Dalai Lama denied visa to attend Mandela Memorial in SAfrica

[Jesus Malverde]

The Dalai Lama will not attend memorial services for fellow Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nelson Mandela in South Africa, where the Buddhist spiritual leader has twice been unable to obtain a visa, a spokesman said Monday.

Tenzin Takhla gave no specific reason for the Dalai Lama missing the memorial service in Johannesburg and funeral in Mandela's hometown, saying only that "logistically it's impossible at this time."

snip

A South African court acknowledged last year that pressure from China, a major trading partner with South Africa, played a part in the delays.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/dalai-lama-miss-mandela-memorial-safrica-21145479

[Benton D Struckcheon]

1. No doubt

China wants raw materials, and South Africa has those in truly amazing abundance. Sad but this is the way the world works.