VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- The Dalai Lama has arrived in Canada to co-host the 2009 Vancouver Peace Summit, supporters say.
About 100 people, mostly Tibetan-Canadians and Buddhists, greeted him as he arrived at the Shangri-La Hotel in a black luxury sedan in downtown Vancouver Saturday night, the Vancouver Sun reported. Many saw the four-day conference as a chance to make people aware of China's 49-year occupation of Tibet.
One person in the crowd, Pena Wamgchen, 35, is a Buddhist and came to Vancouver from Tibet seven years ago.
"We're here to acknowledge his presence and we're proud to be here to witness this event," he told the Sun. "This is a chance for people to have a look at what's going on in Tibet. The issue of Tibet has never been brought to the table."
The 14th Dalai Lama heads the Tibetan government in exile in India.
