World Tibet Network News Tuesday, April 07, 1998

KYOTO, April 7 (Kyodo) -- The Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, Tuesday stressed the need for greater humanitarianism in the 21st century and said the next century should be a century of dialogue.

The 1989 Nobel Peace laureate, speaking at a news conference after attending an international Buddhist conference, also called for more balance in the media, saying it was not good to report only bad things.

He quipped that the media should grow a long nose like an elephant so that it could detect a wider range of scents.

The Dalai Lama is currently visiting Japan at the invitation of a Kyoto-based religious organization. He last visited in March 1995.

The news conference was also attended by other participants of the First World Buddhist Propagation Conference, which began Saturday and brought together Buddhist delegations from 14 Asian countries and regions.

The Dalai Lama, revered as a living god in his native Tibet, also plans to visit Tokyo during his 10-day trip to Japan.

The Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Chinese occupation. He has since established a government-in-exile in Dharmasala, India, from which he has called for greater autonomy and religious freedom for his homeland.