Premier Chang San-cheng said the government will not stop the Dalai Lama from visiting Taiwan. He made the remarks Tuesday in response to a lawmaker’s urge of granting the Tibetan spiritual leader a visa to visit Taiwan for the fourth time.
Premier Chang said if any organization applies for the Dalai Lama’s visit to Taiwan, government authorities concerned will evaluate the purpose of the visit.
Chang said the government holds an open attitude towards the Dalai Lama’s possible application for a visit. He said the administration will not use any political reason to reject the application. However, they have not yet received an application from the Dalai Lama.
Taiwan’s top Chinese policy maker Andrew Hsia said the Mainland Affairs Council has not received any application from the Dalai Lama. When asked if China will put pressure on Taiwan in this regard, Hsia said people know about China’s stance toward the Dalai Lama. He said, however, any application to visit Taiwan should follow Taiwan’s regulations.