Dalai Lama's envoy urges China to allow spiritual leader to visit quake-hit area

Dharamsala, May 14 (ANI): Lodi Gyari, an envoy of Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has urged the Chinese leadership to respond positively to his wish to visit the earthquake-affected Kyegudo region of Tibet on Thursday.

In an interview to a private news channel, Gyari said the Chinese leadership should show some far-slightness to further goodwill among the Tibetans.

"Lodi Gyari said if the Chinese leadership, in their far-sightedness is able to make a visit by His Holiness to Kyegudo, this will - he said - increase enormous goodwill among the Tibetan people to the Chinese government," said Thubten Samphel, spokesperson of the Tibetan government in-exile in Dharamsala.

Samphel also said that the Dalai Lama had praised Chinese Prime Minister, Wen Jiabao, for visiting Kyegudo and overseeing the relief work.

"His Holiness praised Jiabao for showing his sorrow with Tibetan people, for comforting them," Samphel added.

Kyegudo in Qinghai province experienced an earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale on April 14.

The official death toll climbed to 2,046 people, with 193 still missing in the strong quake. (ANI)