University of Sydney
DHARAMSHALA, April 23: The University of Sydney is set to hold an
on-campus lecture by Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai
Lama in mid-June reverting an earlier decision to cancel the event. In
a public statement issued by Professor John Keane, Director of the
Institute for Democracy and Human Rights, University of Sydney, he said
the University and the representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to
Australia “agreed to host an on-campus lecture for students at the
University of Sydney in mid-June 2013.” “The IDHR looks forward
to hosting His Holiness the Dalai Lama under the theme 'Education
Matters,'” Prof Keane said in the statement. “It is hoped the mid-June
event will form part of a determined commitment of the University of
Sydney to develop a constructive dialogue on matters concerning Tibet
and the wider region." Earlier this month it was reported that
the University, which has close links with China, had cancelled the
Tibetan Nobel Laureate's talk. Last week, Australian Broadcasting
cooperation obtained emails exchanged between Prof. Keane and the
University's Vice-chancellor, Michael Spence, which confirmed the
decision to withdraw the Dalai Lama’s lecture. "This is to
confirm that the decision was taken to withdraw our support for hosting
His Holiness the Dalai Lama's planned speech at the University on June
18th," Prof. Keane's email said. "I am of course happy to talk with you
further about the reasons why we have taken these difficult decisions." The
cancellation of the talk raised many serious questions and students and
politicians blamed the University of having compromised its integrity
to uphold warm financial relations with the Chinese government. “This
is an insult to the students and it also direct hit on the university's
reputation for independence and for its capacity to exercise
intellectual leadership," John Kaye the New South Wales Greens
Parliamentarian had said reacting to the cancellation. "I've
never seen a university try to give up, and try to share with other
universities, a jewel like having the Dalai Lama coming. People are very
keen to see this man - a significant intellectual and political figure
of the 21st Century." His Holiness the Dalai Lama is scheduled to visit Australia from June 14-23 and give a series of public talks and teachings in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Darwin.
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