Steve Hayes
2009-03-24 07:52:42 UTC
Outcry over Dalai Lama visa refusal
24 March 2009
The government has been widely condemned for refusing to allow Tibetan
spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, to attend a 2010 World Cup peace conference
in Johannesburg on Friday.
Nobel peace laureate and former president FW de Klerk and Archbishop Emeritus
Desmond Tutu have both said they would boycott the event in solidarity with
the Dalai Lama.
De Klerk was honour-bound to respect the invitation that he, former
president Nelson Mandela and Tutu sent to the Tibetan spiritual leader last
November, at the request of the organisers of the peace conference, the FW de
Klerk Foundation said.
Tutu, who was in California, reportedly said yesterday that he had written to
President Kgalema Motlanthe asking for an explanation.
If His Holinesss visa is refused, then I wont take part in the coming 2010
World Cup- related peace conference, Tutu said. We are shamelessly
succumbing to Chinese pressure.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation said former president Nelson Mandela would not
attend the event on Friday. Mandela had never planned to attend, it said.
Achmat Dangor, the chief executive of the peace foundation, said Mandela,
along with De Klerk and Tutu, was asked to sign invitations to a number of
people to attend the Peace Conference organised by the South African Peace
Committee.
Motlanthes spokesperson Thabo Masebe said: Yes, the president received his
[Tutus] letter. The position we took is that inviting the Dalai Lama would
not be in the interests of South Africa.
He said the reason for South Africa refusing the visa was that it did not want
to remove the worlds attention from the 2010 Soccer World Cup preparations.
A spokesperson for the Dalai Lama said he was very disappointed by the
decision.
The peace event is expected to discuss ways of using football to fight racism
and xenophobia ahead of the 2010 World Cup. Sapa
Source:
http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=965469
See also
http://methodius.blogspot.com/2009/03/outcry-over-dalai-lama-visa-refusal.html
24 March 2009
The government has been widely condemned for refusing to allow Tibetan
spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, to attend a 2010 World Cup peace conference
in Johannesburg on Friday.
Nobel peace laureate and former president FW de Klerk and Archbishop Emeritus
Desmond Tutu have both said they would boycott the event in solidarity with
the Dalai Lama.
De Klerk was honour-bound to respect the invitation that he, former
president Nelson Mandela and Tutu sent to the Tibetan spiritual leader last
November, at the request of the organisers of the peace conference, the FW de
Klerk Foundation said.
Tutu, who was in California, reportedly said yesterday that he had written to
President Kgalema Motlanthe asking for an explanation.
If His Holinesss visa is refused, then I wont take part in the coming 2010
World Cup- related peace conference, Tutu said. We are shamelessly
succumbing to Chinese pressure.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation said former president Nelson Mandela would not
attend the event on Friday. Mandela had never planned to attend, it said.
Achmat Dangor, the chief executive of the peace foundation, said Mandela,
along with De Klerk and Tutu, was asked to sign invitations to a number of
people to attend the Peace Conference organised by the South African Peace
Committee.
Motlanthes spokesperson Thabo Masebe said: Yes, the president received his
[Tutus] letter. The position we took is that inviting the Dalai Lama would
not be in the interests of South Africa.
He said the reason for South Africa refusing the visa was that it did not want
to remove the worlds attention from the 2010 Soccer World Cup preparations.
A spokesperson for the Dalai Lama said he was very disappointed by the
decision.
The peace event is expected to discuss ways of using football to fight racism
and xenophobia ahead of the 2010 World Cup. Sapa
Source:
http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=965469
See also
http://methodius.blogspot.com/2009/03/outcry-over-dalai-lama-visa-refusal.html
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk