New Delhi: On 24th December 2022, the third day of the ongoing Tibetan Parliamentary delegation’s Tibet advocacy campaign, the delegation’s first group comprising of Parliamentarians Khenpo Kada Ngedup Sonam, Tsering Yangchen, and Phurpa Dorjee Gyaldhong accompanied by Choenyi Tsering, ITCO staff and the second group comprising of Parliamentarians Serta Tsultrim, Geshe Lharampa Gowo Lobsang Phende, and Lobsang Thupten accompanied by Parliamentary Secretariat staff Tenzin Seldon, paid a courtesy call on Shri Manoj Kumar Jha, member of Rajya Sabha from Bihar (Rashtriya Janata Dal).
Greeting the Indian lawmaker, the Tibetan delegates presented each of them with a TPiE souvenir, a copy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s book called ‘My land and my people’, a book on Tibet entitled ‘Tibet was never a part of China’, and an appeal letter of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile.
They appealed to the MPs to make PRC leadership accountable for upholding international law and treat Tibet as a matter of global concern, not China’s internal affair, to take the Tibetan issue with great urgency and gravely as China continues to threaten the security of India with the border clash that keeps happening now and then, to support an early resumption of dialogue with the representatives of His Holiness and the Chinese Government, and to pay attention to Tibet Plateau as it is being destructed by China through every means to attain economic advantage which significantly affects India and the whole world at large.
Likewise, members of the first group also called on Shri Sujeet Kumar, All Part Indian Parliamentary Forum on Tibet’s Convenor and Rajya Sabha MP from Odisha (BJD) and presented him with the aforementioned Tibet-related documents and books. They updated the MP on the two groups’ ongoing Tibet advocacy campaign and urged his continued support for the cause of Tibet. They interacted on the issues faced by Tibetans in exile, especially Tibetan winter garment sellers and discussed their other issues of common interest and future course of action.
The Tibetan MPs extended their gratitude to India and its people for all the support provided to Tibet and Tibetans in exile and informed him of the critical situation inside of Tibet including the 157 known self-immolation cases that happened in Tibet since 2009 protesting repression, cultural genocide, and other human rights violations.
The members of the second group called on Shri Jayant Singh, Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh and advocated Tibet’s issue.