOWPAL held the ceremony of ringing the Bell of World Peace and Love inside the gym of the sports complex. H.E. Mr. Taneti Maamau, President of Kiribati, gave a speech and thanked Dr. Hong for traveling thousands of miles to attend the 40th National Day anniversary and share FOWPAL’s experience of promoting love and peace. Over the years, FOWPAL and Kiribati have forged a very good relationship. Since 2016, His Excellency President Maamau has attended the summits held by FOWPAL at and around the United Nations in New York for three years in a row. Kiribati and FOWPAL have also worked closely together to co-organize conferences and events at and around the United Nations in New York to promote a culture of peace with love and conscience.

During the bell-ringing ceremony in celebration of Kiribati’s 40th National Day, Dr. Hong delivered a speech, emphasizing, “As long as we awaken our innate conscience and exercise its influence, like a compass, it will guide us to unleash our greatest potential, consolidate positive energy to transform the world, and lead humanity toward a brighter and better future with love and peace in everyone’s heart.”

Dr. Hong also rang the Bell of World Peace and Love and made three wishes for the Pacific region and the world: First, may all conscience be awakened; second, may love and peace spread; third, may the world be as one. 

President Maamau also rang the Bell and prayed for his country, his people, and the world. His Excellency said he knows very well that “ringing the Bell implies our belief that peace should prevail around the world not only for the present generation but for future generations as well.” H.E. Sir Tom Marsters, Queen’s Representative to the Cook Islands, rang the Bell as well and wished that “We endeavour the world for Love, Peace and Justice for all of Humanity--the greatest of these all is Love . . . . . . It will spread to every corner of the world from the Island Nations and the Cook Islands.” Hon. Tebuai Uaai, Speaker of the Parliament of Kiribati, rang the Bell and stated, “May Peace instill in the Heart of all the People on Earth.”

In recognition of President Maamau’s contributions to peace, Dr. Hong presented a crystal pyramid to His Excellency. The pyramid symbolizes that a world leader, positioned at the top of a pyramid, has a profound influence in the world and his/her wise decision will benefit his/her people and the world.

In the evening, Dr. Hong and the FOWPAL delegation were invited to the state banquet to celebrate the National Day, under the theme: Empowerment Towards Sustaining Prosperity."  President Maamau stressed that the people of Kiribati’s efforts and achievements in the past decades have laid the foundation for future development and the goal is "to make Kiribati a wealthy, healthy, peaceful, and most resilient country." His Excellency thanked the honored guests coming from abroad for making the milestone celebration more merry and colorful. Kiribati is the 95th nation that FOWPAL has visited. Over the years, FOWPAL has met with heads of state and visionaries and exchanged the idea of love and peace with them to consolidate visionary leaders’ consensuses and inspire them to work together for a better world!

Photo:Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze, President of the Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL), first row, second from right, is joined by, from left, H.E. Sir Tom Marsters, Queen’s Representative to the Cook Islands; H.E. Mr. Taneti Maamau, President of Kiribati; and Hon. Tebuai Uaai, Speaker of the Parliament of Kiribati on Friday, July 12, 2019, in Tarawa, the capital of Kiribati. Dr. Hong presents each of them with a special clock, whose face bears a compass of conscience, symbolizing that all are encouraged to follow their conscience at all times.