Dalai Lama wraps up week-long Arunachal Pradesh visit

Dalai Lama on Monday described his visit to Arunachal Pradesh as a 'memorable one' that he would cherish forever.

Tawang , April 11: Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama on Tuesday wrapped up his week-long tour of Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing had strongly objected to.

The Dalai Lama left by helicopter for Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati, Assam, on Tuesday morning from Tawang helipad. Thousands of people lined up along the road to see him off.

Chief Minister Pema Khandu and other dignitaries also saw him off at the helipad, a government official said.

"The Chief Minister thanked the Dalai Lama for his visit and requested him to visit Arunachal Pradesh again in the near future," the official said.

On Monday, the Nobel Peace laureate, who Beijing has called an "anti-China separatist", described his visit to Arunachal Pradesh as a "memorable one" that he would cherish forever.

He also thanked the people, particularly from far off villages, who gathered in large numbers to welcome and listen to him at all the places that he visited.

In fact, this is not for the first time that the 81-year-old Tibetan leader is visiting Arunachal or Tawang. In 1959, he escaped from China via Tawang and visited the state in 1983, 1997, 2003 and 2009.

IANS