The following is a brief roundup of selected local newspaper editorials Friday: Liberty Times: Dalai Lama's visit exposes true images of politicians, monks Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama's visit to Taiwan compell many local politicians and monks to reveal their true ugly selves. The Dalai Lama's visit was a blessing needed by Taiwan and was supported by public opinion, but President Ma restricted his activities in Taiwan while approving his visit reluctantly. Ma wanted to use the Dalai Lama to deflect public anger from his administration's botched relief operations but he dared not offend Beijing. Some local religious leaders criticized the Dalai Lama for imparting a political connotation to his visit by coming here at local politicians' invitation. These critics have debased themselves into sounding boards for Beijing and the Kuomintang. Some pro-Kuomintang mass media noted that Beijing has leveled its criticism against the Democratic Progressive Party rather than President Ma Ying-jeou, but China didn't spare Taiwan from economic punishment anyway. By putting on hold its economic exchanges with Taiwan, Beijing has flexed its political muscle against Taiwan. This is a natural consequence of Ma's reliance on China economically. United Daily News: Reconstruction should be based on comprehensive method The disaster caused by Typhoon Morakot centered on southern Taiwan, or more specifically the Kaoping River basin. The river basin covers an area with a fragile geographical formation and is prone to mudslides whenever there are torrential rains. With the root cause of the mudslides known, the only way to rehabilitate the river is to avoid mudslide-prone areas and restrict development there. Trying to reinforce downstream areas first will simply result in a waste of resources. Apple Daily: Dalai Lama's visit underlines difference between Taiwan and China The U.S., which contributed military helicopters to Taiwan's relief operations following Typhoon Morakot, and the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who visited Taiwan to comfort typhoon survivors, were seen by Beijing as the only two beneficiaries of the typhoon disaster and its aftermath. What offended Beijing the most is that it had gone an extra mile to provide aid to Taiwan, but it could not earn the same gratitude that local residents extendeded to the U.S. and the Dalai Lama. Beijing does not understand that the Dalai Lama won people's respect because of his wisdom and charisma, and the more it criticizes him, the more it will alienate the Taiwanese. The Kuomintang should be aware that it will lose people's support by aligning itself with Beijing. China Times: We owe Chinese thanks Four days after Taiwan suffered the worst flooding in five decades, the institutional members of China's Association for Relations Across Taiwan Straits (ARATS) donated NT$500 million to Taiwan. China's Central Television provided intensive news coverage of the Taiwan disaster and ARATS offered 1,000 prefabricated housing units to Taiwan Aug. 18. Unfortunately, the Jiadong township administration in Pingtung County rejected the prefab houses on fears that the housing material contained the harmful chemical methanol. The next day, the ARATS gave the assurance that the prefab houses donated to Taiwan were free of methanol, a claim that was later verified in tests carried out by Taiwan's Ministry of the Interior. In the wake of the disaster, Internet users in Sichuan, western China, launched an online fundraising campaign in a bid to match Taiwan's generous donation to victims of the Sichuan earthquake in 2006. The appeals tore at the heartstrings of many Chinese people. Some Taiwan politicians have claimed that China's donations to Taiwan were politically motivated. We have to say these politicians lack the milk of human kindness and can't appreciate the genuine generosity of others. If China had turned down our donations after the Sichuan earthquake and claimed that Taiwan was only showing off its wealth, how would these critics have felt? We believe, most Chinese made the donations out of sympathy, and Taiwan owes them thanks. 