Bogota [12 May]: Colombians gave a rousing welcome to His Holiness the Dalai Lama during his three-day visit to Bogota, the capital of Colombia.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrived in Bogota five hours late on May 10, due to dense fog in Lima, the capital of Peru, which prevented his flight to take off in time. On his arrival in Bogota at 3.40 p.m. on the day, His Holiness proceeded straight to the Convention Center Gonzalo Jimenez, where he gave a lecture on the introduction to the Buddhism to a crowd of 2,300 people, including a handful of Buddhists. The lecture lasted for two hours.

After the lecture, His Holiness appeared at the Press Meet at the Hotel Tequendama Inter-Continental, where he has been accommodated during his stay in Bogota. At the press meet, His Holiness shared his three commitments in life ”promotion of human values, promotion of religious harmony, and alleviation of the suffering of the Tibetan people” with more than one hundred media personnel. Later, His Holiness attended questions from the mediamen.

On the morning of May 11, His Holiness addressed the gathering of 1,000 corporate leaders, intellectuals and other opinion makers of Colombia. In his address, His Holiness explained about the nature of the Tibetan people’s struggle for their rights, the situation inside Tibet, and his middle-way approach to resolve the issue of Tibet. His Holiness also attended numerous questions from the audience which ranged from dealing with emotions, the social and economic problems in Colombia, the effective way of peace and reconciliation efforts in Colombia, and the Tibet issue.

In the late afternoon, His Holiness gave public talk on Inner Peace, Outer Peace at the sport auditorium Coliseo Cubierto. Despite the rain in the afternoon that day, more than 14,000 people ”intellectuals, businessmen, politicians, bureaucrats, students, and mainstream people”attended the public talk. The First Lady of Colombia, Mrs. Lina Maria Moreno, along with her staff members also attended the talk. She also attended the lecture on Buddhism on the first day.

During the talk, the audience paid a serious attention to his talk with a pin-drop silence, which was occasionally interrupted by applauds from the audience. Towards the end of his talk, His Holiness also attended several questions from the audience.

Apart from these two speaking engagements during the day, His Holiness gave an exclusive television interview to Mr. Alvaro Garcia of RCN News, one of the most influential journalists in Colombia. He also gave another interview to Ms. Maria Paulina Ortiz, the editor of El Tiempo, the largest circulated national newspaper of Colombia.

On the last day of his three-day visit to Colombia (May 12), His Holiness gave an exclusive talk to the faculty members and students from various universities in Bogota at the football ground of Javeriana Catholic University, one of the two most prestigious universities of Colombia.

Javeriana University Rector Mr. Padre Remolino introduced His Holiness to the crowd of 16,000 university students and faculty members, who attended His Holiness talk on Wisdom and Compassion.

In his talk, His Holiness advised the youngsters of the 21st century to be more realistic and not to repeat the mistake committed by his generation who belongs to the 20th century. He also advised the youngsters to develop a positive attitude to the life and resolve conflicts on ”individual, family, local, national and international” through dialogue using one’s wisdom and not relying on violence or use of force. A violence produces more violence and will not help to bring peace and stability, he said.

While summing up his talk, His Holiness told the youngsters that one can lead a meaningful and productive life if one combines the wisdom with a genuine sense of caring for others or in other word, compassion. He said that a secular ethics based on human affection and not on religious belief is the call of the 21st century.

The youngsters paid an immense attention to his talk. Many shed tears of joy. Several youngsters waved the Tibetan National Flag and Free Tibet placard.

Earlier before leaving for Javeriana Catholic University, His Holiness also gave an exclusive interview to Mr. Julio Sanchez Crito of Caracoal Radio, the biggest radio network in Colombia.

Apart from the public, the Colombian media also paid tremendous attention to His Holiness’s visit to Colombia. For consecutive three days, His Holiness activities remained a cover story of El Tiempo and other newspapers. Television and Radio news dominated His Holiness visit.

All his talks and lectures were simultaneously telecasted in nine cities of Colombia.

The Government of Colombia also arranged an elaborate security arrangement for the protection of His Holiness during his stay in Colombia.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama departed on May 12 at 5.25 p.m. from Bogota for Austrian town of Hattenberg in Carinthia Region, where he will lay a foundation for the Tibetan Culture Center at the request of Mayor of Hattenberg and Governor of Carinthia region.

Before departing to the Bogota International airport, all the 250 staff members of Hotel Tequendama Inter-Continental including the General Manager stopped the work for 20 minutes to bid an emotional farewell to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. His Holiness took a group photo with the hotel staff members in several groups.

(Report sent by Liaison Officer - Latin America, Office of Tibet, New York)