By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, September 9: The Chinese government on Tuesday pulled the plug on Jon Bon Jovi’s first ever concert in China over the use of the Dalai Lama’s picture at a concert in Taiwan five years ago.
The Culture Ministry cancelled the concerts slated for next week in Shanghai and Beijing after discovering that the band had used an image of the Dalai Lama as a backdrop in their 2010 Taiwan concert.
At the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the formation of so called Tibet Autonomous Region on Tuesday, Chinese leaders renewed their attack against the exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama whom it reviles as a “separatist” seeking to split China.
Yu Zhengsheng, a top Chinese official said in Lhasa where grand celebrations of the event was held on Tuesday, “China will be relentless in cracking down on all kinds of separatist activities in the future.”
China objected to the Tibetan leader’s appearance at the Glastonbury Music festival in July saying it was akin to providing a political platform to the Tibetan leader. “China resolutely opposes any country, organization, body or individual giving any kind of platform to the 14th Dalai Lama to engage in anti-China splittist activities,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters in July.
The New Jersey band is not the first to bear the brunt of Chinese authorities this year. Earlier this year, another American band, Maroon 5’s concert was cancelled when one of the band members, Jesse Carmichael, tweeted and sang birthday wishes to the Tibetan leader.
The Icelandic Singer, Björk has been banned from China for life after declaring her support towards Tibet freedom movement by chanting ‘Tibet, Tibet’ during Shanghai concert in 2008.
English band Oasis were forced to cancel shows in China after one of their members, Noel Gallagher, performed at a Free Tibet concert in New York.
Rock band Linkin Park were barred from China after they were photographed with the Dalai Lama at a conference in Los Angeles in 2011.
Richard Gere, Sharon Stone and Brad Pitt are Hollywood actors unwelcome in China for their continuous support towards Tibet and the Dalai Lama.
