Ahead of the arrival of China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Colombo on Friday evening, a controversy has arisen over an exhibition on the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama which reportedly took place in Kandy a few days ago.
A section of the media has reported that Chinese authorities in Sri Lanka have taken exception to this but their spokesperson was not available for comment. Asked for reaction, spokesperson of Sri Lanka’s Foreign Affairs Ministry Mahishini Colonne told The Hindu that she had no information.
'Expo indirectly harmed policies'
Meanwhile, the Association for Sri Lanka-China Social and Cultural Cooperation, in a letter addressed to Foreign Affairs Secretary Chitranganee Wagiswara, pointed out that the Sri Lanka government did not grant visa to Dalai Lama on several occasions and the Chinese government was “firmly opposed” to his “engagement in separatist activities in any country under any name and excuse.” The Association said the exhibition had “indirectly” harmed policies of the Sri Lankan government towards China and the friendship between the two countries.
What apparently complicated the matter was that the official website of the Ministry of Parliamentary Reforms and Mass Media (http://www.media.gov.lk) carried, a week ago, a report under the section “Latest News” on the exhibition. According to the item, a body called the Sri Lankan Tibetan Buddhist Brotherhood was behind the event, which had been planned as a mark of “appreciating the noble mission” of Dalai Lama.
People respect him, though : Deputy Minister
Acknowledging that it was not advisable to have carried the item, Karunarathna Paranawithana, Deputy Minister, said the publication of the item did not mean that the Ministry was officially connected with the event. But, “people respect Dalai Lama as a Buddhist leader,” he said.
Despite the Deputy Minister's observation that the report had been removed from the website, it was still available at the time of filing this report.
