Speeches and Articles by Former Consul General Michael Klosson

Remarks by U.S. Consul General Michael Klosson
at International Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism

September 29, 2001
Hong Kong

Today's ceremony marks a culmination - a culmination of services held in many churches, temples and other settings across Hong Kong, a culmination of discussions in schools, and a culmination of private conversations in the bosom of families.

I thank the organizers of this International Day of Remembrance for bringing us together, the Chief Executive for his heartfelt participation and the entire Hong Kong community for its outpouring of compassion and sympathy. We find comfort in coming together during difficult times like these.

We are gathered here today to remember the thousands of individuals from 80 nations who perished September 11 in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. We are gathered here today to hold in our hearts those victims and their families whose lives were forever changed. We are gathered here today to absorb the images that have so captured our attention these past two weeks. We are gathered here today to reflect on one of the most horrific terrorist attacks the world has witnessed.

But we are also gathered here today to show compassion to one another, to comfort our pain, to rekindle our hopes, and to summon our resolve. And that means we gather here today to stand together - together against those dark forces which use violence to tear apart the fabric of our international community, and together for freedom, justice, and tolerance.

We are gathered here today because we each feel connected to what happened on September 11. What happened that day was not just about America and Americans. The lives of thousands of mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and children from 80 nations from the four corners of our world were shattered that Tuesday morning. To the families and friends of victims from Hong Kong and China, we extend our sincere condolences.

New York is not just a city in America - it is a cross-roads, an international city, a world symbol. Those attacks were an assault on fundamental human values that bind people around the globe. It may have been buildings in New York and Washington that were struck, but the world has recognized instinctively that the foundations of our international community were under attack.

Here in Hong Kong, we unite in our grief. We are also united in our determination to reach out to each other, across national boundaries and across religious differences. This kind of reaching out -- exemplified by our coming together today under many flags and with many faiths -- itself marks a defeat for terrorism, which seeks to sow division and fear. The answer to blind hate and intolerance cannot be more hate and intolerance. As President Bush noted in his speech last week, "We are in a fight for our principles, and our first responsibility is to live by them."

As we try to come to terms with what has happened, Americans take comfort from the outpouring of sympathy and compassion from all across Hong Kong. Anyone who visited the Consulate in the aftermath of the attacks could not help but be moved by the spontaneous memorial offering of flowers and candles and people standing quietly at our entrance. Those have been matched by literally thousands of messages from individuals from all walks of life -- government leaders, religious leaders, politicians, community figures, business executives, students, parents and teachers. One secondary school, for example, sent a large heart-shaped book, its pages filled with heart-shaped cards, some in English, some in Chinese, each hand-written, each representing a student's or teacher's own feelings. There have been many contributions of financial assistance as well.

We can also draw strength from the examples of selflessness, courage, and heroism we saw displayed on September 11 and afterwards -- the people who stayed behind in the World Trade Center to help others, the passengers and crew in Flight 93 who fought the hijackers to prevent an even greater tragedy, the firefighters who put themselves in harm's way to save lives, and the tireless rescue workers who undertook their dangerous work even as hope was fading.

September 11, 2001 is a date that will go down in history. But that history will not be written by the perpetrators of this tragedy. As the minutes, hours and days went by, we witnessed everyday people doing extraordinary things. We have seen the world's leaders rise to address this international challenge. We have seen a coming together around the world. History will thus record the ultimate triumph of the human spirit.

For today, however, let us remember those who perished. Each has a name and each must be cherished. Let us hold them in our hearts and our prayers. Let us honor their memory in love for one another and by recommitting ourselves to our most basic values - freedom, justice, tolerance.