South Africa’s decision to deny a travel visa to the Dalai Lama is widely believed to be a political decision to avoid upsetting the Chinese government, which views the Dalai Lama as a separatist bent on leading Tibet in seceding from China.
4 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates have pulled out of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates to be held in Cape Town, South Africa next month over South Africa’s decision to deny a travel visa to the Dalai Lama.
An article published in the Firstpost reported that Jody Williams from the US, Shirin Ebadi from Iran, Leymah Gbowee of Liberia and an unnamed representative of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) have announced their withdrawal from the upcoming Nobel Summit in Cape Town in solidarity with the Dalai Lama, after attempts to pressure South Africa to reconsider his visa application failed.
South Africa’s decision to deny a travel visa to the Dalai Lama is widely believed to be a political decision to avoid upsetting the Chinese government, which views the Dalai Lama as a separatist bent on leading Tibet in seceding from China.
Last week, fourteen Nobel Peace laureates sent a letter to South African President Jacob Zuma, urging him to grant a visa to the Dalai Lama after reports emerged that the South African government had requested the Dalai Lama to postpone his visit to the following year.
The Dalai Lama has previously been prevented from visiting and participating in events in South Africa. Most recently, he was prevented from attending fellow Nobel Peace laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s 80th birthday bash in 2011 causing much public outrage.
China, which is a significant trading partner of South Africa with more than 30 billion dollars of bilateral trade each year, has publicly called upon governments to avoid receiving the Dalai Lama.
Tempa Tsering, the Dalai Lama's representative in New Delhi, has called for the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates to be relocated to an alternative country, which will allow for all voices to be heard.