New Delhi: A delegation of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, led by Deputy Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, continued its Tibet advocacy campaign in New Delhi on 28 July 2026, holding meetings with Members of the Indian Parliament during the ongoing Monsoon Session.
The delegation, divided into two groups, urged Members of Parliament to address the People’s Republic of China’s Ethnic Unity and Progress Law, which came into force on 1 July 2026 and provides a legal framework for accelerating the assimilation of Tibetans and other non-Han peoples, threatening their distinct languages, religions, cultures, and identities.
The delegation also highlighted the urgency of the situation by drawing attention to the self-immolation of Tibetan activist Lobga Rangzen outside the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 2 July 2026, carried out in protest against the PRC’s new legislation.
The delegation further cautioned that the law’s implications extend beyond China’s borders, strengthening efforts by the PRC to intimidate, monitor, and influence Tibetan communities abroad.
On the second day of the advocacy program, the first group comprised of Deputy Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel and Parliamentarians Choedak Gyatso and Gyaltsen Choekye Gagya met with Shri Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Member of Rajya Sabha (INC); Shri Bansilal Gurjar, Member of Rajya Sabha (BJP); Shri Jagadish Shettar, Member of Lok Sabha (BJP) and former Chief Minister of Karnataka; and Shri Narayanasa K. Bhandage, Member of Rajya Sabha (BJP).
The second group comprised of Parliamentarians Lopon Thupten Gyaltsen, Lobsang Thupten Pontsang, and Gonpo Dhundup met with Shri Salman Khurshid, Member of Lok Sabha (INC) and former Minister of External Affairs of India; Shri P. Santhosh Kumar, Member of Rajya Sabha (Communist Party of India); Shri Ramprit Mandal, Member of Lok Sabha (Janata Dal (United)); Shri Praveen Khandelwal, Lok Sabha (BJP); Shri M. K Raghavan, Member of Lok Sabha (INC); Shri Saumitra Khan, Member of Lok Sabha (BJP); and Shri Naresh Bansal, Member of Rajya Sabha (BJP).
The two groups jointly met with Shri Vivek Tankha, Member of Rajya Sabha (INC) and a senior advocate at the Supreme Court of India.
During the meetings, the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile appealed to Members of the Indian Parliament to:
- Raise awareness of the implications of China’s Ethnic Unity and Progress Law within Parliament and relevant parliamentary committees.
- Support the cultural, linguistic, and religious rights of the Tibetan people and other affected nationalities.
- Oppose all forms of transnational repression that threaten democratic freedoms and the security of Tibetan communities living in India.
- Recognise that Tibet was historically an independent nation prior to its forceful invasion and occupation by the People’s Republic of China.
- Urge the leadership of the People’s Republic of China to engage in peaceful dialogue to resolve the Tibet–China conflict and continue India’s long-standing support for the peaceful and non-violent aspirations of the Tibetan people in accordance with the vision of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
The delegation also presented Members of Parliament with the Official Resolution of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile condemning the People’s Republic of China’s Ethnic Unity and Progress Law, an Official Resolution expressing solidarity with the critical situation inside Tibet, and the Official Statement of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile on the self-immolation protest for the cause of Tibet by patriotic hero Lobga Rangzen.
