SOUTH AFRICA AND THE DALAI LAMA

That this House deeply regrets the decision by South Africa to refuse a visa to the Dalai Lama to attend a peace conference in Johannesburg this week; questions the priorities of the South African government in taking such a course of action so as not to upset relations with China; and calls on the South African government to reverse its decision in the interests of promoting free speech and pursuing a peaceful solution to settling the longstanding dispute over the autonomy and human rights of the people of Tibet.