By Surender Bhutani, EuAsiaNews,
Warsaw : Tibetan leader Dalai Lama, who is very popular in Poland, has made another landmark when the Polish capital, Warsaw, redesigned an important street as the Tibet Square on Thursday.
In an official ceremony, the City’s President Mrs Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz inaugurated the Tibet Square in the Wola District saying “this is our tribute to peace loving Tibetan people who are waging a struggle to preserve their identity.”
A plaque on the Tibet Square states, ” In the memory of those great Tibetan fighters who on 10 March 1959 came out on the streets of Lhasa and for 86,000 Tibetans who lost their lives in the national uprising. Also for those who were forced to live in exile. To the 14th Dalai Lama. who was made an honorary citizen of Warsaw in 2009.”
The ceremony took place despite protests from the Chinese Embassy in Warsaw.
The original plan to name the square was Free Tibet which the opposition party PIS, led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski had been demanding for the past two years.
But because of the Chinese pressure the city authorities changed the name and opted for the Tibet Square.
The Dalai Lama has been a regular visitor to Poland ever since communism collapsed here in 1989. He has excellent ties with Solidarity leader Lech Walesa and other important leaders and intellectuals.
Earlier this year he was given Honorary citizenship of City of Wroclaw.