Dalai Lama to Visit Taiwan
2009-8-27 10:42
Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou, along with national security officials, has decided to let the Dalai Lama visit the island from August 31 to September 3.
Ma had thrown out the idea of a 2009 visit by the Tibetan spiritual leader last year... over fears of upsetting trade relations with Beijing.
[Ma Ying-jeou, President of Taiwan]:
"We have decided to invite the Dalai Lama to Taiwan to ask him to pray for the dead and bring hope to the living. This was our decision."
A member of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile based in Taiwan says he is delighted with the official approval.
[Khedroob Thondup, Member, Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile]:
"I think President Ma has made the right decision after a long time, you see. And I think this will also help him, you see, and also he should not be so worried of China because this is Taiwan, this is not China right? In Taiwan, he should listen to what people say and what people say is they want him to come. I think he taken the right decisions."
Taiwan, home to a large exiled Tibetan community and millions of Buddhists, allowed visits by the Dalai Lama in 1997 and 2001.
Thondup hopes the decision will warm, rather than thaw, relations between Taiwan, the Mainland, and the Dalai Lama.
[Khedroob Thondup, Member, Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile]:
“I think that is a very good thing for him, you see, for him to come here and visit Taiwan, to visit the people of Taiwan. Taiwan is a free society, is a democracy, and these things cannot happen inside China, you see. Well, if the Chinese leader are brave enough, if they can see that his Holiness can come to Taiwan with no problems, they should invite him to China."
In this latest trip the Dalai Lama will comfort survivors of Typhoon Morakot, which struck Taiwan from August 7-9 and killed nearly 700 people.
