The 14th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates is being moved out of South Africa after 14 of the laureates threatened to boycott the event.  They’re upset that the South African government refused to grant a visa to the Dalai Lama.

The summit was supposed to take place 13-15 October in Cape Town.  It would have been the first tome Africa hosted a summit of Nobel Peace Prize laureates.  The new city and country haven’t been announced. 

It’s not the image that South Africa wanted to show to the world.  After all, South Africa has given the world four Nobel Peace Prize laureates over the years – three from the decades-long struggle against apartheid, and one white guy who finally got the message and negotiated an end to the despicable practice. 

But now, critics are suggesting that South Africa’s current leaders are barring the Dalai Lama because they’re trying not to upset China, with which they’ve been trying to forge closer economic ties.  Beijing views the Tibetan Buddhist leader as a dangerous separatist, and regularly lambastes any nation that welcomes him.  South Africa has denied a visa to the Dalai Lama three times in five years.

The latest of these unsuccessful visa efforts prompted an enraged reaction late Wednesday from Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, also a Nobel Peace laureate.

“I cannot believe that the South African government could shoot itself in the same foot thrice over.  I believed that our government had a proper pride,” he said.  “I am ashamed to call this lickspittle bunch my government.”

Cape Town Mayor Patricia De Lille supported the boycott by the laureates, and criticized the government's "intransigence".

(Non sequitur numerology alert: The 14th Dalai Lama.  The 14th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, and the central day was 14 October.  14 Laureates protested.  14!)