Labeling his visit to Taiwan "purely religious," the Dalai Lama said upon his arrival yesterday that he is not in a position to comment on Taiwan's sovereignty row with China but that the people should have the ultimate say on the issue.
"Taiwan is not my responsibility," Tibet's spiritual leader told an afternoon news conference. "However, its people should have the final say on its destiny in line with the principle of democracy."
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMESN
Seeking to play down the political significance of his second tour of the island, the Tibetan monk, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his peaceful campaign for Tibetan autonomy, reiterated that he is not seeking independence for his homeland.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
"What I've been advocating is a high degree of autonomy for Tibet," he said.
On Friday, the People's Daily,, China's official newspaper accused him of colluding with Taiwanese separatists, citing his present trip to the island.
But the Dalai Lama challenged the Chinese authorities to scrutinize his activities during his stay in Taiwan. "Then they will find nothing I do or say is anti-China."
"My main goal here is to meet the Buddhist community and explain about Tibetan Buddhism," he said.
Before his departure on April 9, the Dalai Lama is slated to meet President Chen Shui-bian (
He said he is eager to see Lee, calling him "my old friend."
Although he said that he has yet to form any impression of Chen, the Buddhist leader said he admired his coming to power through popular elections rather than violent means.
"The peaceful transfer of power is a remarkable achievement on Taiwan's part," he said.
To avoid provoking Beijing, the Presidential Office is expected to keep the April 5 meeting low-key.
Still, both supporters and opponents of Taiwan's independence from China took the opportunity to press their cases outside the hotel where the Dalai Lama is staying. Carrying placards with slogans of opposition to Tibetan independence, pro-unification advocates accused the Dalai Lama of attempting to split China.
"The Dalai Lama is using religion as a pretext to carry out the scheme of splitting China," one demonstrator said. "He's here to bilk money."
The Buddhist Association of the Republic of China, which arranged the Dalai Lama's itinerary, has sold all 30,000 tickets for one of today's events for NT$1,000 each.
Across the street, a group of activists from the other end of the political spectrum staged a counter-protest hailing the Dalai Lama's arrival. "Free Tibet, free Taiwan," the pro-independence group chanted.
"We welcome him because the Dalai Lama is anti-Chinese, famous and a man of stature," lawyer Fu Yun-chin (傅雲欽) said. "We urge him and the Taiwanese people not to be afraid of China and to say no to China."
Riot police armed with shields and batons chased after several protesters who tried to break through a security cordon. But there were no injuries or arrests.
The Dalai Lama fled his Himalayan homeland after a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule. More than 120,000 refugees followed him to India, where his government-in-exile is based in the northern city of Dharamsala.
The Dalai Lama's itinerary in Taiwan can be checked on http://www.dalai.idv.tw.
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