Source: `Chung Yang Jih Pao', Taipei, in Chinese 3 Aug 97 p3

Text of report by the Taiwanese newspaper `Chung Yang Jih Pao'

On the issue that the "Tibetan government in exile" may set up a liaison office in Taiwan, an official from the Interior Ministry's Civil Affairs Department [CAD] yesterday [2nd August] indicated that no application had been received and so he could not answer the question on when the office would be set up.

The official also stressed that when the liaison office of the " Tibetan government in exile" is set up in future, Tibetans may come to Taiwan for religious exchanges through this office, but that Tibetan people's entry will still be processed according to existing regulations. There will be no changes in this regard," he said.

An official from the CAD's religious affairs section indicated that, although the Dalai Lama had clearly expressed the intention to set up a religious liaison office in Taiwan, the CAD had yet to receive any application; and so it was still unclear whether "the office would soon be set up" .

The official added: According to the procedure for applying for setting up a religious group, the application will be processed under a licensing system. Any religious group may apply as long as it does so through registering its hard facilities, such as land and building, or through establishing a juridical entity, such as a foundation. Meanwhile, the mass organization section under the Interior Affairs Ministry's Social Affairs Department, another place to which the application for setting up the office may be submitted, also indicated yesterday that it had not received any application from the "Tibetan government in exile" on setting up a liaison office in Taiwan.