Nobel Peace Prize winners have drafted a formal declaration of solidarity with fellow laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under prolonged house arrest in Burma.
In a declaration read today-Saturday at the close of a Nobel Peace Prize gathering in South Korea, laureates said they stand alongside Burma's opposition leader, who is struggling for the development of democracy in her country.
Former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung personally acknowledged her absence in his closing remarks, calling for Aung San Suu Kyi's freedom.
The exiled spiritual leader of the Tibet, the Dalai Lama, was also not present at the meeting in Gyangju.
Beijing complains whenever the Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in India, is granted entry to other countries. South Korean authorities refused to issue him a visa for the Nobel gathering in order to avoid offending China.