Australia and New Zealand mark Anzac Day
The Australian prime minister met veterans in SeoulThe Anzacs were the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who suffered huge losses at Gallipoli in Turkey in a failed allied assault in 1915.
Events are also being held in France, Afghanistan, Vietnam, and Turkey.
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has joined veterans in South Korea to remember the 60th anniversary of a key battle in the Korean War.
Anzac Day has become one of the most revered occasions in Australia and New Zealand.
Gallipoli was the first time that Australia and New Zealand had fought as independent countries and the heroic defeat on the Aegean coast is widely seen to have forged the nations' character.
More recent conflicts are also remembered as many thousands of people attend services and marches, while commemorations overseas have become a key part of Anzac Day.
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has travelled to South Korea to join veterans who fought in the Battle of Kapyong 60 years ago.
"We are proud to be your guests because we come here to honour a great legacy and to do what is important - to remember," she said.
"We remember the 17,000 Australians who served in Korea and the 340 who didn't make it home."
Many Australians and New Zealanders firmly believe that Anzac Day is not a glorification of war but a tribute to personal sacrifice.
However, there are critics who say it stirs up "ugly nationalism" that has forced Australia into what they describe as "imperialist wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere".
They insist that it is a "myth" that Australia's identity was formed in the carnage of the First World War.
No comments:
Post a Comment