Nobel Peace laureate congratulates India for supporting Tibet

Nobel Peace Laureate Jody Williams has congratulated India for extending its support to Tibet over the years.

Williams, who was in Dharamsala along with another peace laureate Shirin Ebadi after boycotting the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates scheduled in South Africa, said that she expects the present government to carry on its support to the Tibetans-in-exile.

"I think that India needs to be congratulated for the support that it has shown to the people of Tibet, allowing the Tibetans-in-exile to be here. We fully expect that it will continue under the current government," said Williams.

"Well I think India is clear by virtue of allowing the Tibetan people to be here, I think that actions speak more than, you know, a hundred million words. They were welcomed here when they fled Tibet in '59, they have complete freedom here, the government is here, his holiness is here, Tibetan children are educated in their own schools here, I mean what more India could do, to show by its actions that it supports the people of Tibet," added Williams.

Williams and Ebadi said they were unhappy with South Africa's decision to refuse a visa to the Dalai Lama to attend a peace conference.

This is the third time South Africa has refused the Dalai Lama a visa in the last five years, according to his representative, and has intensified speculation about China's influence over the country.