Dharamshala: Former Australian Senator, CEO of the Australia India Institute and a long-time Tibet supporter, Lisa Singh, visited the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile earlier today and met with Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel and Deputy Speaker Dolma Tsering Teykhang at the Speaker’s chamber.
During their meeting, they engaged on wide-ranging topics of shared interest and had a very productive interaction. The Deputy Speaker mentioned that the former senator’s visit to the seat of the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamshala shows that the issue of Sino-Tibetan conflict is still alive in the hearts and minds of people in the world.
“Even when doing business with China, the global leaders should always have human rights on the agenda,” the Deputy Speaker said while delving into the irony of the world leadership in pursuing financial gains with China by neglecting the just cause of Tibet.
Discussing how Tibetans and Tibet supporters should consistently work in resolving the Sino-Tibetan conflict, they further talked about disinformation, misinformation, and on how Tibetan diaspora communicate with Tibetans inside of Tibet despite heavy surveillance in Tibet.
Speaking on the visible shift of political dynamics with respect to dealing with China after Covid-19 across the world, they further discussed the shift of geo strategic plan of Australia regarding the same.
Discussing the current critical situation inside of Tibet, the former Senator drew the parallels between the stolen generation of Australia with that of the colonial boarding schools in Tibet and deliberated on the need of bringing Tibet on the table of the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The former senator was informed of the Speaker’s open letter to the leaders of G-20, calling for their attention to Tibet. She was also informed of Deputy Speaker’s participation in the third Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) Prague Summit 2023 from 1st to 2nd September 2023 and its main agendas.
Similarly, they also discussed the Tibetan parliament’s revival of the International Network of Parliamentarians on Tibet (INPaT) and the process of making it more active and functional.
The CEO of the Australia India Institute was then honoured with a Tibetan ceremonial scarf and a souvenir of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile. She was also presented with a fact sheet on Tibet, Tibetan parliament’s strategic plan, and books and documents outling the issue of Tibet by the Speaker.