Taiwan: Dalai Lama Prays for Typhoon Victims

The Dalai Lama held a prayer ceremony in Taiwan on Tuesday, September 1st for victims of last month’s typhoon as part of his visit. He led prayers before addressing a crowd of 10,000 at Kaohsiung stadium in the country’s south.

He arrived on Sunday, August 30th to comfort victims of the island’s worst typhoon in 50 years, triggering floods that killed more than 700 people.

But the visit has drawn condemnation from the Chinese Commnist Party.

The Dalai Lama said he was not in Taiwan for political reasons.

[Dalai Lama, Tibetan Spiritual Leader]:
„The purpose of me being here today is because of the recent typhoon. Almost 500 people lost their lives. The surviving families left behind are grieving, they are devastated, injured and full of sadness.“

On Monday, a small group of pro-communist demonstrators gathered outside the Dalai Lama’s hotel protesting his visit.

But many Kaohsiung residents support the trip.

[Luo Sheng-yuan, Kaohsiung Resident]:
„It doesn’t matter whether the evacuees follow his religion or not. His visit here should be meaningful to all of us. It is not about the politics. I think those people are reading too much into it.“

[Ch’en Hui-chen, Kaohsiung Resident]:
„Even if people criticize him the Dalai Lama still loves them. He is very loving, he loves everyone, he does not differentiate – people who hate him, who love him; he loves them all.“

The Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule. He wants the Chinese Communist Party to give Tibetans religious freedom and autonomy.

(NTDTV)