Dharamsala: Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel of Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile meets Ms. Maggie Dougherty, professional staff member of the senate foreign relations committee; Mr. Matt Squeri, staff director of CECC; and Ms. Tenchoe Gyaltso, Interim Vice President of ICT and a former member of Tibetan Parliament on 25 October 2022 in his chamber.

During his meeting with the staff members, the Speaker spoke on the democratization process of Tibetan polity under the visionary leadership of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and on the functioning of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile. Speaking about the recently held 8^th World Parliamentarians’ Convention on Tibet (WPCT) in Washington DC, the Speaker extended his gratitude to the US government for all the support rendered in organizing the 8^th WPCT.

The Speaker further briefed them on the current alarming situation inside Tibet, including the Sinicization of Tibetan Buddhism, the forced admission of Tibetan children into colonial boarding schools, and others. He also spoke of the unprecedented appointment of Xi Jinping as the leader of China for the third term at the 20^th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party and other concerning issues.

The US staffers expressed their concerns about the Sinicization of Tibetan culture and religion before touring the parliament hall.