Dalai Lama says Slovak human rights award a “new encouragement”

By Phurbu Thinley

Dharamsala, September 9: Tibet’s exiled leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama was honoured with an international human rights award in the Slovak capital on Wednesday for his promotion of human rights and his leadership in the nonviolent Tibetan freedom struggle.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama gives out bookmarks for the students at a women's college before speaking on "Power of non-violence in the age of violence" in New Delhi September 7, 2009. The Dalai Lama, branded by Beijing as a separatist, said on Thursday he was ready to negotiate with China on issues concerning his homeland but wanted to see a "green light." (Photo: REUTERS/Parth Sanyal)

The award ceremony is the highlight of Dalai Lama’s three-day visit to Slovakia.

The Dalai Lama was honoured with the Jan Langos Prize, named after a Slovak anti-communist dissident and awarded by a Bratislava-based foundation carrying his name.

The Jan Langos Foundation said on its web site that it awarded the 74-year-old Tibetan leader for his "life-long resistance against the oppressive regime in China."

After receiving Slovakia's Jan Langos award at a theater in Bratislava, the Dalai Lama reportedly said he considers the prize "new encouragement" for his efforts to find a "mutually agreeable solution" for China and Tibet.

Other recipients of the Jan Langos award have included former Hungarian President Arpad Goncz, who was praised for promoting democracy while working as an anti-communist dissident.

The Dalai Lama, who arrived in Slovakia on Tuesday, was received by Bratislava's mayor on Wednesday and planned to meet with opposition leaders and the public. However, high ranking Slovak government officials, including Prime Minister Robert Fico and President Ivan Gasparovic, reportedly declined to attend the ceremony in an apparent effort to avoid Chinese fuss.

The Dalai Lama is also scheduled to give a public talk at a Bratislava stadium on Wednesday afternoon.

His next stop is the neighbouring Czech Republic where he is to arrive on Thursday and attend an international conference on human rights in Asia on Friday. His Holiness is scheduled to return to India on Saturday.