Dalai Lama prays for typhoon victims
The Dalai Lama prayed for and offered comfort to relatives of victims of Taiwan’s worst storm in 50 years.
He paid a visit today to where Shiao Lin village once stood, a site now covered in a thick layer of mud left by deadly mudslides triggered by Typhoon Morakot this month.
He said today he did not want to cause any problems for Taiwan with his visit and expressed hope the self-ruled island would keep close ties with mainland China.
China protested the Tibetan spiritual leader’s visit, and a Chinese official for Taiwan affairs warned the visit “is bound to have a negative influence on the relations between the mainland and Taiwan”.
China has long vilified the Dalai Lama for what it says are his attempts to fight for independence in Tibet.
Hundreds died in the floods and mudslides caused by the storm.
