For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 25, 2005
President Celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
The East Room
4:00 P.M. EDT
PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you for coming. Good afternoon, and welcome
to the White House. I am glad you're here. I'm proud to be with you
to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. And we are joined
by a very special guest, a close friend of America, a man with whom I
just had a very good visit, President Yudhoyono from Indonesia.
Welcome, Mr. President. (Applause.)
Before we award our Volunteer of the Year awards, the President has
graciously offered to give some remarks. And, unfortunately, I'm going
to give some, too. (Laughter.) Before I begin I do want to introduce
Agus and Edhie, the President's sons. Welcome. We're glad you're
here. Agus will be getting married on July the 8th. (Applause.)
This is a time to celebrate the achievement of millions of
Americans of Asian Pacific ancestry. Today, Asian Pacific Americans
are making their mark in all walks of life, including business and
politics, and education and community service, and the arts and
science.
I'm fortunate to have many Asian American in my Cabinet and in my
administration, two of who are here with us today. I want to thank the
Secretary of Labor, Elaine Chao, for joining us. (Applause.) And the
Secretary of Transportation, Norm Mineta. (Applause.)
Andrew Natsios, of USAID, is here. Andrew, it's good, it's good
you're here, because we're going to be talking about tsunami relief in
a minute. I want to thank Betty Wu, who is the Chairman of the
President's Advisory Commission on Asian American and Pacific
Islanders. I want to thank all the commission members who are here
today.
I want to thank my friend, Ambassador Sichan Siv, from the United
Nations. Where is he? Where is Sichan? There he is. Welcome,
Sichan. You did a fine job. (Applause.) I'm glad Martha is here.
Delegate Eni from Samoa, thank you for coming, sir. Proud you're
here. Is Lisa here? Senator Murkowski just came in from the state of
Alaska. Proud you're here. (Applause.) I see we got a lot of members
of the Diplomatic Corps who are here. Welcome, Ambassadors. Thank you
for coming. Proud you're here. And again, Mr. President, thank you
for joining us as we celebrate Asian Pacific Heritage Month.
Indonesia and America may be on the opposite sides of the ocean,
but we have a lot in common. We are both among the world's largest
democracies. We both share a belief that our great diversity is a
source of strength. And when the tsunami hit, citizens from both our
countries took it upon themselves to come to the aid of those in
distress.
The tsunami that began in the Indian Ocean struck Indonesia just
two months after the President came into office. I understand that
when the tsunami hit, His Excellency was in a remote province of his
country. And the moment he heard what happened, he rushed to the
scene. He didn't hesitate. He rushed to not only help, but to make a
personal assessment of what needed to be done. After declaring a
national emergency, he moved quickly to clear away the bureaucratic
obstacles and visa requirements so that the path would be clear for
international relief workers.
By acting with skill and courage, Mr. President, you helped bring
your country together in a time of great crisis. And thank you for
that kind of leadership. (Applause.)
And the people of Indonesia responded in kind. Religious
organizations and business people and the Indonesian Red Cross and
thousands of ordinary citizens traveled at their own expense to the
hard-hit province of Aceh to pitch in, to do their duty as a citizen of
a free democracy.
And the need was great. More than 125,000 Indonesians have been
confirmed dead. Think about that. Another 37,000 are missing. More
than half-a-million have been forced from their homes. Your fellow
citizens provided first aid and you helped evacuate victims and
distributed relief supplies. And it was a good example of how
government and individuals work together.
But it was also important for the world to respond. And I'm proud
of the response of the United States government and her people. Our
United States military was on the scene with an aircraft carrier. And
we had sailors and Marines working around the clock to show the people
of your part of the world that our hearts are big, that we care about
people from all walks of life, that the compassion of America runs deep
and strong.
Shortly after the disaster struck, the United States pledged $350
million in aid for the region. Providing relief, our country has
really, I hope, showed that we're a friend when you've got a problem.
But a friend doesn't quit when a problem persists. And so, earlier
this month, Congress approved my request for additional tsunami relief
and reconstruction help, bringing total U.S. aid to more than $850
million.
The people of your country need to know, and the people of the
countries affected by the tsunami relief need to know, that when
America gives a pledge to help, we'll keep our word, and that when
America says that we stand with you, we mean it. So, Mr. President,
please take this message back to the people of Indonesia. (Applause.)
Finally, I'm proud that volunteers from our Asian Pacific American
community were among those who stepped forward to help the victims of
the tsunami relief -- of the tsunami. Their efforts ranged from
serving on humanitarian missions to raising money, to rebuilding an
orphanage. Americans from all over our country, from all walks of
life, used their time and talents and compassion to make a difference.
Heck, I even called on two former Presidents -- (laughter) -- 41 and 42
-- (laughter) -- Bush and Clinton -- (laughter) -- to join together to
send a message that we're not talking politics, we're talking about
helping people get their feet back on the ground -- get their feet back
on the ground. We're talking about helping to save lives. That's the
American spirit, Mr. President. That's how we like to do things in
this country. (Applause.)
And today, we've gathered to honor some of our fellow citizens with
volunteer service awards. People from the Asian Pacific community have
heard the call to serve something greater than themselves. And before
we present those awards, however, Mr. President, I'm honored to welcome
you to the White House and welcome you to the podium so that you can
deliver a few remarks.
Please welcome the President. (Applause.)
PRESIDENT YUDHOYONO: President Bush, distinguished guests, ladies
and gentlemen. Thank you, Mr. President, for inviting me to join you
here today. I stand before you here to deliver a message of thanks
from a grateful nation halfway around the world.
My country, Indonesia, suffered most from the horrible tsunami last
December. Some 200,000 people were killed in a matter of minutes, and
over 500,000 survivors lost their homes.
When I arrived in Aceh the day after the tsunami, almost everything
close to the sea had been destroyed, flattened to the ground, swept by
the waves. Nothing had ever prepared us for something like this --
nothing. It was under these circumstances that we experienced an
incredible display of global solidarity immediately after the tsunami.
And it was during this desperate time that American servicemen came and
helped.
The USS Abraham Lincoln arrived with its much needed helicopters to
help deliver food and supplies to survivors that could not be reached
by land. And USS hospital ship Mercy provided medical care to the
injured and the sick, at a time when we were all worried that more
people would die from diseases than from the tsunami.
I remember my heart almost sank one day when I heard that a U.S.
Seahawk helicopter had crashed. But I was glad to hear directly from
Ambassador Lynn Pascoe that the crews were all right, even though their
Seahawk had to make an emergency landing on a paddy field. And not
surprisingly, the crews were itching to get back into action to save
lives.
America has every reason to be proud for what your government, your
heroism, and your volunteers have done for the tsunami victims. This
was a time for valor and selfless sacrifice. The tsunami produced a
lot of heroes: heroes who saved lives, heroes who gave hope to those
who are suffering, and Americans were among these heroes. You all
should be proud of that.
The funds that have been collected from millions of Americans will
be very helpful to help the Acehnese rebuild their lives. But I want
you to know what really mattered was that they all came from the
heart. What really mattered was that each of you reached not so much
into your pocket as into the new depth of your conscience, compassion
and solidarity. What really mattered was that you saw the pain of
others and tried to help. And with all our tears, words and deeds,
what we all did together was to prove that the greatest wrath of nature
was no match for the greater force that is the human spirit.
I said something earlier about reaching out. Let me read you a
letter from Maggie, a third grader from K-4 Elementary in Charlevoix,
Michigan, which, through some good fortune, I managed to obtain from
AmeriCorps. Maggie was writing to a tsunami kid she did not know.
This is what Maggie wrote: "Dear friends: Hi. My name is Maggie. I
am sorry what happened in your country. I have heard some things about
it. I hope your family and friends are okay. In church, I pray for
you and your country. In school, we are raising money for your
country. We have a loose-change bucket, and kids bring money in.
Also, we are making tsunami bracelet to raise money, too. I have made
you one. I hope you like it. I will continue praying for you and your
country in church. Your friend, Maggie."
I faxed Maggie's letter to Aceh, to be passed on to an Acehnese
youngster, and a few days later I received a response letter from Nada
Lutfiah, a young girl from Banda Aceh. That is what Nada looks like.
PRESIDENT BUSH: There's your picture. Is this her?
PRESIDENT YUDHOYONO: Yes, sorry. This is her. (Laughter.) Nada
looks like -- (applause.) Nada Lutfiah. (Applause.) Nada wrote to
Maggie, and I translate into English. "My good friend: Hello, friend.
My name is Nada Lutfiah. I was so happy and my heart was touched to
receive the letter you sent us. My family, my dad, mom, older brother
and younger brother have disappeared, and now I live with my cousins.
I hope you are healthy and well where you are. I am so glad you are
paying attention to us here. I hope to receive your bracelet in the
coming days, because I want to wear it on my arm to remind me that I
have new friend. Your friend, Nada."
I have asked my Ambassador Soemadi to personally deliver Nada's
letter and photo to Maggie in Michigan.
These two letters are extraordinary, both in the words they
conveyed, and in the fact that two youngsters from entirely different
background made a connection: An American girl who prays at church,
collects lose change and make bracelet for tsunami kids two oceans
away; an Indonesian Muslim girl who lost all her family, and wants to
kill the pain and is eager just to be a kid again, just like Maggie. I
think the world will be a better place if all of us start to have
connections and conversation the way Maggie and Nada did.
I thank you very much. (Applause.)
PRESIDENT BUSH: Mr. President, thank you very much for such a
powerful speech. And it's in that spirit of compassion that we -- it's
my honor to now award the volunteer awards.
Commander, please read the citations.
(The awards are presented.) (Applause.)
PRESIDENT BUSH: Mr. President, I hope you can tell by the short
presentation of -- to some of our great citizens that the true strength
of America, our true strength lies in the hearts and souls of our
citizens.
I'm proud that you've joined us today. Thank you all for coming.
May God bless our respective countries, and may God continue to bless
the American people. (Applause.)
END 4:24 P.M. EDT
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