Share this story!            

India restricts coverage of Dalai Lama’s visit

By Iftikhar Gilani

NEW DELHI: India on Thursday prevented foreign journalists to cover Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama’s visit to the disputed state of Arunachal Pradesh on the borders of China.

Beijing had objected to Dalai Lama’s visit to the north-eastern province. Permits allowing foreign correspondents to travel to Arunachal Pradesh state were not given, and the government revoked passes previously provided to four of them, including two Associated Press journalists, a press release from New Delhi-based South Asian Foreign Correspondents Club said here on Thursday.

Foreigners require special government permission to visit the mountainous state. “We are incredibly surprised and disappointed to learn that reporters’ visas to Arunachal Pradesh have been cancelled ahead of the Dalai Lama’s visit,” said Heather Timmons, president of the Club. China has strongly opposed the Tibetan spiritual leader’s visit to a Buddhist monastery in the Arunachal Pradesh town of Tawang beginning on Sunday.

Timmons said despite numerous requests over the past few weeks, India’s central government has not granted a single foreign journalist a permit to travel to the state of Arunachal Pradesh during the Dalai Lama’s visit. “Today we were surprised and disappointed to learn that permits issued by the state government to travel to Arunachal Pradesh during the visit were canceled by the central government,” he added.

Home | Region

Share this story!