Bangkok, Thailand—An Asian Leadership Conference (ALC) held from November 25 to 28, 2016 in Thailand drew participation from government officials from Cambodia and Indonesia. The theme of the four-day program was “Providing Vision and Leadership for Nation-building and Peace.” Most of the 12 Cambodian delegates came from the Ministry of Defense and included two active generals. Among the nine Indonesian participants, two were officials of the Ministry of Social Affairs, and the mayor of Bitung in North Sulawesi and his wife led a delegation of four from their city. They were eager to learn how they can serve their nation and their people better by studying UPF’s Principles of Peace and UPF Founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s teachings on family values.
All the participants were deeply inspired by UPF-Asia Chair Dr. Chung Sik Yong’s explanation of “The Attributes of True Love.” Only by practicing these principles in our homes can we become true leaders in society, he said.
Although the number of participants was small, an Interfaith Peace Blessing ceremony was conducted.
The mayor of Bitung, Mr. Max Lomban, shared that the ALC deepened his insights and helped him to understand how, as a leader, to take care of and find solutions to problems. He and his wife were deeply grateful that they could participate in the ALC with their team.
All the participants promised to impart what they have learned in the ALC with others, as the content is too important to keep it for themselves. Maj. Gen. Say Savin from Cambodia said in his reflections that he wants to share the content he learned with all his soldiers at the National Defense College. His daughter, who was a youth representative at the conference, explained how the ALC helped her find her purpose in life, to live a happy life and to leave a legacy of love.