_________________ WTN-L World Tibet Network News _________________
Published by: The Canada Tibet Committee Editorial Board:
Brian Given, Conrad Richter, Nima Dorjee,
Tseten Samdup, Thubten (Sam) Samdup
WTN Editors: wtn-editors@tibet.ca
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Monday, April 04, 2000
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ISSUE ID: 00/04/04 Compiled by Nima
Dorjee
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1. Tibetan official hopes to attend Taiwan's presidential inauguration
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1. Tibetan official hopes to attend Taiwan's presidential inauguration
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TAIPEI, April 3 (AFP) - A top official with the Tibetan
government-in-exile has expressed his wish to attend Taiwan
president-elect Chen Shui-bian's inauguration on May 20, it was
reported Monday.
In an interview with the Taipei-based Liberty Times in Dharamsala, seat
of the exiled government, Kalon Sonam Topgyal, chairman of Kashag --
the regime's cabinet -- said he would attend as long as he received an
invitation from Chen.
Sonam Topgyal hailed the result of the polls, saying "the choice of the
candidate China most loathed was a punch on the nose of the Chinese
leaders."
The two sides of the Taiwan Strait were separated in 1949, when the
communist forces of Mao Zedong defeated the nationalists at the end of a
civil war.
Beijing made repeated threats of war against Taiwan in the run-up to
the election, warning voters not to opt for Chen who has advocated
formal independence from the mainland.
But You Hsi-kun, secretary general of the Democratic Progressive Party
(DPP) with which Chen is affiliated, was cautious Monday when asked if
Chen would risk angering Beijing by inviting the Tibetan official.
"The list of foreign guests has yet to be worked out," You told AFP.
In a stunning victory, Chen defeated outgoing Vice President Lien Chan
of the Kuomintang (KMT) and independent candidate James Soong in the
March 18 elections.
Chen has however since offered several olive branches to Beijing and
said he will not move towards independence.
But he has so far refused to accept the "One China" principle --
Beijing's claim of sovereignty over Taiwan -- but has offered to
discuss the issue. He has firmly rejected reunification under the "one
country, two systems" formula, which Beijing uses to rule Hong Kong and
Macau.
Sonam Topgyal told the newspaper that Tibetan spiritual leader the
Dalai Lama had planned to visit Taiwan immediately following the
elections in a move "which would leave opponents entirely unprepared."
Some cabinet members with the Tibetan exiled government opposed the
trip, citing security reasons.
In 1997, the Dalai Lama made his historic visit to Taiwan, where he met
Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui. Beijing heaped vitriol on the
meeting, saying it was part of concerted efforts to split Taiwan and
Tibet from the "motherland."
The Dalai Lama, who fled from Tibet to India in 1959 after a failed
uprising, unveiled a "middle path" policy in 1988 in which he declared
his willingness to settle for partial autonomy in place of full
independence.
Beijing initially said it was willing to talk with the exiled Tibetan
government but later hardened its stand, saying dialogue was only
possible if the Dalai Lama publicly declared Tibet, and also Taiwan,
was an inalienable part of China.
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2. Tibetan leadership pushes for Taiwan visits
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April 3, 2000
ASSOCIATED PRESS in Taipei
Updated at 3.05pm: A top minister of the Tibetan exile government said
he would like to attend the inauguration of Taiwan's newly elected
president, despite the mainland's expected objection, a leading
newspaper reported.
The minister also said that plans are being made for the Dalai Lama to
visit Taiwan to attend religious activities and meet President-elect
Chen Shui-bian, the Liberty Times daily reported.
The Chinese-language paper interviewed Sonam Topgyal, chairman of the
Tibetan Cabinet-in-exile, in Dharmsala in northern India.
The Tibetan leader said he was pleased that Taiwan exercised its
self-rule on March 18 and elected a candidate disliked by China, the
newspaper reported.
By electing Mr Chen, Taiwanese ''were punching the Communists Chinese
hard in the nose,'' the Tibetan minister was quoted as saying.
The Dalai Lama made his first ever visit to Taiwan in 1997 and met
President Lee Teng-hui. China was infuriated by the meeting of the two
prominent figures it has labeled as ''splittists'' for their perceived
attempts to formally break away from the motherland.
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3. Stateside Buddhists Await Visit
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By Michael Hill Associated Press Writer Monday , April 3, 2000
WOODSTOCK, N.Y. -- The placid face of a towering Buddha and the sonorous
sound of chants lend this mountainside monastery an air of tranquility.
But lately the Buddhists here are abuzz. They are convinced His Holiness
will come.
His Holiness is a strapping 14-year-old Tibetan boy revered as the 17th
incarnation of the Karmapa, the third most important leader in Tibetan
Buddhism.
After making a daring escape from Tibet into India, the young monk is
now expected to visit North America, a journey likely to boost the
profile of Buddhism in this country.
"We have been expecting this for 12 years," said Chojor Radha, an
interpreter at the monastery. "I never really lost hope. I knew it would
come."
The Karmapa has remained in India since his escape from Chinese rule in
January. The Indian government has been urged to grant refuge to the
Karmapa by the Dalai Lama, who is viewed as the spiritual leader of all
Tibetan Buddhists.
The government has not ruled on the request. But the Karmapa could
possibly travel on documents issued by Tibet's government in exile.
Although no travel plans have been announced, the Karmapa's followers
here are certain he will come. After all, the 16th Karmapa - the boy's
previous incarnation - spent a lot of time stateside. And some Buddhists
see a sign in the Karmapa's millennium prayer for peace, which gave
tidings "especially, throughout the land of America."
Bardor Tulku Rinpoche, a resident lama at the Woodstock monastery, about
85 miles north of New York City, says a visit by the Karmapa is
"definite." It could be within a year.
The monastery is the main seat in North America - where about 250,000
practice Buddhism - for the Karma Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism. About
two dozen Tibetans and Westerners live here year-round. Many more people
come to pray and learn from resident lamas, who teach around the
continent.
A low-slung central temple houses a spacious shrine watched over by an
11-foot, gold-leaf Buddha. Shoeless monks pad through airy spaces
decorated with vivid silk tapestries and infused with the sweet smell of
incense.
The 16th Karmapa chose this site near the village of Woodstock in the
1970s. He died in 1981, leaving the 17th Karmapa to witness the fruits
of his vision. A suite for the Karmapa with a cushioned throne and a bed
stands ready. Or almost ready, considering that he is a growing boy.
"His Holiness' bed we have to replace," said Tom Schmidt, a monastery
administrator. "It's too small."
Anticipation over a visit is stoked by the Karmapa's star power. The son
of Tibetan nomads was recognized in 1992 as an incarnation of a line of
lamas dating to the 12th century. His picture has appeared in newspapers
around the world since his improbable escape from under the watchful
eyes of the Chinese government.
Followers say he embarked on an eight-day trek to India after sneaking
out a monastery window. The Karmapa reportedly walked, rode a horse and
flew in a helicopter in a journey over snowy mountain passes.
The fact that the escape came 40 years after a similar flight from Tibet
by the Dalai Lama has added to the Karmapa's mystique.
Bardor Tulku Rinpochesaid he expects thousands of people to be drawn to
the Karmapa when he comes stateside.
A number of scholars of Buddhism agree that the Karmapa is likely to
visit and to attract attention. Charles Prebish, professor of religious
studies at Penn State, said the growth in Buddhism's popularity over the
past decade in this country gives the Karmapa a built-in audience.
"It will be an event, to say the least," he said.
Bardor Tulku Rinpoche says the United States continues to be a fertile
ground for Buddhism. He sees amid the materialism of America a thirst
for learning that can be slaked through the teachings of Buddhism.
"The analysis and reasoning aspects of Buddhism attracts a lot of
Westerners," said monastery administrator Schmidt, who became attracted
to Buddhism in the 1970s.
The visit would have special meaning for the Bardor Tulku Rinpoche, who
was dispatched to America by the 16th Karmapa in 1978. The lama - who
didn't even speak English at the time - was given the mission of
cultivating the monastery and spreading the teachings of Buddhism.
Bardor Tulku Rinpoche can now show his accomplishments to the
reincarnation of the lama who sent him here: "The only difference is his
body. His heart is the same."
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