Sir, - How sad that President Kim Dae-Jung of Korea, the latest Nobel Peace Prize laureate, a declared advocate of human rights and reconciliation, refused to grant another Peace Prize laureate, H.H. the Dalai Lama, a visitor's visa for the November Buddhist conference in South Korea.
How sad that he succumbed to political pressure from China, a regime which within days of signing the Memorandum of Understanding with UN Human Rights High Commissioner Mary Robinson, jailed two more members of the outlawed China Democracy Party. Wang Zechen, (a prominent dissident who narrowly escaped execution for opposing the Gang of Four in 1976,) was sentenced to 6 years for membership of the CDP. Wang Wenjian, a lawyer, was sentenced to 4 years on charges of subversion for defending a founder of the CDP, Wang Youcai.
In all, a sad week for human rights. - Yours, etc.,
Anthony O'Brien, Tibet Support Group, Ailesbury Road, Dublin 4.