FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:   July 11, 2011                                                                                                                                        

Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 mahajanr@rfa.org

Radio Free Asia Hosts Dalai Lama on Anniversary Year

His Holiness commends RFA for educating those who ‘have no freedom of information’

WASHINGTON, DC – Radio Free Asia (RFA) today hosted His Holiness the Dalai Lama at its Washington, DC headquarters. The Tibetan spiritual leader made remarks on RFA’s 15^th anniversary year to staff from all nine RFA language services, commending them for delivering a free press to closed societies. Also during the visit, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate was interviewed by RFA’s Mandarin service, with questions submitted from RFA’s Tibetan, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Uyghur services.

In his address to RFA’s staff, the Dalai Lama spoke about the value of democracy, freedom, and civil law, citing education as the key to ensuring those principles to endure. The Dalai Lama said RFA is “extremely helpful” and lauded its services for their contribution in working to “educate people who have no freedom of information.”

The spiritual leader also spoke about the crises and turmoil in recent years in mainland China facing Uyghurs, Tibetans, and more recently people living in Inner Mongolia, referring to them as “brothers” in their challenges.

RFA’s exclusive interview was webcast live on its Mandarin and Tibetan sites, and made available online and via shortwave and satellite to listeners in China. The Nobel laureate is in Washington for the 11-day Buddhist Kalachakra ritual, which concludes this week.

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Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media.  RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

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