Dalai Lama's visit stirs protest in Taiwan
- Source: Global Times
- [03:01 September 01 2009]
- Comments
Taiwan aborigines display a protesting banner outside the hotel yesterday where the Dalai Lama is staying. Photo: AFP
By Zhang Lei and Ji Beibei
More than 100 Taiwanese gathered at the Taipei Train Station to protest the visit of the Dalai Lama, who arrived in Taipei Sunday night to begin his six-day trip to "comfort typhoon victims."
The Dalai Lama was escorted through the crowd by police amid protesters shouting, "Go home, Taiwan belongs to China," while waving posters, banners and Chinese flags, according to TVBS.
Similar protests included dozens of typhoon victims from Pingtung county who collected outside the hotel where the Dalai Lama was staying in Kaohsiung city early yesterday morning.
The protestors shouted and waved banners that read, "No Dalai Lama – Only food and beds wanted" and "(He) only talks – no fund-raising" to show their disapproval of the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) invitation to the Dalai Lama to visit the island.
Arrangements were made by the DPP and Kaohsiung city government to visit victims, give lectures and hold a prayer ceremony, which was partially confirmed by the Dalai Lama Foundation.
Before the trip, the Dalai Lama claimed that he was invited by the Taiwanese people rather than any political group to appease the souls of victims.
The Kaohsiung Buddhist Association said Dalai's visit was "untimely and unnecessary" during a Buddhist prayer ceremony in Kaohsiung Sunday, as "they had already done a lot of relief work."
The Chinese mainland has reiterated its stance of opposing the Dalai Lama's visit to Taiwan by canceling a series of cross- Straits activities, according to taihainet.com.
Wang Yi, director of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, who was scheduled to attend a conference promoting investment between the mainland and the island in Liaoning Province yesterday, suddenly cancelled his trip.
Yang Xiaodu, director of the Party's United Front Work Department in Shanghai, also postponed his visit to Taiwan.
In addition, a pre-scheduled ceremony to celebrate the increased number of regular cross-Straits direct flights was cancelled.
The Dalai Lama called off a news conference yesterday and made other changes to his schedule, according to TVBS.
Since garnering such negative responses from the public, DPP members avoided discussing "who invited the Dalai Lama."
After of Taiwan's mayors and county chiefs from the DPP reportedly invited the Dalai Lama to visit the island Wednesday.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu claimed that she invited Dalai Lama to console victims of Typhoon Morakot by contacting the Dalai Lama Foundation on August 23, which replied two days later, according to Taiwan-based Central News Agency.
But on Sunday, DPP officials in Kaohsiung said they did not invite Dalai, rather, "Dalai proposed the visit himself," which Dalai's representative denied.
Tsegyam Ngaba, secretary general to the Dalai Lama's Office, said Dalai was touched by the invitation letter from the mayors of Taiwan and made the trip.
"The situation now is different from Dalai's last two visits to Taiwan," Wang Jianmin, an expert on Taiwan issues at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times yesterday.
"This time, while Taiwan faces natural disasters and significant changes in cross- Straits relations, the DPP sent the invitation and cornered the Kuomintang into approving it."
"They tried to stage a political conspiracy to threaten Ma Ying-jeou's government by stirring up unrest, since many of Taiwan's ethnic groups are Christians," Wang said.
"DPP also intended to sabotage relief work and cross- Straits diplomacy," he added.
