Members of Parliament voting on the proposed amendment of official solidarity motion today

Dharamsala: Chaired by the Speaker Mr. Pema Jungney, the fourth day of the 10th session of the 16th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile began at 9:30 AM with the continuation of the debate on the official solidarity motion on the critical situations inside Tibet from the previous day.

A total of 15 Parliamentarians contributed their views on the amendment bill to the official solidarity motion tabled by Parliamentarian Mr. Dorjee Tseten and supported by Parliamentarian Ms. Tsering Youdon. The proposed amendment, however,  failed to receive the required vote to get the amendment approved.

With due deliberation, the official solidarity motion on the critical situations inside Tibet was passed unanimously with the addition of two more points and some minor changes.

Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay, incumbent Kalon of the Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR) providing clarification against the doubts raised in the house today

The session continued with clarification against the questions raised on the Tibet Policy Institute (TPI) by Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay, incumbent Kalon of the Department of Information and International Relations from the previous day.

Likewise, proposed 2021-2022 budgets of the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama; Indo Tibet Coordination Office (ITCO), Delhi; Office of Tibet, Washington DC; Tibetan Community Development Fund (TCDF); Tibet Bureau, Geneva; the Office of Tibet, London; the Tibet House Trust, London; Tibet Information Office, Canberra; Tibetan cultural Centre limited, Australia and Liaison Office of the H.H. the Dalai Lama, Tokyo were sanctioned after the required discussion.

Relevant clarifications against the raised questions were provided by Kalon Karma Yeshi, Department of Finance (DOF), and Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay, incumbent Kalon of the Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR). Shedding some light on how political campaigns impact the larger Tibetan movement, Sikyong advised Tibetan individuals and organizations on adopting nonviolent and peaceful ways in their political approaches. He also advised Tibetans to be vigilant of Chinese cyber-espionage.

 

Geshe Monlam Tharchin presenting 2021-2022 budget of the Office of Tibet, DC

Parliamentarians lauded the work of the Office of Tibet, DC; Tibet Bureau, Geneva & other Offices of Tibet. The house raised important issue like danger posed by Chinese Confucius institutes across the world and extended appreciations to Student of Free Tibet (SFT), Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), Tibetan community of the US, and others for their invaluable contribution in closing more than 50 Chinese Confucius Institutes in the US.

Some queries were also made with regard to the working of the Chinese liaison officer, Greenbook, Middle Way workshop, etc.

Today’s session adjourned at 5:00 pm until 9:30 am of the next morning.

Kalon Karma Yeshi answering questions of the Parliamentarians