South Africa refuses Dalai Lama visa for Nobel summit

Israel used this same excuse to not meet with him, but they didn't go as far as to deny his visa. It's amazing there are still any countries to afraid to meet with a single man of peace.

Cowards!

These countries should be ashamed of themselves and for allowing themselves to be bullied by China like this. China boasts about being a growing superpower, but panic when one man, the Dalai Lama speaks out. I guess, sometimes words can be more powerful than bullets. Just a shame.

Shame to S.Africa leaders who turn to be communist China's puppets. What Mandela would do? Maybe they look after their own pockets rather than the future of the country. Wake up people from being deceived by China's culture of taking.

Is China meddling in the affairs of another country by any chance?

celebrate the 20th anniversary of our democracy

Why not celebrate the 20th anniversary by showing the South African government has "cojones" and won't be unduly influenced by the desires of some other country.

It's ok. South Africa will be having to deal with the spread of Islamists up north trying to work their way south in a few more years. They'd better start showing some backbone quite soon aside from wussing out to China.

Desmond Tutu will refuse to attend if his friend the Dalai Lama cannot. Once that happens others will also express their regrets and the "Summit" will be cancelled. De Klerk will have to take the podium alone backed by a super human sized poster of a smiling Mandela. His speech will be mocked. Soon afterwards the Nobel selection committee will announce a special prize for the Chinese dissident artist AI WEI who will decline but make some kind of symbolic gesture of solidarity like painting his bicycle saffron and crimson. He cannot ride the bicycle since he is still under house arrest.

Honest South Africa doesn't need to wait for the Isl;amists to move south (which anyway seems pretty far fetched). it has a Muslim population of over 1 million people of its own.

Shameful.

Imagine if other countries hadn't stand up against apartheid the way South Africa is not standing up right now.

South Africa needs to grow a pair. The rest of the democratic world should boycott South Africa. One cowardly nation giving in to bullying and intimidation is all it takes to open the floodgates.

Seems like SA has become a banana republic.

It's Dalai Lama vs whatever trade benefits China is offering, don't think the Lama should expect much. Taiwan in same boat and they're not one person.

Guess they ought to move the summit to somewhere else then.

@turbotsat well this is where principles should be worth more than money. As we've seen, the PRC will just harass your companies and steal your technology anyways.

Events just seem to expose the general lack of principles. Does anyone get very high in government these days with principles intact?