NZers celebrate ‘true’ independence for Lebanon
PRESS RELEASE
17.11.05
New Zealanders celebrate ‘true’ independence for Lebanon
The Auckland Harbour Bridge plays host to a historic event next Tuesday. It will fly the Lebanese flag, alongside the New Zealand flag, for the very first time.
November 22nd marks Lebanon’s 62nd Independence Day, and though Lebanese New Zealanders celebrate the event every year, this year’s celebrations are particularly significant. That’s because this year Lebanon is truly free.
The withdrawal of Syrian troops in April this year has left the nation free to control its own destiny for the first time in 30 years.
In a fitting tribute, the Lebanese Society of Auckland has sought permission from Transit New Zealand and the Lebanese Embassy (in Australia) to fly a 7m by 3.5m flag from Auckland’s iconic harbour bridge.
To fully mark the occasion, the Lebanese Society will host an Independence Day dinner on November 19, to be attended by the Minister for Ethnic Affairs, the Hon Chris Carter.
ENDS
Facts about
Lebanon:
- From 1516-1918 Lebanon was under the rule of
the Ottoman Empire.
- Following World War I Lebanon and
Syria were placed under French Mandate – the influence of
the French is still witnessed strongly in Lebanon’s
Christian quarters.
- In 1940 Lebanon came under the
control of the Vichy French government.
- In 1943 the
Republic of Lebanon gained political independence.
Lebanon and New Zealand:
- In 1878 the New Zealand
census listed 14 males born in Lebanon.
- 1892 saw the
first Lebanese become a naturalised New Zealander.
- In
World War I, New Zealand soldiers were attached to the
"Desert Mounted Corps" of the British army that drove the
Ottoman Turks out of Syria and Lebanon (just before Lebanon
was placed under French Mandate). An inscription is carved
in the rock walls of Nahr el Kalb (Dog River) to commemorate
this event.
- In World War II, NZ troops were part of the
British army that freed Lebanon from the rule of the Vichy
French in July 1941. This helped lead to the eventual
independence of Lebanon on November 22nd, 1943.
- Thirty
years ago, Lebanon essentially lost its independence again
with the beginning of the civil war in 1975.
- New
Zealand sent peacekeepers to help during the Lebanese civil
war.
- Though the war ended in 1991, this is the first
Independence Day the Lebanese can celebrate without foreign
troops on their soil.
ENDS