[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 17 (Monday, May 5, 2008)]
[Pages 632-635]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on the Observance of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

May 1, 2008

    Thank you all. Please be seated. Thank you. Good afternoon. And 
welcome to the White House. The East Room is a fitting place to 
celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. I say fitting because 
in 1860, this was where James Buchanan first--became the first President 
to receive an official delegation from Japan. It was a great meeting, 
except for one slight wrinkle. The interpreter the Japanese brought with 
them couldn't speak English. [Laughter] So he translated Japanese into 
Dutch--[laughter]--and then another interpreter translated Dutch into 
English. [Laughter] I thought that was pretty interesting. People say 
when I speak, it sounds like Japanese translated into Dutch translated 
into English. [Laughter] I'm just upholding a diplomatic tradition. 
[Laughter]
    During Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we honor citizens 
whose families have come from halfway around the world, but who are now 
an integral part of America. I want to thank former Secretary and my 
dear friend Norm Mineta, who, when he was in Congress, introduced 
legislation that led to this celebration. And I thank each of you for 
coming to be a part of it.
    Madam Secretary, we're proud you're here. Elaine Chao has been a 
member of my Cabinet since day one, and I think America is better off 
for it. So thank you for coming, Madam Secretary. Members of Congress--
Congressman Wu, thank you for being here, sir. Members of my 
administration, I'm glad you all are here. Members of the diplomatic 
corps, it's so kind of you to take time out of your day to come. We got 
our veterans here and, of course, members of the United States military. 
Proud to call you Commander in Chief, and thank you for being here 
today.
    More than 15 million Americans claim Asian or Pacific ancestry. They 
make America's culture more vibrant, and we're a better place--and a 
more lively place, I might add, from Songkran celebrations in Los 
Angeles to Chinese New Year parties in Chicago to Diwali festivals right 
here at the White House.
    Asian Pacific Americans make our country more competitive. It turns 
out, there's a great entrepreneurial streak that runs throughout the 
citizens whom we honor today. Small-business owners all over America are 
creating new jobs and are living the dream. They enrich America because 
of their love for America.
    Many Asians have settled in this country after fleeing oppressive 
regimes. They looked at America as a hopeful place. They include the 
boat people of Vietnam, men and women who escaped the killing fields of 
Cambodia, those who endured the Cultural Revolution in China, and 
victims of the regime in North Korea.
    America must always remember that we are a place of hope and freedom 
for people who live in oppressive societies. Throughout the Asian 
American community, there is a special appreciation of liberty known 
only to those who've been denied it. If you've been

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denied freedom, if freedom is something you long for, you understand how 
to treasure it. Asian Americans are committed to advancing the cause of 
freedom--I can't thank you enough for that--both in their ancestral 
nations and in our own.
    Together we work to expand economic freedom and prosperity in the 
Asian-Pacific region. It's in our interest that we enter to trading 
agreements with nations throughout the world, starting with South Korea. 
I negotiated a free trade agreement last June with South Korea. This 
agreement is going to create opportunities for American businesses and 
workers. It will increase trade between our countries by about $17 
billion. It's going to strengthen America's relationship with one of our 
closest, closest allies. When President Lee visited the United States a 
few weeks ago, I promised him that I would encourage Congress in as many 
ways as I could to get this agreement passed, that I'd work hard to 
remind people that this is a mutually beneficial agreement.
    The Asian community efforts have supported free trade agreements 
throughout the Asian-Pacific area. And I want to thank you for working 
to educate Members of Congress about why we ought to improve this 
agreement as soon as possible.
    We're working to increase security and reduce the threats to freedom 
in the Asia-Pacific region. Thank you for coming, Chris Hill. He's very 
much involved in what we've called the six-party talks, which is where 
we've joined with Korea, Japan, and Russia and China to convince North 
Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program. Nations have come together 
to send a clear message that it's important to abandon those nuclear 
weapons ambitions. We want a Korean Peninsula that is nuclear weapons-
free.
    We've put together what's called the Proliferation Security 
Initiative. It works with more than 85 countries, including many in the 
Asia-Pacific region, to stop the shipment of the world's most dangerous 
weapons. In other words, this is just kind of a quest for security and 
freedom. And we're working with nations all throughout the world, 
including those in the Asian-Pacific region, to protect our peoples from 
the true threats of the 21st century. We're working with Pakistan and 
Indonesia and Malaysia and the Philippines and other partners--and 
Singapore and other partners--to dismantle terrorist networks and to 
combat the ideology of the extremists.
    You can always defeat an ideology of hate with an ideology of hope. 
And there's nothing more hopeful than a system based upon human rights 
and human dignity and a system based upon the freedom for people to 
worship and speak their minds freely.
    We're working with India to promote democracy and the peace it 
yields throughout the continent. We're working together to extend the 
hope of liberty throughout Asia.
    I know you share my concerns about the situation in Tibet. I welcome 
the recent statements by the Chinese Government expressing its 
willingness to meet with representatives of the Dalai Lama. It's 
precisely what I have suggested President Hu Jintao do. I think it's 
important that there be a renewed dialog, and that dialog must be 
substantive, so we can address the real way--in a--including--can 
address in a real way the deep and legitimate concerns of the Tibetan 
people.
    In Burma, the brutal military regime continues to reject the clear 
will of the Burmese people to live under leaders of their own choosing. 
So over the past 8 months, my administration has tightened sanctions on 
the regime. We've imposed visa bans on the junta's generals and their 
families and their cronies. We're trying to send a clear message, and we 
hope the rest of the world follows as well.
    Today I've issued a new Executive order that instructs the Treasury 
Department to freeze the assets of Burmese state-owned companies that 
are major sources of funds that prop up the junta. These companies, in 
industries such as gems and timber, exploit the labor of the downtrodden 
Burmese people but enrich only the generals. And today I'm sending yet 
another clear message that we expect there to be change, and we expect 
these generals to honor the will of the people.
    We're are also working to address the humanitarian crisis in Burma. 
The U.S. has resettled tens of thousands of Burmese refugees in the last 
few years, and this year, we

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expect to admit as many as 18,000 more. Last December, I signed 
legislation to ease restrictions that have prevented ethnic minorities 
involved in the struggle against the Burmese regime from entering the 
United States.
    And I applaud the Asian Americans who have helped these refugees get 
settled once they come to the United States of America. It's got to be 
hard to come here not knowing the language. It's got to be hard to come 
here as a stranger. And I thank those of you and those around the 
country who have opened up their arms and said, ``Welcome to America. 
How can we help you settle in?'' I urge others, especially those who 
share the customs of these newest Asian Americans, to help them feel at 
home here in their adopted country.
    We're working together to strengthen our partnership with Japan, 
which is really one of the great success stories of freedom. Six decades 
ago, my dad fought the Japanese. They were the sworn enemy of the United 
States of America. And now his son sits down with the Prime Ministers of 
Japan talking about how to keep the peace. Isn't that interesting? What 
a great irony it is, that the father served to fight, and the son serves 
to work with the Prime Minister of the former enemy to keep the peace. 
Freedom is transformative. Freedom and democracy are powerful 
instruments of change.
    The lesson learned in this example is one that we can apply 
elsewhere around the world to yield the peace that we all want. And this 
friendship was made possible by Americans who understood the power--the 
transformative power of freedom years ago. I wasn't the first person to 
think of that. Fortunately, predecessors of mine understood with great 
faith that freedom is universal, that freedom is widespread, that people 
long to be free, and if given the chance to be free, peaceful societies 
develop.
    With us today are veterans from the 442d Regimental Combat Team. 
This was a segregated Army unit composed mostly of volunteers recruited 
from internment camps in the United States. Isn't that interesting? 
People whose love of the country was such that they were over--able to 
overcome the bitterness of being interned by a country they called home. 
And they were willing to put on the uniform, and not only put on the 
uniform--they served America with distinction in eight battle campaigns 
in Europe. In 1945, members of the 442d helped liberate the 
concentration camp at Dachau. They went from an intern camp, to wear the 
uniform of the United States Army, to liberate camps in Europe.
    Yet the 442d is best known for their mission to rescue the trapped 
soldiers of the Texas National Guard's ``lost battalion.'' A lot of 
Texans thanking you guys for that, by the way. [Laughter] In the 
mountains of eastern France, the 442d went up against the heavily 
entrenched Germans and suffered devastating casualties. But their 
courage saved more than 200 of their brothers. Their valor helped earn 
them several Presidential Unit Citations and helped make their unit one 
of the most highly decorated in U.S. military history. Their sacrifice 
earns the gratitude of the nation they defended, and an attitude we 
express today to the men of the 442d. Thank you for coming.
    I do want to point out one soul who's joined us--and Ben is not 
going to be happy about it--Ben Kuroki. He probably doesn't want to be 
called out, but I'm going to do it anyway, Ben. I got the podium, and 
you don't. [Laughter]
    Two days after Pearl Harbor, Ben volunteered to join the Army, where 
there is no doubt he met prejudice at nearly every turn. Still, he 
became one of the few Nisei admitted to the Army Air Corps. He flew 58 
missions over Europe and Japan, and he earned three Distinguished Flying 
Crosses.
    When he came back home, he turned to another mission: working to 
overcome the intolerance he had experienced during his early days in the 
Army. Ben edited newspapers. He spoke to audiences around the country. 
He became a strong advocate of racial equality. He knew something, and 
he knew the subject well, unfortunately.
    Sixty years after the Japanese surrender, Ben received the U.S. Army 
Distinguished Service Medal. And at the ceremony, here's what he said: 
``I had to fight like hell to fight for my country, and now I feel 
completely vindicated.''

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    We are glad you feel vindicated, but I am proud to tell you, America 
is a better place because of you, Ben. Thank you for coming.
    And so during Asia Pacific American Heritage Month, we thank you all 
for helping make America a better place. We thank you for loving our 
country the way you do. The way--thank you for being great contributors 
to the life of our fellow citizens.
    We ask for God's continued blessings on you, your family, and all 
the citizens of our great land. Thanks for coming. God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 2:53 p.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to former Transportation Secretary 
Norman Y. Mineta; President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea; Assistant 
Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Christopher R. 
Hill; Tenzin Gyatso, the Dalai Lama of Tibet; President Hu Jintao of 
China; and Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda of Japan.