In 1982, young Tun Channareth was a resistance soldier on the border between Thailand and Cambodia. He was badly injured when he stepped on a landmine, leading to the amputation of both his legs.
Eventually, Channareth found himself making wheelchairs for other survivors of landmine explosions, and soon became a voice for a universal ban of the weapon.
The above story, paraphrased from the website of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), was inspiring enough to lift Channareth to the global stage when he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the ICBL with four other members of the organization's leadership team. Channareth is also the founder of the Cambodian Campaign to Ban Landmines.
In a March press release, Fr. Stephen Sundborg S.J. expressed appreciation toward Channareth for his commitment to "rid the world of these insidious weapons." He added that Channareth was an inspiration for students in a university that aims to "empower leaders for a just and humane world."
Channareth's story and tireless activism were both factors in Seattle University's decision to award him with an honorary doctoral degree during the graduate commencement ceremony on June 12.
Commencement, also, is going beyond simply awarding Channareth a degree by actively promoting the signing of ICBL's petition to President Obama to ban landmines. A link to sign the e-petition can be found online via Seattle U's commencement webpage.
On the webpage, Seattle U notes that it is "hoping to gather 1,000 digital signatures by Commencement Weekend 2011."
The petition urges President Obama to enter the Mine Ban Treaty on behalf of the United States. It adds that, though the Obama administration made an announcement regarding its landmine policy a year ago, no action has been taken. It also adds that every member of NATO has signed the treaty except the United States, and that "in the Western Hemisphere, only the United States and Cuba are non-signatories."
Eyebrows are always raised when Seattle U takes a political stance on an issue. Over the past few years, several questions have been raised (mostly by outside forces like the Cardinal Newman Society) as to the strong stance the university takes on certain issues.
Freshman Chelsea Schmidt, an English major, doesn't think it is a very big deal. She clarified that she saw no reason why anyone would not support the removal of landmines, unless they were concerned about costs.
Both the Vatican and the Jesuit Refugee Service, a creation of Fr. Pedro Arrupe,S.J., have called for a removal of landmines and a ban on future production by encouraging nations to join the United Nations in promoting their prohibition and asking the United States to sign on to the ICBL treaty.
There is no word on how many signatures have been gathered thus far. Commencement organizers did not respond to interview requests in time for publication.
Dallas may be reached at dgoschie@su-spectator.com
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