Dalai Lama invited to Games opening ceremony: rights group

0 Comments | Asian Political News, May 26, 2008

HONG KONG, May 21 Kyodo

China earlier this year invited Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to attend the Olympic Games opening ceremony, a China human rights watchdog said Wednesday.

The Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy said the Dalai Lama's nephew, Khedroob Thondup, confirmed that a senior Beijing official in February contacted him to extend an invitation to the Dalai Lama to participate in the ceremony.

The statement issued by the center said Chow Mei-Li, the wife of Khedroob Thondup, also confirmed that the invitation came before riots broke out in Lhasa in March.

The center did not say whether the Dalai Lama has accepted the invitation or whether he will attend the ceremony.

Violent protests that began on March 14 in the capital city of western China's Tibet Autonomous Region were followed by heavy-handed tactics of riot control by paramilitary police forces.

China claimed 18 civilians and a police officer were killed in the riots but nongovernmental organizations put the death toll at over 200.

Facing international pressure calling for a dialogue with the Dalai Lama, Beijing sent two senior officials to a one-day meeting with two envoys from the Tibetan government-in-exile behind close doors earlier this month. Both sides reportedly expressed their stances in the meeting and will meet again soon.

Neither the government-in-exile nor Beijing's Olympic Games organizer could be reached for comment.