http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/tottoro-meowmeowmeow/article?mid=283&prev=-1&next=282達賴喇嘛在台灣推動民主
英國金融時報(翻譯Tottoro)
2009年8月31日
達賴喇嘛在週一敦促台灣要保持其民主,即使兩岸之間更密切的經濟關係意味著台灣「與中國應該有一個非常密切而獨特的聯繫」。
這位被北京指責為分裂主義份子的圖博精神領袖,正在台灣進行一個罕見的訪問;中國共產黨視這個島嶼為叛離的一省。
一個顯然是為了抗議達賴喇嘛訪問的行為,中國人民銀行副行長蘇寧在星期一說,他將不參加在台北原定於週二舉行的會議。
蘇先生將於下週抵達,所以會議就被延遲到那個時候。蘇先生沒有對他突然的行程改變給予任何的理由,主辦單位台北金融研究發展基金會的一位發言人說。
雖然達賴喇嘛堅持他此行是純粹基於人道主義和宗教的目的,為的是台灣本月初因致命颱風所造成約600人死亡的災難。但北京說,這次的訪問「必將對大陸與台灣之間的關係產生很大的負面影響」。
達賴喇嘛為莫拉克颱風受害者祈禱的為期五天的訪問,是來自反對黨的地方官員們的邀請,而這個時機對台灣總統馬英九確實是很尷尬。馬先生的當選政見就是要與中國修補關係,而允許這次的訪問已經冒著招致北京憤怒的風險。然而他的政府已經因為政府對颱風災民的幫助不足而受到了嚴厲批評。
馬先生去年12月禁止達賴喇嘛的訪問,他當時說時機不對。在週一,他們兩位分別訪問了台灣南部兩個附近的村莊,但沒有碰面。
達賴在週一前往偏遠的小林村,這裡在颱風之後有數百人被埋葬在由暴風雨所引起的大規模的土石流。在一個俯瞰受災村莊的看台上舉行了簡短的祈禱後,達賴喇嘛說,現場提醒他「佛陀所說的無常。這真的是令人非常非常的難過」。
他拒絕對中國反對他的訪問提出評論,但是他說,台灣最重要的成就是:「你贏得了民主。而且你一定要保護維持它。 」
雖然幾十個親中國的示威者在達賴喇嘛抵達的星期日晚上舉行了抗議活動,小林的村民們歡迎他的來到,其中有許多人穿著印有村莊在受災前的圖案的T恤衫。
徐淑春(音譯)說她的全家人除了她和她的丈夫,都在土石流中喪生了,她並說:「為遇難者祈禱不僅是為他們帶來慰藉,也帶給像我一樣的倖存者安慰。」
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5f4dd5ac-9614-11de-84d1-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1
Dalai Lama promotes democracy in Taiwan
By Robin Kwong in Hsiao Lin
Published: August 31 2009 11:03 | Last updated: August 31 2009 11:03
The Dalai Lama on Monday urged Taiwan to preserve its democracy even as closer cross-Strait economic ties mean it “should have a very close, unique link with China”.
The Tibetan spiritual leader, whom Beijing accuses of being a separatist, spoke on a rare visit to the island that the Chinese communist party regards as a renegade province.
In an apparent act of protest over the Dalai Lama’s visit, Su Ning, deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China, said on Monday he would not attend a conference in Taipei originally scheduled for Tuesday.
Mr Su will instead arrive next week and the conference has been delayed until then. Mr Su did not give a reason for the abrupt rescheduling, a spokesman for the organiser, the Taipei Foundation of Finance said.
While the Dalai Lama has insisted his trip was for purely humanitarian and religious purposes following a deadly typhoon that killed an estimated 600 people in Taiwan earlier this month, Beijing said the visit “is bound to have a negative influence on the relations between the mainland and Taiwan”.
The Dalai Lama’s five-day visit to pray for victims of typhoon Morakot, which was at the invitation of local officials in the opposition party, comes at an awkward time for Taiwan president Ma Ying-jeou. Mr Ma, who was elected on a platform of mending fences with China, risked incurring Beijing’s wrath by allowing the visit. His government has however, come under heavy criticism recently for not doing enough to help typhoon victims.
Mr Ma last December stopped a visit by the Dalai Lama, saying the timing was not right. On Monday, the two visited separate nearby villages in southern Taiwan but did not meet.
The Dalai Lama on Monday travelled to the remote Hsiao Lin village, where several hundred people were buried in a massive mudslide triggered by torrential rains in the wake of the typhoon. After holding a short prayer service on a rise overlooking the devastated village, the Dalai Lama said the scene reminded him of “Buddha’s message of impermanence. It is indeed very very sad”.
He declined to comment on China’s opposition to his visit, but said Taiwan’s most important accomplishment was that “you achieved democracy. That you must preserve”.
While several dozen pro-China demonstrators staged a protest at the Dalai Lama’s arrival on Sunday evening, villagers at Hsiao Lin, many wearing t-shirts printed with an image of their village before the disaster, welcomed him.
Hsueh Shu-chun, who said her whole family had perished in the mudslide except for herself and her husband, said: “Praying for the victims brings relief not only to them but to survivors like me.”
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