24 July 2008
Karmapa denied access to Indian border areas
(IANS) The Indian government has refused to allow the Karmapa, Ugyen Trinley Dorjee, to visit Buddhist regions close to India's borders with the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) ahead of the Beijing Olympics, his aides said. The Karmapa, had sought permission to visit various monasteries in the Lahaul and Spiti areas of Himachal Pradesh, as well as in Ladakh, in Jammu and Kashmir. The Karmapa's security officer Thinlay told IANS that a two-month-long religious tour was cancelled. He said the government had not cited any reason. An aid to the Karmapa added: "The government might be anticipating large-scale protests during the Karmapa’s visit in the forward areas".