JAPAN. DALAI LAMA CALLS FOR ABOLITION OF DEATH PENALTY

Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama called for the abolition of the death penalty. On the second day of a visit to Japan which had been condemned by China, the Dalai Lama told a crowd of hundreds in Tokyo that criminals should be treated with “compassion, not anger.”
“Criminals, people who commit crimes, usually society rejects these people,” the Buddhist monk said in a sumo wrestling arena rearranged for his address.
“They are also part of society. Give them some form of punishment to say they were wrong, but show them they are part of society and can change. Show them compassion,” he said. The Dalai Lama did not mention any countries in his appeal.