Exiled Tibetan leaders in India term visa denial to Dalai Lama as unfortunate

Tibetans-in-exile living in Dharamsala react on Thursday to South Africa's decision to deny a visa to their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, for the third time in five years.

The Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in India and is at loggerheads with China over Tibet, had been hoping to join a Nobel peace conference in Cape Town next month but withdrew his visa application after being told it would be unsuccessful, his South Africa-based representative told Reuters on Thursday.

Penpa Tsering, speaker of Tibetan parliament in-exile, said that it was unfortunate that the South African government denied visa to Dalai Lama who is an international messenger of peace.

"It is very unfortunate that a country like South Africa who needed the support of the international community when they had their own apartheid problem is refusing visa to such a person who is well regarded in the international community as a messenger of peace," said Tsering.

The South African foreign ministry confirmed that its High Commission in New Delhi had received the visa application but denied it had been rejected and said that it was being subjected to "normal due process".

The ministry then said that Dalai Lama had cancelled his trip but did not provide details.

Tenzing Jigme, president of Tibetan Youth Congress-in-exile blamed the Chinese government for denial of the visa to the Tibetan spiritual leader.

"Reasons behind denial of the visa points towards the Chinese government and the insecurity of the Chinese government towards the holiness," said Jigme.

Spokesperson of Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy-in-exile, Tenzin Ninje, said that this incident was a setback to their community as the Dalai Lama besides being a revered figure is responsible for shifting the global focus towards Tibetan struggle for autonomy.

"This might cause another setback for the Tibetans because every time His Holiness visits a foreign country he brings lot of attention to the Tibetan struggle since he is very popular. In that sense it is very disappointing but I am not very surprised," said Ninje.

Dharamsala has been the global headquarters of Tibetan exiles since 1959. Many settled there after walking for weeks across the Tibetan plateau, bringing with them tales of torture.