Dharamshala, 21 November 2025: Dorjee Tshering Lepcha, Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha representing Sikkim, visited the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile in Dharamshala on Friday and met with Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel and Deputy Speaker Dolma Tsering Teykhang.

During the meeting, Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Government and people of India for their longstanding support to the Tibetan community in preserving its language, culture, and religion throughout 65 years in exile.

The Speaker also thanked the Rajya Sabha MP for raising the issue of referring to the border region as the Indo-Tibet border rather than the Indo-China border during a parliamentary session. In recognition of his support, MP Dorjee Tshering Lepcha was presented with a copy of the historic Shakabpa Passport, issued in 1947 by the then Government of Independent Tibet to Finance Secretary Tsepon Wangchuk Dedhen Shakabpa, and bearing visas from several countries.

Deputy Speaker Dolma Tsering Teykhang spoke about the evolution of Tibetan democracy under the guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, highlighting the Central Tibetan Administration’s commemoration of the Year of Compassion marking His Holiness’ 90th birth anniversary through global events and initiatives.

She also briefed the MP on the critical situation inside Tibet and the Tibetan Parliament’s international advocacy efforts, including the World Parliamentarians’ Convention on Tibet, first convened in Delhi in 1994 and held nine times since, as well as the significant role played by the All Party Indian Parliamentary Forum for Tibet (APIPFT) in supporting related initiatives.

MP Lepcha was accompanied by family members and staff, and the delegation was given a guided tour of the Parliament Hall.