Dharamsala : The three-member European parliamentary delegation comprising of MEP Thomas Mann, MEP Csaba Sogor and MEP Ramon Tremosa visited the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile at 10:30 am on May 8, 2018.

They were greeted and welcomed to the Tibetan Parliamentary Secretariat by the Deputy Speaker Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok, who also thanked them for the visit on behalf of all the Tibetans and the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile. He briefed the delegation on the evolution of Tibetan democracy in exile, proceeding of the 2 sessions of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile and the advocacy of Tibet’s cause and issues among the members of parliament in various countries by the Tibetan Parliamentary delegation. He also briefed them how the Tibetan Parliament contributes in strengthening the democracy at grass-root level by streamlining and reinforcing the functioning of the local Tibetan assemblies in all the major Tibetan settlements.

 

He elucidated in details, the annual Tibetan settlement visitation program as allocated among the members of the Tibetan parliament, who impart the local Tibetan residents on the achievements of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, update on the current situations inside Tibet, changing political nature in Tibet and also assess the conditions and grievances of the local Tibetan residents.

The Deputy Speaker then took the European parliamentary delegation for a quick-guided tour to the parliamentary hall. After which, they all gathered inside the Conference-Hall cum Library of the Tibetan Parliamentary Secretariat, where, they were also introduced to the members of the Standing Committee of the 16th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile.

 

Expressing his honor to be present there, MEP Thomas Mann, Chair of Tibet Interest Group in European Parliament, said, ‘I don’t know if we are one of the strongest supporter but we do meet regularly. Every month we have the opportunity to have visits by experts and people who had suffered and had been imprisoned in Tibet.’

He stated that promulgation of human rights is most important for them and they always strive to include human rights of the suppressed on their agendas every time in the European Union. He expressed his support for the genuine autonomy, Middle Way Approach as adopted by the Central Tibetan Administration and emphasized on the necessity of resuming the stalled dialogue between the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the government of China. He also stressed on the importance of environment of Tibet, stating Tibet as the major source of rivers for most of South-Asian countries.

MEP Csaba Sogor, also a member of the Tibet Interest Group (TIG) in European Parliament, also thanked the members of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, saying, ‘we needed to come and see with our eyes to have this experience, which will give us the strength and motivation to our fight; the fight for your rights and the rights of all minorities, inside and outside EU.’

He stressed on the significance of equipping the younger Tibetans with experiences in the diplomatic field by creating conducive environment for them work to as trainees and interns at various Parliamentary secretariat and offices.

MEP Ramon Tremosa, also a member of Tibet Interest Group in EP, reiterating the parallel drawn between the struggling movement of Tibetans in exile and the Catalan people, he stated that it is interesting to see and learn how the Tibetan administration functions and how the struggle movement of peaceful resistance operates in exile.

Thereafter, all the respective parliamentarians engaged in discussion and exchanging views among themselves.