Published by World Tibet Network News - Wednesday, March 26, 1997

TAIPEI, March 26 (Reuter) - Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, on Wednesday hailed Taiwan's democracy over tea with the island's vice president, giving his religious tour a political tone that was sure to rile communist China.

The private encounter with Lien Chan at a Taipei hotel was a prelude to an even more controversial Thursday meeting between the Tibetan Buddhist god-king and President Lee Teng-hui.

Even before Lee's aides confirmed on Wednesday that the two would meet, Beijing had repeatedly scorned the engagement as the collusion of "splittists" bent on independence from China for Tibet and Nationalist-ruled Taiwan.

The meeting with Lien, who doubles as premier, also was likely to pique China as it dwelt on politics and was arranged by the anti-communist World League for Freedom and Democracy.

"I'm not anti-communist or anti-Chinese," the ochre-robed monk told Lien over snacks, as recounted by Taiwan spokesman Su Chi. "I want to develop peaceful relations with the Chinese. We should get over the unpleasant past."

They shared a laugh about Taiwan's bare-knuckled parliament with the Dalai Lama calling its regular fistfights "okay."

"I very much admire Taiwan's complete democraticisation," the Dalai Lama told Lien.

Lien, a likely candidate for president in 2000, praised the "quiet revolution" that in 1996 enabled Taiwan to hold the first popular presidential election in Chinese history.

"Democracy is not only just a way to seat a government. It's a democratic way of life," Lien was quoted by Su as saying.

Su said there was no talk of Tibetan independence.

The Dalai Lama thanked disciples at an afternoon lecture for making some US$500,000 in donations, explaining that he normally did not take money for his "enlightenment talks" but agreed to do so because Taiwan is so rich.

The 1989 Nobel peace laureate also met on Wednesday with Hsu Hsin-liang, leader of Taiwan's pro-independence main opposition, the Democratic Progressive Party.

"We exchanged views on the fates of Taiwan and Tibet," Hsu said, adding that they had little time to go into depth.

The Dalai Lama arrived in Taiwan on Saturday, his first return to Chinese soil since he fled his Himalayan homeland in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule.

The Dalai Lama and Lee both deny seeking independence.

The Tibetan leader has said he wants only genuine self-rule for Tibet, now nominally an "autonomous region" of China under Beijing's tight political, social and military control.

Despite steady popular support for a sovereign Republic of Taiwan, Lee publicly espouses the island's reunification with the mainland though not before Beijing embraces democracy.

The Dalai Lama, revered by Tibetan Buddhists as a god-king despite his decades of exile in India, has said he hoped to discuss "spiritual reforms" with Lee, a devout Presbyterian.

Experts said the audiences with Lee and Lien made the Dalai Lama's six-day visit overtly political, despite his insistence that it was strictly religious.

"No matter how the sides play down the meeting, no matter what they discuss...the meeting itself is politically significant," said Taipei political analyst Chang Ling-chen.

Beijing on Tuesday scorned the Dalai Lama's assertion that he sought only self-rule for Tibet, not independence.

Beijing takes a similar view of Taiwan's president, saying Lee pays lip service to reunification while actively campaigning for Taiwan's independence an outcome China is determined to prevent, by force of arms if necessary.

Beijing has regarded Taiwan as a rebel-held province since the Nationalist Republic of China, defeated by communists in a civil war, fled into exile on the island in 1949.