Arunachal Pradesh gears up for Dalai Lama’s visit
New Delhi, Nov.7: Ahead of the much awaited visit of Tibetans' spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Sunday, Arunachal Pradesh has geared up for His holiness's welcome here.
Indian journalists have been allowed to cover the Nobel Laureate Dalai Lama's visit in the Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh. However, the foreign journalists are yet to be allowed.
"We are yet to decide to give visas to foreign journalists," said MEA sources.
Sunday's visit will be Dalai Lama's sixth visit to Arunachal Pradesh.
Tawang is perched at a height of 10,000 feet.
Posters with pictures of the Tibetan spiritual leader in a colour presentation and flags are all set to greet visitors to the place, where Dalai Lama had landed in 1959 after his escape from Tibet.
Tight security arrangements have been put in place around the area, located between - China and Myanmar, with the Tawang district administration making all efforts to ensure a peaceful visit of the leader.
China has raised objection to Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang area.
Dalai Lama is scheduled to hold discourses in the three centuries old Tawang monastery and at nearby Dirang from November 9 to 12 and another at Bomdila before leaving for Itanagar.
Last week, Dalai Lama reportedly contended that he was travelling to Arunachal in connection with teaching his beliefs. He also said that Tawang held great memories for him, as this was his first stop 50 years ago when he was forced to flee Tibet.
He is scheduled to visit Tawang monastery to deliver spiritual discourse to his followers at the invitation of local leaders and also dedicate a new hospital.
To China's objection over Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang, India made it clear that the Tibetan leader was free to travel any part of India, but he was not allowed to indulge in political activities.
Source –
http://www.andhranews.net/India/2009/November/7-Arunachal-Pradesh-gears-38172.asp
China warns Dalai Lama against
Arunachal visit
China has opposed the planned visit of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh and voiced 'strong concern' over the November trip.
"China expresses strong concern about this information. The visit further reveals the Dalai clique's anti-China and separatist essence," the Washington Post reported on Friday quoting Reuters.
"China's stance on the so-called Arunachal Pradesh is consistent. We firmly oppose Dalai visiting the so-called Arunachal Pradesh," Jiang Yu, the spokeswoman for China's Foreign Ministry, was quoted as saying in the report.
The Dalai Lama, a Nobel Laureate, plans to visit Arunachal Pradesh in the middle of November though details are yet to be worked out.
Last year, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu visited Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh to invite the Dalai Lama to visit Tawang to inaugurate a hospital. The Dalai Lama has contributed Rs 20 lakh for its construction.
Tawang is home to one of the most sacred Buddhist monasteries. The Dalai Lama passed through this region when he fled into exile from Tibet in 1959. The sixth Dalai Lama was also born in Tawang in the 17th century.
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US official says the spiritual leader is free to travel
anywhere as a religious figure
New Delhi: Ahead of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, a top US official on said he was free to go anywhere as a religious figure.
“The Dalai Lama is a religious leader and he, of course, can travel to carry out that role,” US Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero said.
“He (Dalai Lama) is visiting a monastery, a holy place. And from our perspective, this is one of the roles that he plays," she said when asked for her reaction to Chinese protest over the Tibetan leader’s visit to Tawang from Sunday.
Otero said US President Barack Obama would be visiting China this month and Tibet would certainly be one of the issues for discussion with the Chinese leaders.
“One could sense that this issue (Tibet) could be under consideration in some of those meetings with China,” she said to a query on Obama’s impending visit and if the Tibetan issue would be taken up then. “Tibet is very much symbolised by Dalai Lama. He is a person highly revered in the US.”
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India clears Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal
Braving the winter chill, thousands of Tibetans and locals today lined up along the roads leading to the Tawang Monastery and gave a rousing reception to the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who arrived here on a four-day visit.
After his arrival by a helicopter from Guwahati, the 74-year-old Dalai Lama, accompanied by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Kandu, was welcomed by cheering Tibetans as he drove along the 10-km stretch from the helipad to the 400-year-old Tawang Monastery.
The Dalai Lama's cavalcade stopped at three places -- old market, Manjusree Vidyapeeth and new market -- as the spiritual leader blessed the people who greeted him.
Nestled in the snow-capped mountains and perched at a height of 10,000 feet, this town wears a festive look with colourful posters with the Dalai Lama's pictures and Tibetan and Indian flags flying everywhere.
Buildings and houses have been given a fresh coat of paint and streets and localities cleaned to mark the occasion.
The Dalai Lama's cavalcade took more than 45 minutes to reach the Tawang Monastery from the helipad.
The Tibetan spiritual leader, who is here for the first time since 2003, inaugurated a museum inside the Tawang Monastery. The museum named 'Gadenmamgyallhatsa' contains historic scriptures of the Buddhist faith.
Bar on foreign scribes
A number of foreign journalists, intending to cover the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, may not be able to do so as their applications for special permits are still under process.
At least 19 journalists, 14 of them based in India and five abroad, have applied to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for permission to travel to Arunachal to cover the high profile visit.
Asked about the status of the applications, MEA sources merely said these are under "process".
The delay would effectively mean that the journalists would not be able to make it as the Dalai Lama's visit will begin on Sunday.
Apparently sensing this, some of the foreign media houses have sent the local correspondents to cover the event.
The Tibetan spiritual leader will be undertaking a week-long visit to Arunachal Pradesh, which is being objected to by China as it lays claim over the state.
As per the rules, foreigners have to approach the MEA for Restricted Area Permit to travel to the sensitive state. For Indians, an Inner Line Permit is required, which is given by Arunachal Pradesh government representative in Delhi.
Some journalists directly approached the Arunachal Bhavan here which gave Inner Line Permit to them, the sources said.
Carrying these Permits, the journalists reached Guwahati where they were stopped as they could not travel on the basis of these documents.
Army's help not taken for Dalai Lama's visit
The Arunachal Pradesh government has not taken the help of the army to ensure security during Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama's visit, a Tawang report said.
"We have not taken the help of the army and instead Lamas (Buddhist monks) and state police are helping out in security arrangements," Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu told reporters here.
Replying to a question on the recent objection by China over the spiritual leader's visit to Tawang and the strained relationship with Beijing, the chief minister said it was the duty of the Centre to deal with the matter.
"The state's law and order is in our hands and in the matter of international relations it is the Government of India which deals with it, so ask them." Khandu said.
Asked whether the border with China has been sealed in view of the visit of the Dalai Lama, Khandu said, "We are not supposed to comment on such issues as it is the duty of the Centre to deal with such issues."
He described Arunachal Pradesh as an abode of peace and predicted that there will be no problem in security matters during the visit of the Tibetan leader.
Khandu, who represents Tawang constituency in the state assembly, said "despite the media hype it is to be made clear that the Dalai Lama's visit here is to hold religious discourses and bless the people of Tawang."
Dalai Lama stresses on peace as 30,000 attend
Tawang discourse
Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh), Nov 9 (IANS) Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama Monday called for universal brotherhood and peace among all communities as he addressed more than 30,000 devotees in India’s northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.
“Compassion and peace are the two words that should be remembered by all,” the Dalai Lama said at the opening day of the three-day religious discourse at the Polo Ground in Tawang.
The Tibetan spiritual leader, who arrived on a weeklong visit to this strategic Indian border state Sunday, had raked up a controversy by hitting out at China during two separate interactions with journalists on the first day of his trip.
The Dalai Lama said Chinese opposition to his visit to Arunachal Pradesh was “totally baseless” and was on expected lines and nothing “unusual”.
He also charged Beijing of unnecessarily trying to accuse him of encouraging a “separatist movement” in Tibet.
Beijing had opposed the Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh as it lays claim on the territory.
India and China fought a border war in 1962, with Chinese troops advancing deep into Arunachal Pradesh and inflicting heavy casualties on Indian troops. China has never recognised the 1914 McMahon Line agreed between the British and the then Tibetan rulers and claims 90,000 sq km of territory, that includes nearly all of Arunachal Pradesh.
Thousands of followers, including monks donning maroon robes and some foreign devotees, listened to the Dalai Lama’s preachings sitting on the ground under a clear sky.
“The congregation was huge and it should be around 30,000 to 35,000 people already inside the ground,” said T.G. Rinpoche, a local Buddhist spiritual leader.
Earlier, the Dala Lama inaugurated a multi-speciality hospital in Tawang. He had contributed Rs.2 million towards its construction.
“The hospital would go a long way in meeting the healthcare needs of the local people,” the Dalai Lama said.
The religious discourse at Tawang would continue till Wednesday.
The Tibetan leader would then visit the adjoining towns of Bomdilla and Dirang Nov 12, before leaving for state capital Itanagar Nov 14. The visit ends Nov 15.
On Sunday, the Dalai Lama had stressed that his visit to Tawang was “non-political”.
It was through Tawang, a revered seat of Buddhism, that the Dalai Lama escaped the Chinese to enter India where he set up base in Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh.
Tawang is also spiritually important for the Tibetans as the sixth Dalai Lama was born in the 17th century at the Urgelling Monastery near here.
Source-
http://www.sindhtoday.net/news/1/69365.htm
