September 12, 2014
Speaker Penpa Tsering during his inaugural address of the 8th session of the 15th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile on 12 September 2014.
DHARAMSHALA: The Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile has urged Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is scheduled to visit India next week, to resolve the issue of Tibet through the mutually-beneficial policy of Middle-Way Approach. The 8th session of the 15th Tibetan Parliament-in-exile began today.
“We are grateful to India for all the support and assistance that it has provided to the Tibetan people. We urge the government of India to raise the Tibet issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping,” Mr Penpa Tsering, speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, said on the floor of the House today.
He expressed hope in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s positive initiative to improve governance in China. He urged the Chinese President to focus more on Tibet and look into the real cause of the Tibetan people’s grievances, and find a solution to the Tibet issue through the Middle Way Approach.
He also urged the Chinese President to respect the rights of minorities and grant them equal rights and privileges as per the provisions of the Chinese constitution. The Speaker recalled that the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile has appealed to the Chinese government, through the Chinese embassy in New Delhi, to allow a Tibetan Parliamentary delegation to visit Tibet. “We have requested the Chinese government to allow a fact-finding delegation from the Tibetan Parliament to visit Tibet. However, we are yet to receive any response. We believe Tibetans have the right to visit Tibet and investigate the cause of the Tibetan people’s suffering and confirm whether Tibet is actually a “socialist paradise”, as proclaimed by Chinese state media,” he said. Expressing solidarity with all those Tibetans who have sacrificed their lives for the cause of Tibet, he said: “Our main duty is to alleviate the suffering of the Tibetan people inside Tibet and resolve the issue of Tibet as soon as possible through the Middle Way Approach.”
“The world situation is under its biggest crisis since the break out of the second world war. Currently, the world is besieged with crisis in eastern Europe and various other political crisis in south east Asia and other Asian countries. Under such circumstances, it’s unfortunate that the peaceful and non-violent Tibetan freedom struggle is not getting the attention that it deserves,” he said.
He condemned the Chinese government for its cultural assimilation policies conducted under the guise of economic development in Tibet. He said the rampant mining of Tibetan natural resources and the expansion of Chinese rail network in Tibet are not beneficial to Tibetans. Such projects are destroying Tibet’s fragile environment and are solely meant to benefit Chinese migrants rather than Tibetans.
Speaking on Dolgyal issue, he said the recent activities carried by Dolgyal groups are detrimental to the Tibetan movement and is a cause of concern for all Tibetans. We should deliberate on how to counter these false propaganda conducted by a few uninformed people belonging to Dolgyal groups, he said.
Highlighting the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile’s commitment to serve, he said the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile is the bridge connecting the people and the executive Kashag of the Central Tibetan Administration. “We do our best to inform the Kashag about the grievances of the people as well as other issues. However, after a lot of deliberations, we have decided not to discuss certain issues like the problems faced by Tibetan asylum seekers in Europe due to prevailing political sensitivities,” he said.
The Speaker expressed condolences over the loss of lives and property in the recent flooding in Jammu and Kashmir and urged Tibetans to contribute to the relief fund. The Tibetan Parliament also passed three resolutions in its inaugural session. It passed resolutions to condole and express solidarity with those who have sacrificed their lives for the cause of Tibet. It also expressed condolences at the demise of former member of Tibetan Parliament Ladang Jigme Gyatso. It resolved to urge the new Chinese leadership to investigate the situation inside Tibet, expressing solidarity with those who continue to suffer Chinese atrocities in Tibet. The agenda for the 8th session of the Tibetan Parliament include presentation of annual reports by the seven departments of the Central Tibetan Administration, and the presentation of annual report and recommendations of the 5th Public Accounts Committee of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile. The Parliament will also deliberate on the urgent situation prevailing inside Tibet.
Members of the Tibetan Parliament observing a minute’s silence as a mark of respect to all those Tibetan who have sacrificed their lives for Tibet.
