Friday 28 August 2009

Dalai Lama trip puts Ma on spot

Ma Ying-jeou faces one of the toughest decisions of his presidency after the pro-independence camp invited the Dalai Lama to visit Taiwan to comfort typhoon victims.

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Guanyu said...

Dalai Lama trip puts Ma on spot

Storm-hit Kaohsiung invites Tibetan leader

Lawrence Chung in Taipei
27 August 2009

Ma Ying-jeou faces one of the toughest decisions of his presidency after the pro-independence camp invited the Dalai Lama to visit Taiwan to comfort typhoon victims.

The invitation to the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader to visit the island for four days from Monday places Mr. Ma - already under pressure over his government’s poor handling of Typhoon Morakot - squarely between a rock and a hard place.

If he permits the visit he will anger Beijing and could damage the cross-strait relationship, which has improved rapidly since he took office. Beijing considers the Dalai Lama - who last visited Taiwan eight years ago - a “splittist” and protests when he visits other countries. If Mr. Ma blocks the visit he is likely to be accused of putting ties with the mainland ahead of typhoon victims.

The invitation was extended by Chen Chu, mayor of the southern city of Kaohsiung - who is from the opposition Democratic Progressive Party - and six other southern heads of local governments from the DPP. Ms. Chen said the invitation was purely religious and humanitarian, and “not political”.

Observers of the island’s politics challenged her assertion.

“This is obviously politically motivated,” said political scientist George Tsai Wei of Chinese Cultural University in Taipei. “The purpose is to embarrass Ma and put him in an awkward position.”

Andrew Yang Nien-dzu, secretary general of the Chinese Council of Advanced Policy Studies in Taipei, said: “This can’t be a purely religious trip. The DPP is using [it] to make political gains.”

Kaohsiung was among the areas hardest hit by Typhoon Morakot, which struck Taiwan on August 6, triggering the worst flooding in half a century and mudslides that buried six mountain villages. At least 461 people have been confirmed dead and a further 192 are missing.

Mr. Ma’s administration has come under fire for responding slowly to the disaster. Its approval rating has slipped to a low of 13 per cent.

Ms. Chen said they had invited the Dalai Lama “so that victims in the disaster-hit areas will be able to get peace of mind”.

DPP spokesman Cheng Wen-tsan said: “If the Ma government fails to allow the Dalai Lama in to comfort the disaster victims, it means it is not concerned about the plight of the victims. Don’t tell me you need approval from Beijing.”

An embarrassed spokesman for Mr. Ma said: “We have to await further information before responding.”

Kuomintang lawmakers lashed out at the DPP. “Do they think Taiwan does not have enough troubles already?” asked Chiu Yi. “The DPP should concentrate on joining the government in relief and reconstruction work for the victims.”

The Dalai Lama lives in exile in Dharamsala, northern India. His office in the Indian capital, New Delhi, confirmed the DPP’s invitation and said the Dalai Lama would be “very happy and pleased” to visit southern Taiwan and pray for typhoon victims.

Ms. Chen said the Dalai Lama’s office had sent staff to Taiwan’s representative office in New Delhi to apply for a visa. The Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission in Taipei, which handles such matters, said it had not received an application.