Dalai Lama Refused South Africa Visa - Again

South Africa has declined a visa application from the Dalai Lama - allegedly because of fears it would damage its relations with China.

It is the third time in five years the government has refused entry to the religious leader, who was planning to attend the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in October.

"We have informally received contact His Holiness won't get his visa," said Nangsa Chodon, the Dalai Lama's South Africa-based representative.

The South African foreign ministry denied the visa application had been rejected, saying it had received written confirmation the Dalai Lama had cancelled his tip.

Desmond Tutu has warned that other nobel laureates may boycott the event

Tashi Phuntsok, the spokesman for his exiled government in India, said: "If the news reports are correct, it is unfortunate that the South African government did not extend the same courtesy to the respected religious leader, the Dalai Lama, as it did to the other Nobel laureates."

A spokesman for Archbishop Desmond Tutu warned the rejection could lead to other laureates boycotting the gathering in Cape Town.

City Mayor Patricia de Lille said: "We remain hopeful that the national government will grant the visa in order to spare South Africa the international humiliation of failing to do so."

Each of the three visa refusals has led to outrage from South Africans, who perceive the move as a flagrant breach of the Tibetan leader's human rights.

China has long been accused of using its political and economic influence to stop the Dalai Lama from travelling around the world, as it believes he campaigns covertly for Tibetan independence.

The Dalai Lama met US President Barack Obama in 2011

A representative of former South African president Frederik Willem de Klerk, whose foundation is involved in organising the annual gathering, said "boycotting the summit would be the worst way of protesting".

Dave Steward said: "The best way would be to come to the summit and celebrate the 20th anniversary of our democracy - and then make any views they want to make known."

The Dalai Lama was welcomed into South Africa in 1996 for a meeting with Nelson Mandela, but was first refused entry into the country in 2009.

The 79-year-old was barred from attending a peace conference, as the government feared his presence would be an unwelcome distraction from the World Cup a year later.

He was also subject to "unreasonable delays" during his visa application in 2011, a South African court ruled, when he was stopped from attending the 80th birthday of Mr Tutu, the Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town.

Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang

Dalai Lama Refused South Africa Visa - Again

Dengan url

http://anterinjemput.blogspot.com/2014/09/dalai-lama-refused-south-africa-visa.html

Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya

Dalai Lama Refused South Africa Visa - Again

namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link

Dalai Lama Refused South Africa Visa - Again

sebagai sumbernya