Dalai Lama Struggles to Secure Travel Visa

South African president Jacob Zuma is being requested by 14 Nobel Laureates to guarantee a visa for the Dalai Lama for a visit to the country. The leader was set to visit, but had to abandon the notion when there was no guarantee of a visa being granted. The spiritual leader was set to attend a summit in Cape Town, and would have marked a historical meeting, the first of its kind in the area, but could not move forward because of visa troubles.

Concern Grows

Initially the denial of a Visa came in regards to not angering Chinese government. The government believes that the spiritual leader is pushing for Tibetan independence, and therefore concern grows as to allowing him entrance into South Africa. Even though the Laureates are concerned with this, the president isn’t budging just yet. Even though the signatures reveal some very prominent names within the Nobel Prize, it should be noted that the Dalai Lama has applied for a visa many times. In fact, he has applied 3 different times within the span of the last 5 years and has not been allowed a visit, each time getting dealt with governmental issues or denial, which cancels the plans for a trip each time.

A Betrayal

The rejections in the past are definitely well documented. South Africans have raised their voice and have even gone as far as to see this as a betrayal, as the whole purpose of a visit would be to embrace human rights, and peace within the country. What most don’t really consider, is that South Africa’s biggest trading partner, and one of the major ways that the area receives financial movements is through China. China is the biggest trading partner and the trade that they have set up has been said to be worth over 21 billion. This is a huge number for South Africa and something that should not be taken without consideration.

A Glimpse of The Past

One should note that the Dalai Lama did visit South Africa prior to 2009. During the time of former president Nelson Mandela, the spiritual leader visited South Africa on three occasions, which should indicate the shift in favor towards the Chinese trade. Even though summits have been held in other areas, South Africa has been one of the major countries not to allow entry due to political issues. Time will tell whether or not this will continue, or whether or not China’s pressure will subside.