San José (EFE).- The Vietnamese Kim Phuc, known as the napalm girl for a historic photo taken in 1972 during the Vietnam War, presented this Wednesday in Costa Rica the first Spanish edition of her book “La Ruta del Fuego” ”, in which he tells the story of his life and his path to forgiveness.
Phuc, who presented the book at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica, recalled that June 8, 1972 when the photographer Nick Ut portrayed the moment in which the girl ran in terror, naked and with serious burns on her body as a result of from a napalm bombing during the Vietnam War.
The woman explained that in her book she recounts the testimony of her life, her years spent in Vietnam; in Cuba, where she studied medicine; and finally to Canada where she defected with her husband, and became an activist for children’s rights and peace.
Phuc claimed that at one point in his life he converted to Christianity and was able to forgive his enemies, including the American pilots who were in charge of the bombing.
Memories of Kim Phuc
The woman recalled that after the iconic photograph, she spent 3 days in a morgue because they gave her no hope of life, and that she then remained hospitalized for 14 months, to then undergo various treatments and therapies throughout her life.
Phuc, who now runs a foundation that helps children around the world, thanked Costa Rica for its support for the translation and launch of his book in Spanish, the English edition of which was published in 2017.
The Foreign Minister of Costa Rica, Arnoldo André, was in charge of the prologue of this first edition of the book in Spanish.
The Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lydia Peralta, said at the official ceremony that Costa Rica will always support initiatives aimed at promoting peace, democracy and disarmament, as they are values and principles of the country’s foreign policy.
“Costa Rica, as an unarmed democracy and faithful to its pacifist tradition, will continue to insist that peace must be the path and the highest aspiration of the rulers for their peoples. For our country, it is a source of pride that the message of hope that Kim Phuc transmits in his book reaches the Spanish-speaking world thanks to Costa Rican diplomatic action, ”expressed Peralta.
The translation of “The Route of Fire”
The idea of translating the book into Spanish came from the former Costa Rican ambassador to Canada, Mauricio Ortiz, who met Phuc during those functions.
And the objective of making the translation a reality was imposed, for which it obtained private support through donations from Costa Rican businessmen, as well as the organizational and logistical collaboration of the Foreign Ministry.
Phuc is accompanied in Costa Rica by the photojournalist Ut, and both will have an audience with the country’s president, Rodrigo Chaves, they will visit state universities, the University for Peace, schools, among other places.
The book “La Ruta del Fuego” and the photograph of “La niña de napalm” represent a faithful denunciation of the atrocities suffered by the victims of armed conflicts and a call to the States to outline the necessary actions to curb violence and encourage a culture of peace, from childhood, highlighted the Costa Rican Foreign Ministry.