Sept. 11 Attacks Remembered Around The World
Ten years on from the day the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks changed so
much for so many people, the world's leaders and millions of citizens
are pausing to reflect.
From Sydney to
Atlanta, formal ceremonies are planned or already under way to remember
the nearly 3,000 who perished from more than 90 countries. And, in a
reminder that threats remain, authorities in Washington and New York are
beefing up security in response to intelligence about possible plans
for a car bomb attack.
"He
is my sunshine. He has lived life to the fullest, but I can't accept
that he is not here anymore," said Navaratnam. "I am still living, but I
am dead inside."
In Manila, dozens of former
shanty dwellers offered roses, balloons and prayers for another Sept.
11 victim, American citizen Marie Rose Abad. The neighborhood used to be
a shantytown that reeked of garbage. But in 2004, Abad's
Filipino-American husband built 50 brightly colored homes, fulfilling
his late wife's wish to help impoverished Filipinos.
The village has since been named after her.
"It's like a new life sprang from the death of Marie Rose and so many others," said villager Nancy Waminal.
In
New Zealand, players from the American Eagles rugby team were among the
first to mark the anniversary at a Sunday memorial service in the town
of New Plymouth. The players, who are participating in the Rugby World
Cup tournament, listened to a speech by U.S. ambassador David Huebner,
whose brother Rick survived the attacks on the World Trade Center.
"We
watched live on television the brutal murder of 3,000 individuals,"
Huebner said. "We reacted with near unanimous horror and sadness."
"As
we mark the 10th anniversary of that day, we commemorate the triumph of
human kindness, and the humanity and self-abrogation which sets us
apart from every other species on this planet Earth."
In
Australia, Sydney resident Rae Tompsett said she's never felt angry
over the murder of her son Stephen Tompsett, 39, a computer engineer who
was on the 106th floor of the World Trade Center's north tower when it
was hit by a hijacked plane.
"No, not anger," she said. "Sorrow. Sorrow that the people who did this believed they were doing something good."
The
retired school teacher and her husband Jack, 92, were planning to
attend Sunday morning mass as usual at their local church before going
to a commemorative service in the afternoon.
"It's incredible that it is 10 years — it feels a bit like yesterday," Tompsett said.
In
Japan, families gathered in Tokyo to pay their respects to the 23 Fuji
Bank employees who never made it out of their World Trade Center
office. A dozen of the workers were Japanese.
One
by one, family members laid flowers in front of an enclosed glass case
containing a small section of steel retrieved from Ground Zero. They
clasped their hands and bowed their heads. Some took pictures.
Others
simply stood in solemn silence. There were no tears, just reflection.
Kunitake
Nomura, 76, a former Fuji Bank employee who mourns losing his younger
co-workers, attended a subsequent memorial service.
"We
need to try to understand each other," Nomura said. "We need to
overcome differences in race and religion and learn to live in peace. We
are all brothers after all. We must remind ourselves of this today."
South
Korea's President Lee Myung-bak sent a letter to President Obama,
conveying his "deepest condolences" to the victims of the 9/11 tragedy,
their bereaved families and the American public. Lee, whose country is
one of the strongest allies of the United States, called the attacks
"unpardonable" and praised decade-long U.S. efforts to fight terrorism.
And
leaders in Pakistan, which has been a victim of al-Qaida terrorism but
is also accused of not doing enough to crack down on militants, said
they joined the people of the U.S. in honoring the memory of those
killed 10 years ago.
"As a country that has
been severely affected by terrorism, we reaffirm our national resolve to
strengthening international cooperation for the elimination of
terrorism," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Meanwhile,
authorities in New York and Washington are increasing security for
their Sept. 11 memorial services after intelligence agents got a tip
that three al-Qaida members could be planning to set off a car bomb in
one of the cities. Officials have found no evidence any terrorists have
sneaked into the country.
The Taliban marked
the anniversary by vowing to keep fighting against U.S. forces in
Afghanistan and saying they had no role in the Sept. 11 attacks.
"Each
year, 9/11 reminds the Afghans of an event in which they had no role
whatsoever," a statement emailed to news organizations said. "American
colonialism shed the blood of tens of thousands of miserable and
innocent Afghans."
The U.S. and its allies
invaded Afghanistan on Oct. 7, 2001, after the Taliban who then ruled
the country refused to hand over Sept. 11 mastermind Osama bin Laden.
The al-Qaida leader was at the time living in Afghanistan, where the
terror network retained training camps and planned attacks against the
U.S. and other countries.
Source: by The Associated Press
www.npr.org
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