Phayul
March 3, 2010

Dharamsala, March 3 -- Thailand has prevented the
sister of the Dalai Lama and her husband, a
cabinet minister in the exile Tibetan government,
from attending a three-day cultural event in
Bangkok beginning Friday due to fear of angering China, according to reports.

The Thai Embassy in the Indian Capital has
refused to grant visa to Jetsun Pema who was to
take part the Tibetan spirituality, art and
culture event, entitled "From the Himalayas to
the Chao Phya River" hosted at Bangkok Art and
Culture Center from March 5 to 7, according to a report by the AFP.

"We support the cultural show but in the case of
the Dalai Lama's sister we have reserved our
right to reject her visa application along with
her husband's because we don't want to get
involved in international politics," Chavanond
Intarakomalyasut, secretary to Thailand's foreign
minister, was quoted as saying by the AFP.

Jetsun Pema, the first Tibetan woman to have held
a cabinet berth in the Tibetan exile government,
was scheduled to deliver speech on "Buddhist
Education for Tibetan school in exile and Tibet: My story," on March 6.