Quote:
South Africa has denied the Dalai Lama a visa to attend a peace conference linked to the 2010 Football World Cup, which the country is hosting. Archbishop Desmond Tutu has pulled out of the meeting in protest and branded the decision "disgraceful".
A government spokesman has denied suggestions that the ban was a result of Chinese pressure.......
.....Speculation has also been rife that South Africa does not want to jeopardise its bilateral relations with China, one of its major trading partners. "We are shamelessly succumbing to Chinese pressure," Archbishop Tutu was quoted as telling the Sunday Independent. "I feel deeply distressed and ashamed."
A spokesperson for the Dalai Lama told AFP news agency he was "very disappointed" by the decision, also accusing South Africa of caving into "intense pressure" from Chinese authorities.
South Africa is China's largest trading partner in Africa, with 2008 trade standing at 100bn rand ($10bn; £7bn).
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7958881.stm
Their excuse is laughable, and this from a government that welcomed boycotts of SA sporting teams and encouraged awareness when apartheid was an issue.
"at this time the whole world will be focused on the country as hosts of the 2010 World Cup. We want the focus to remain on South Africa.
"A visit now by the Dalai Lama would move the focus from South Africa onto issues in Tibet."