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Dalai Lama prays at site of Martin Luther King's death
2009-09-23
MEMPHIS, Tennessee (AFP) - Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama bowed his head in prayer on the site where American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968. The 74-year-old monk was in Memphis for the first time to be honored by the National Civil Rights Museum, which encompasses the Lorraine Motel where King was shot. "Indeed, a very moving tour," he told reporters after placing a white shawl over a wreath that marks the spot where King was assassinated. "At the same time, historical events give us conviction." The Dalai Lama said people everywhere struggle against the same injustices and inequalities but "despite difficulties and obstacles, we can win." The tour kicked off a two-week visit to the United States and Canada where he will be giving a number of spiritual talks but is not expected to meet with President Barack Obama. China, which sent troops into Tibet in 1950 and clamped down on protests last year, strenuously opposes international meetings of the Dalai Lama. It accuses him of being a "splittist," although the Dalai Lama says he is seeking greater rights for Tibetans under Chinese rule. While Obama recently sent a high-level delegation to the Dalai Lama's home-in-exile in northern India who voiced support for the Tibetan leader, he is not expected to meet with the Nobel Peace Prize winner until after he pays his first presidential visit to China in November. The Dalai Lama received a warm welcome in Memphis, where he accepted the International Freedom Award at a packed luncheon before addressing over 2,000 people at a public forum. "As a living example of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Gandhi's non-violence in the face of political oppression and suffering, the Dalai Lama demonstrates lifelong peaceful struggle against brutality and injustice," said museum chair Benjamin Hooks. "As the Tibetan people mark their fiftieth year in exile, the Dalai Lama's struggle serves as an inspiration to social justice movements everywhere."
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