【N.Y Times】Dalai Lama Arrives in Taiwan for Visit

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Dalai Lama Arrives in Taiwan for Visit
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/08/30/world/AP-AS-Taiwan-Dalai-Lama.html?scp=1&sq=Dalai%20Lama%20Arrives%20in%20Taiwan%20for%20Visit&st=cse

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: August 30, 2009
   
Filed at 10:01 p.m. ET

TAOYUAN, Taiwan (AP) -- The Dalai Lamadenied any political agenda as he began what he described as a ''purelyhumanitarian'' mission to comfort victims of Taiwan's worst storm,trying to calm fears that he would further anger China.

Althoughthe Tibetan spiritual leader has traveled to Taiwan before, many fearhis visit could hurt the island's improving relations with rival China-- the signature issue in the 15-month-old administration of TaiwanesePresident Ma Ying-jeou.

Chinahas protested the visit, and a Chinese official for Taiwan affairsSunday night warned it ''is bound to have a negative influence on therelations between the mainland and Taiwan.''

Ma has said he approved the Dalai Lama's visit but will not meet him.

TheDalai Lama, who greeted Buddhist followers and supporters at theTaoyuan International Airport near Taipei on Sunday, said his visitwould have no political overtones.

''I've visited different partsof the world, and I may have a political agenda there ... (but) myvisit here is purely for humanitarian concerns,'' he said.

TyphoonMorakot left about 670 people dead when it hit the island in earlyAugust. On Monday, the Dalai Lama planned to visit a village where anestimated 500 people were buried under mudslides. He also planned tolead a mass prayer ritual during his five-day trip, calling hisacceptance of the invitation to visit ''my moral responsibility.''

Hisarrival at a suburban Taipei train station Sunday was greeted by about50 demonstrators waving Chinese flags and banners supportingunification with China and shouting, ''Go home Dalai Lama, don't comehere.'' The demonstrators briefly scuffled with police.

''I'mhere to oppose the Dalai Lama's visit,'' 62-year-old Feng Tsai-chiaosaid. ''I want unification with China, so I don't like him.''

Chinahas long vilified the Dalai Lama for what it says are his attempts tofight for independence in Tibet. Beijing has said it ''resolutelyopposes'' the Taiwan visit ''in whatever form and capacity.''

Butinstead of criticizing Ma, the spokesman for China's State CouncilTaiwan Affairs Office blasted Taiwan's opposition DemocraticProgressive Party for its ''ulterior motives to instigate the DalaiLama, who has long been engaged in separatist activities, to visitTaiwan.''

Taiwan's opposition invited the Dalai Lama to comfort the typhoon victims.

Inan editorial Monday, the official China Daily said, ''With the mainlandoffering to provide whatever it could possibly deliver to assuage thepains of the typhoon victims, the DPP has appeared more interested inturning disaster relief into a political circus.''

Wu Poh-hsiung,the chairman of Ma's Nationalist Party, said earlier Sunday that hisparty had sought Beijing's understanding of the visit, but he did notgive details or say whether China responded.

''We believe theDalai Lama will have the wisdom to distinguish between religiousempathy and political maneuvering,'' Wu told reporters.

Inblaming Taiwan's opposition, not Ma, for the invitation, China appearedto be trying to keep the improving relations on track. China and Taiwansplit amid civil war in 1949, and China's leaders want theself-governing island back.

The invitation had put Ma in a bind-- either risk angering China or give further ammunition to hisdetractors, who were already reveling over widespread perceptions thatMa's government had badly botched typhoon relief efforts.

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认领。

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翻译完毕。
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