“The Dalai Lama is welcomed in democratic countries and Taiwan should stand on the side of these democracies,” Cheng told a press conference. “President Ma should clearly explain to the public the reasons why he is agianst any visit. [Ma] should not yield to Beijing’s pressure because it could become a serious international incident and hurt Taiwan’s image as a democracy.”
At a separate setting yesterday, MAC Deputy Minister Liu Te-shun (劉德勳) tried to downplay Ma’s remarks, saying that the Dalai Lama was an internationally revered religious leader who has never been unwelcome.
Liu said the MAC had not yet made any assessment of a visit because it did not have any concrete information on any visit, but that it would keep a close eye on developments.
Liu declined to comment on whether Ma’s remarks were inappropriate and what message it conveyed to the international community when leaders of other democracies had resisted Beijing’s pressure and met with the Dalai Lama.
Meanwhile, Taiwan Friends of Tibet (TFOT) also condemned Ma.
“At this moment, when the Dalai Lama is visiting Europe, meeting with the Belgian prime minister and about to deliver a speech at the European Parliament, the Taiwanese government openly rejects a visit,” TFOT chairwoman Chow Mei-li (周美里) said in a press release. “This has surely damaged Taiwan’s image in the international community.”
Chow urged Ma to stand behind the values of freedom and democracy and not to bow to pressure from China’s authoritarian regime.
“It’s disappointing that Ma is so eager to reject a visit by the Dalai Lama that he has to say so before the Dalai Lama has even made a plan,” she said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY LOA IOK-SIN AND STAFF WRITER
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