Seoul (AsiaNews/CI) The Venerable Gwisan, a Korean Buddhist monk, is silently demonstrating near the Cheong Wa Dae (the Blue House), the executive office and official residence of the South Korean president, as a protest against the government's decision to refuse the Dalai Lama an entry visa.
The head of Tibetan Buddhism, in exile in India since the Chinese Communist takeover of his country in 1957, was supposed to take part in a meeting of Nobel Peace Prize laureates scheduled for June in Gwangju.
City officials said he accepted an invitation to attend the Gwangju summit and asked the city government, which is hosting the meeting, to obtain for him the necessary visa. But on Monday the central government turned down the city's request to avoid diplomatic problems with Beijing.
Gwisan has called on all peace- and justice-loving people to join him in a silent protest against this obvious discrimination against a man of peace.
According to unconfirmed sources, one of the country's largest Buddhist monasteries is set to join the protest.
Despite this setback, the city of Gwangju has confirmed that the meeting will go ahead as planned. Jimmy Carter, Kofi Annan, Lech Walesa and Michail Gorbachev will be among the 20 Nobel Peace Prize laureates invited.
The three-day event will focus on democracy in Korea and Asia and ways to foster peace in the region.