<p>"From Wednesday afternoon until his departure on Friday morning, there are no open activities," a staff member from the Dalai Lama's representative office in Taipei said.<br />The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader held a dialogue Wednesday morning with Catholic Cardinal Shan Kuo-hsi on religion in Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan and was scheduled to return to Taipei Wednesday afternoon.<br />To avoid further annoying China, Taiwan cancelled the Dalai Lama's second prayer meeting, which had been scheduled for Wednesday afternoon at a stadium outside Taipei. His first was held Tuesday in Kaohsiung.<br />The Dalai Lama was invited to Taiwan this week to pray and offer comfort to victims of last month's Typhoon Morakot, which killed nearly 700 people in landslides and flooding.<br />China, however, sees the Dalai Lama as a "splittist" who wants independence for Tibet. It has lodged two protests and cancelled or postponed several delegation visits to Taiwan as a result of his visit.<br />The Buddhist leader, however, has repeatedly stressed his visit is non-political and has said he does not want independence for Tibet, only greater autonomy for the region within China.<br />On Tuesday, Wu Poh-hsiung, secretary general of Taiwan's ruling Chinese Nationalist Party, urged the Dalai Lama not to carry out political activities on the remainder of his trip.<br />"Right now, he is exercising self-restraint," Wu told reporters.<br />"There are still a couple of days left. I hope he can see to it that his trip is devoted to human compassion and does not touch on politics."<br />"Taiwan was hit by such a big disaster," Wu added. "He has come to help us, not to increase our difficulties."<br />A local official in southern Taiwan who has close ties with the opposition, pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party invited the Dalai Lama to visit Taiwan and bless the survivors of Morakot, which hit southern Taiwan Aug 8.<br />President Ma Ying-jeou, who has been seeking to improve Taipei-Beijing ties since he took office in May 2008, approved the visit, triggering protests from China.<br />The 73-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader arrived Sunday night from India, where he has been leading the Tibetan government-in-exile since he fled China in 1959.<br />He visited the typhoon disaster areas to comfort the survivors and held Tuesday's prayer meeting to appease the souls of the typhoon victims.<br />He was expected to leave Taipei Friday morning to return to Dharamsala in northern India.</p>
<p>"From Wednesday afternoon until his departure on Friday morning, there are no open activities," a staff member from the Dalai Lama's representative office in Taipei said.<br />The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader held a dialogue Wednesday morning with Catholic Cardinal Shan Kuo-hsi on religion in Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan and was scheduled to return to Taipei Wednesday afternoon.<br />To avoid further annoying China, Taiwan cancelled the Dalai Lama's second prayer meeting, which had been scheduled for Wednesday afternoon at a stadium outside Taipei. His first was held Tuesday in Kaohsiung.<br />The Dalai Lama was invited to Taiwan this week to pray and offer comfort to victims of last month's Typhoon Morakot, which killed nearly 700 people in landslides and flooding.<br />China, however, sees the Dalai Lama as a "splittist" who wants independence for Tibet. It has lodged two protests and cancelled or postponed several delegation visits to Taiwan as a result of his visit.<br />The Buddhist leader, however, has repeatedly stressed his visit is non-political and has said he does not want independence for Tibet, only greater autonomy for the region within China.<br />On Tuesday, Wu Poh-hsiung, secretary general of Taiwan's ruling Chinese Nationalist Party, urged the Dalai Lama not to carry out political activities on the remainder of his trip.<br />"Right now, he is exercising self-restraint," Wu told reporters.<br />"There are still a couple of days left. I hope he can see to it that his trip is devoted to human compassion and does not touch on politics."<br />"Taiwan was hit by such a big disaster," Wu added. "He has come to help us, not to increase our difficulties."<br />A local official in southern Taiwan who has close ties with the opposition, pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party invited the Dalai Lama to visit Taiwan and bless the survivors of Morakot, which hit southern Taiwan Aug 8.<br />President Ma Ying-jeou, who has been seeking to improve Taipei-Beijing ties since he took office in May 2008, approved the visit, triggering protests from China.<br />The 73-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader arrived Sunday night from India, where he has been leading the Tibetan government-in-exile since he fled China in 1959.<br />He visited the typhoon disaster areas to comfort the survivors and held Tuesday's prayer meeting to appease the souls of the typhoon victims.<br />He was expected to leave Taipei Friday morning to return to Dharamsala in northern India.</p>
