Taiwan Today
By Weiling Liu Publication Date: January 10, 1997
The Dalai Lama may visit Taiwan in the capacity of a religious figure and at the invitation of private religious groups, ROC government officials have decided.
Such a visit would be considered a religious event devoid of political implications, according to the consensus reached Jan. 4 by an interdepartmental meeting of high-ranking officials.
Chang King-yuh, chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council, confirmed on Jan. 5 that the consensus had been reached. “If the Dalai Lama visits Taiwan, he will come as a religious leader,” Chang said.
Chang, the Cabinet’s top mainland policy planner, added that Peking should not interpret the decision as a move to support Tibet’s independence. “Our policy of pursuing peaceful national unification is crystal clear,” he said. “And we hope mainland China will not politicize the Dalai Lama’s possible visit to Taiwan.”
Buddhist groups in Taiwan have been waiting for the government to decide on the issue before expediting efforts to invite the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner, one official said, adding that the visit could take place this year.
The Jan. 4 meeting was attended by officials from the Office of the President, Executive Yuan, National Security Bureau, Interior Ministry, Foreign Ministry, Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission and Mainland Affairs Council.
Participants agreed that, to avoid worsening relations with the mainland, it would not be appropriate for the government to assume responsibility for a visit by the Dalai Lama. To avoid political implications, they added, the Interior Ministry’s Civil Affairs Department rather than the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission should handle whatever government involvement is necessary.
A Foreign Ministry official pointed out that the ROC is a sovereign state, the ROC Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and the Dalai Lama is permitted to preach his beliefs in major democratic countries. The ROC thus has no right or no reason to stand in the way of an invitation initiated by private religious groups, the official added.
The Dalai Lama’s elder brother Gyalo Thondup has visited Taiwan a few times in recent years to discuss the possibility of a meeting between President Lee Teng-hui and the spiritual leader.
The Presidential Office announced in September that the Dalai Lama is welcome to visit Taiwan as a religious leader. This weekend’s meeting thus reconfirmed that policy.
Master Ching Hsin, president of the ROC Buddhist Association, met the Dalai Lama in Sydney, Australia, last September and invited him to visit Taiwan. The Dalai Lama promised to do so sometime this year, possibly in the spring or fall.
Master Hsing Yun, founder of the Buddhist Fokuangshan Temple, invited the Dalai Lama to visit Taiwan six years ago. Since many religious groups compete to host such a visit, the officials decided, the role of the Interior Ministry’s Civil Affairs Department should be to help these groups handle the visit from the sidelines.
Participants in the Jan. 4 meeting included Huang Kun-huei, secretary-general of the Presidential Office; Interior Minister Lin Fong-cheng; Foreign Minister John Chang; Lee Hou-kao, chairman of the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission; Chao Shou-po, secretary-general of the Executive Yuan; Su Chi, director-general of the Government Information Office; and Kao Koong-lian, vice chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council.
The Dalai Lama has been in exile since 1959. He said in India last month that “if Peking allows Tibetans to enjoy greater autonomy, I myself will seek a compromise with the mainland.” The exiled Tibetans are “willing to hold direct negotiations with the People’s Republic of China with no preconditions,” he added.
Shen Guofang, mainland Chinese government spokesman, asserted on Jan. 7 that the Dalai Lama is not a religious figure but a separatist who devotes himself to a career of splitting Tibet from mainland China. Shen said he hopes “Taiwan authorities will hold a very cautious attitude in managing this case.”
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