A source familiar with the developments told Republica that China had requested the government last month not to send its representative to attend the December 10 ceremony in Oslo. [break]
The Nobel Peace Prize Committee generally sends invitations to ambassadors based in Norway. The source said that the government took the precautionary step in order not to anger the northern neighbor.
Chinese embassy officials in Kathamndu had gone to the foreign ministry recently to inquire if Nepali officials were attending the function.
Incensed by the prize award to its dissident activist who is serving an 11 years jail for subversion, China has asked governments across the globe, including Nepal, not to take part in the ceremony.
China has termed the award to the 54-year old Xiaobo as “interference in its internal matter”, according to media reports.
Among the South Asian countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan have joined the list of 19 countries which will be absent at the ceremony for “various reasons”. Other countries include, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Colombia, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Iraq, Iran, Vietnam, Venezuela, the Philippines, Egypt, Sudan, Ukraine, Cuba and Morocco, said the Nobel Peace Prize Committee in its website.
Xiaobo is known for his literary criticism, political essays and advocacy for democracy. His writings have landed him in jails repeatedly, according to The New York Times.
As of October 6, according to a statement posted by the Nobel Peace Prize Committe, altogether 44 embassies, including the Indian embassy in Oslo, have indicated that they will be represented in the ceremony while 19 counties have declined to the Committee’s invitation for various reasons.
kiran@myrepublica.com
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