Media Alert: Atomic Bomb Survivors in Sydney for Peace  Talks

More than 100 survivors from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb attacks will be in  Sydney to promote nuclear disarmament later this month, taking their message straight up to  Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

As part of their Global Voyage, the 102 Hibakusha (Atomic Bomb Survivors) have travelled  to 20 countries, sharing their experiences and promoting their vision for a nuclear weapon  free future at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.  A Sydney woman is  among the Hibakusha.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, the first serving Western head of state to visit Hiroshima has  been invited on board to hear the testimonies of the Hibakusha and to receive  recommendations towards the joint Australia-Japan Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, jointly chaired by former Foreign Ministers Gareth Evans and  Yoriko Kawaguchi.

Hibakusha, Hashizume Fumiko still recalls the horror of the atomic bomb attack:

"I saw people with reddish black swollen face and bodies. Their clothes had burned and their  skin had burned… Their human traits had been so marred that I couldn't even tell their sex  or  age…  They  weren't  crying  or  screaming,  they  were  just  quietly  moving,  shuffling.  This   can't be reality, I thought—it must be a dream—and then I lost consciousness again,” said  Hashizume Fumiko.

Fellow  survivor,  Endo  Hiroshi  hopes  that  by  sharing  his  experiences,  he  can  prevent  the   mistakes of the past being repeated:

"Our  voices  and  peace  activities  can  make  a  difference.  I  believe  that  the  activity  of   Hibakusha  is  what  has  prevented  the  use  of  the  atomic  bomb  …  after  Hiroshima  and   Nagasaki. What is important is to keep raising our voices,” said Hiroshi.

Jillian Marsh, winner of this year’s Nuclear Free Future Award for her work against the  Beverley Uranium Mine is travelling from her country to meet the Hibakusha.

"I want our story to be told, the way we as Indigenous Australians experience the social and  environmental impacts from uranium mining and the nuclear industry. Unless we tell it  ourselves, we run the risk of being misrepresented or silenced."

The Global Voyage is designed to commemorate the Peace Boat’s 25th Anniversary.

To arrange private interviews with the Hibakusha please contact Meri Joyce 0405 949 089.

The Peace Boat is scheduled to arrive at Darling Harbour at 8am on 29 December.

Press conference  11 am on board the MV Mona Lisa - Darling Harbour  Public Meeting  2.30 - 5pm, Mori Gallery 168 Day Street, Sydney - near Darling  Harbour  Reception   7.30 pm on board the MV Mona Lisa - Darling Harbour



