WTIC 2026 Annual Lecture : Historical Scars and Resilient Spirits Under Blue Skies

WTIC 2026 Annual Lecture concluded with great success! We extend our deepest gratitude to H.E. Ambassador Anjanette Kattil of the Republic of the Marshall Islands for her profoundly moving presentation. The lecture left our members with deep admiration for the people of Marshall Islands and their unwavering commitment to warn of the dangers of nuclear weapons.

Embraced by blue skies and vast oceans, the people and lands of the Marshall Islands bear irreversible, permanent scars. Global warming and rising sea levels brings additional challenges as the waters threaten to flood and destroy the underground storage containing massive quantities of radioactive waste materials. Ambassador Kattil’s heartfelt story of her home brought many of our members to tears during the lecture. The massive nuclear tests and especially the 1954 “Castle Bravo” hydrogen bomb test produced an unanticipated scale of radioactive fallout, subjecting local residents to severe radiation exposure and causing long-term health and social impacts.

Today, this historical event stands as a critical case study regarding:

💥 A critical milestone in the history of nuclear weapons development
🪵 A painful chapter regarding Indigenous peoples’ rights
🌱 A textbook case of Environmental Justice
🔬 A foundational yet tragic case study for radiation health risk research

For the past century, nuclear testing has continued for military dominance despite the well-known catastrophic consequences to human life and nature. The story of the Marshall Islands serves as a stark reminder: our shared pursuit must be world peace, coexistence, and mutual prosperity.

Congratulations on a highly successful WTIC Annual Lecture, and thank you, Madam Ambassador, for sharing your story with all of us.

📸 The event album is now live!
👉 Photo Gallery: https://photos.app.goo.gl/v8hqMTbGpd21TH5A8

WTIC 2026 年度講座: 藍天大海下的歷史傷痕與韌性精神

台北市迎新會年度講座已圓滿落幕！我們向馬紹爾群島共和國大使卡蒂爾閣下（H.E. Ambassador Anjanette Kattil）致以最深摯的謝意，感謝她帶來這場震撼人心、令人動容的精彩演講。這場講座讓所有會員對馬紹爾群島人民充滿了由衷的敬佩，更深刻體會到他們為警示世人核武危害，所展現出的堅定與不懈努力。

馬紹爾群島的人民與土地，在藍天大海的溫柔懷抱下，卻承受著不可逆且永久的核痕跡。如今，全球暖化導致海平面逐漸上升，不斷上漲的海水威脅要淹沒並侵蝕封存大量放射性物質的混凝土掩體。卡蒂爾大使訴說著家鄉的真實故事，真摯的情感讓許多會員在聆聽時都不禁感動落淚。當年規模龐大的核試驗，特別是 1954 年的「城堡行動（Castle Bravo）」氫彈試驗，產生了超出預期的毀滅性放射性落塵，使當地居民遭受嚴重的輻射照射，並留下了長期的健康與社會陰影。這段歷史走到今天，已成為國際上數個關鍵領域不容忽視的研究與反思案例：

💥 核武發展歷史的關鍵轉折
🪵 原住民族權益的集體創傷
🌱 環境正義（Environmental Justice）的典型案例
🔬 放射線健康風險研究的重要代價

過去一個世紀以來，核試爆對人體與環境的毀滅性傷害是眾所皆知的，但卻為了軍事理由不斷發生。馬紹爾群島的故事是一記敲響世界的警鐘：我們共同追求的終極目標，必須是世界和平、共存與共榮。

感謝所有會員與嘉賓的熱情參與。因為有大家的共襄盛舉，才讓這場年度盛會如此充實且富有意義。也由衷感謝Kattil大使與我們分享這段意義深遠的故事。

📸 精彩的活動花絮照片已經上傳
👉 點此觀看活動照片 https://photos.app.goo.gl/v8hqMTbGpd21TH5A8

Join us for an enlightening morning with H.E. Anjanette Kattil, Ambassador of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Ambassador Kattil will share profound insights into her homeland’s history, its cultural heritage, and the courageous resilience shown in the face of climate change and environmental challenges.
This is a wonderful opportunity to broaden our global perspective and connect with fellow members before the summer break.
Guest Speaker: H.E. Anjanette Kattil
Date & Time: Tuesday, June 2, 2026 | 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Venue: Int’l Conference Hall, 2F, IDIA Building
Address: (No. 280, Sec. 1, Dunhua S. Rd., Taipei)
Fee: NT$200 per person (Includes a tea gathering and refreshments)
Register Now: https://forms.gle/9K4YiSiMDCGk98wY7
WTIC 2026 年度專題講座
海潮升起，堅韌面對：馬紹爾群島的韌性生命之路
本次講座特別邀請 馬紹爾群島駐台大使 Anjanette Kattil 閣下 蒞臨主講。大使將分享這座太平洋島國如何在核試驗遺緒與氣候變遷的雙重挑戰下，展現堅韌不屈的生命力。誠摯邀請會員朋友們在暑假前夕共襄盛舉，透過這場深具意義的對談，拓展國際視野。
主講人： H.E. Anjanette Kattil (馬紹爾群島共和國駐台大使)
時間： 2026 年 6 月 2 日 (二) 10:00–12:00
地點： 外交及國際事務學院 2 樓國際會議廳
地址： 台北市敦化南路一段 280 號
費用： 每人 NT$200 (現場安排茶點交流)
立即報名： https://forms.gle/9K4YiSiMDCGk98wY7

The 2024 WTIC Annual Lecture featured a fascinating culture exchange topic, with two young entrepreneur sisters, raised and educated in Africa, sharing their diverse adventure stories from unique perspectives on their journey.
They took us through their childhood discovery that cocoa beans could be transformed into delicious chocolates, sparking their dream to develop a chocolate business that gives back to the land they grew up in. Their story is a touching example of fostering wellness and nurturing their homeland as a way of giving back to society. The tale of understanding and international friendship is truly inspirational.
​​https://photos.app.goo.gl/efYoto459aQ8Fgzh8

2024年迎新會年度講座以文化交流為主題，邀請兩位在非洲長大和接受教育的年輕企業家姐妹，從獨特的視角分享了她們精彩的非洲冒險故事。
他們向我們講述了童年時發現可可豆可以成為美味巧克力的經歷，長大後激發了他們發展巧克力事業的夢想，並回饋給他們成長的非洲家園。這是一種關於理解和增進國際友誼的動人故事，確實非常的鼓舞人心。

WTIC is pleased to invite you to the 2024 annual lecture, entitled “Chocolate Dream: Story of Taiwanese Sisters Growing up in Africa,” by young Taiwanese entrepreneur Dania Yang. There will be a Q&A session, a raffle of products from Africa, and an opportunity to taste chocolates with an afternoon tea. Please come to join us to hear about this enlightening cross-cultural journey and to meet up with old friends before we bid farewell to the first half year of 2024 and enjoy a break during the warm summer months. Click to Register: https://forms.gle/NGzCrQEvvfb1DdhV8
邀請您來參加迎新會的年度講座「香濃巧克力－台灣女孩在非洲成長的故事」
時間：6月13日 星期四，下午2:00, 1:30開始報到
地點：外交學院2樓 (敦化南路一段280號)
費用：$500
講座活動包括演講、問答、摸彩、非洲特產伴手禮，以及精緻的午茶品嚐巧克力成品與飲料。

Good afternoon!

It is an honor and a pleasure that we have His Excellency Ambassador George Fraser with us to give us WTIC 2023 online annual lecture today.  On behalf of Welcome to Taipei International Club board of directors, I would like to extend our gratitude to Ambassador Fraser taking his precious time to share with us the characteristics of Micronesian Pacific cultures and people. 

Currently WTIC has more than 240 international and local members, including more than 50 nationalities.  In WTIC, we share same interest, and doing thing together, and appreciate each other as persons rather than as representatives of Nationalities.  For each of our interest group activity and annual event, there is same underlying objective to understand each other’s culture, and through understanding to foster friendship.  

Our topic today is about Micronesian Pacific nations and areas. Micronesian Pacific may be thousands of miles away from us, but to mention the least, today after listening to Ambassador Fraser’s talk, you will be amazed that its surrounding ocean and islands significantly affect daily food on our table.  Micronesian and all of us may seem afar from each other, yet we are actually so profoundly affect to each other’s daily life unnoticed.  We live in a global village and only when we open our world view then we will get further understanding of our neighbors.  

Without further delay, let me give the microphone to our moderator, Mayumi, to introduce Ambassador George Fraser and guide us through today’s program.  I am thankful to all of your support and attend today’s lecture.  Thank you very much.

The Art of Chinese Living – A conversation with Ms Xiang Yao

By Harsha Dass （Spouse of Representative, India-Taipei Association）

It was a wonderful online event organized by the WTIC where they brought us together for an exciting talk by the author of the series, The Art of Chinese Living. Published in Mandarin in two different editions for Taiwan and China, it has now been translated into English and made available to a wider audience worldwide. A Japanese translation is forthcoming.
Ms Xiang Yao walked us through not only the book but in answer to the several questions that were asked, she was kind enough to share also the process of writing the book. She explained how the idea came to her when she spent time with her daughter when they were both driving to her university to start a new phase of her life . As an expat Chinese, she felt that her children should have a kind of ready reckoner for everything that summed up being Chinese – food, traditions, festivals, clothes, art and everything else. For a civilization as ancient as China, that was a huge challenge. She likes to put it as a book born out of a mother’s love and her desire to share herself with her family. She set about collecting material, and in the process also had several items specifically designed for the book. One glance through the book and you will appreciate the publishers dilemma in categorizing the book. It is divided into four books, one for each season. Summer winter autumn and spring. Each one has a different color and a different theme, the attention to detail is mind boggling. For instance, the section on food not only has details of food but includes recipes, pictures pots and pans and her experiences from her own garden. The section on family has her own genealogy. Thus at one level the book is universal but as you get immersed in it you understand how personal it is . To give you just one example of how the book is organized, it describes a popular festival, gives recipes of snacks made during the festival and proceeds to tell you all the major authors across time, who wrote on the theme of that festival- love- and ends by describing the author’s own experiences of reading them as a little girl.
It took seven years for the book to take this shape and Ms Yao involved gerself with the photographs, the selections, even the colors. Not only is the book packed with information, it is a visual treat as much attention has been paid to the composition, the printing and the texture.It is a testament to what can be achieved with a mother’s love and strength. She also suggested that others should take a cue from her book and use the same arrangement to put together something like this for their own cultures. My personal favorites are the folded pullouts showing a wealth of detail on the topic in a manner that brings together the philosophy of holistic living clearly to those not familiar with this part of the world.
It was great to hear all this and more from her. The two hours just flew by. I couldn’t have asked for a better keepsake for my Taiwan stay.Thankyou WTIC for this wonderful opportunity to be a part of her journey.

 

 

more “05/17/2018 Matinee Lecture: The World of Cultural & Artistic Imagination/ 陸仲雁主講: 文創的藝想世界” …