Hon. Pradeep Tampta, MP India

Pradeep Tamta

I will make 2-3 points. What is the relation between India, China and Tibet? We have di erent position than other states. You are European. You are from the USA. We are a very very neighbouring countries, a long history of India, China and Tibet. We have cultural relation. We have religious relation. Buddhism went to China through the Tibetan culture and Tibetan language.  e Tibetans have visited our country. So we have a unique relation.  is is the 60th year of Tibetan uprising and the arrival of the Dalai Lama in India. We have supported them. Our government has supported them. Our people have also supported them. Our parliamentarians have supported them. I am a member of All Party Indian Parliamentary Forum for Tibet. It was constituted by the famous jurist M.C. Chagla. He initiated this forum. Later on the labour leader Mr. George Fernandes revived this forum. He became the  rst chairman of All Party Indian Parliamentary Forum for Tibet.  e  rst World Parliamentarian’s Convention on Tibet was held in India.

On two occasions the All Party Indian Parliamentary Forum invited His Holiness in 1994 and 2005. His Holiness conveyed his message to the forum. At the moment Mr. Shanta Kumar, one of the members of Parliament from Dharamsala (H.P) is the convenor of the forum. In 2007 we requested the Dalai Lama to address the Indian parliament. I think the new parliament is coming. We will also request the Speaker of the Indian Parliament to invite the Dalai Lama. He may join the Indian parliament and say something about the Tibetan struggle, about IndiaChina relation. As mentioned by my colleague, Mr. Ripun Bora, yesterday, we the parliamentarians and also the signatories of the memorandum have requested the Indian govt. to confer Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award on His Holiness the Dalai Lama. I think that will become true someday.  is is how the All Party Indian Parliamentary Forum for Tibet members are supporting

the Tibetan group. When the Dalai Lama came to India with his followers, our  rst Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru whole heartedly supported the Dalai Lama and his followers.  e Prime Minister asked all states for help.  e biggest Tibetan settlement is in Karnataka, south India. So the Indian people and the govt. supported them. Last year when the 30 years of the Nobel Peace Prize given to the Dalai Lama has been completed, I visited Dharamsala on this occasion. Many parliamentarians on di erent occasions visited Dharamsala and made their presence felt to support the Tibetan cause.  e Chinese govt. claims that Arunachal Pradesh is a part of China.  ey say that it is southern part of Tibet.  ey tell us not to visit it. But our Prime Minister visited it. When His Holiness wished to visit Tawang, despite the protest of the Chinese, the Dalai Lama visited it.  e CTA is functioning in India in a democratic manner.  ere is no objection from the Indian government. From the side of the Indian people, Tibetans are very peaceful and peace loving people. In our country, we never think that they are aliens. We treat them as a part of Indian civilization and culture.  e Indian people, Indian govt. and parliamentarians whole heartedly support the Tibetan cause. It is for the Tibetans and Chinese people and govt. to settle their relation, their con ict. Indian govt. is always there. It is up to the Tibetan people who are the stake holders and the Chinese people to settle their di erences. But our support is with the Tibetan people. And all the Tibetan people are welcome till they return to their land.

Yesterday Mr. Sikyong and the other fellow spoke about the Tibetan Plateau.  ey said that it was the ‘ ird Pole’. I belong to the Himalayan region – UttaraKhand. Two major rivers of the Indian civilization – the Ganges and the Yamuna come from the Indian side of the Himalayan regions. I think 2/3 of the entire world population – India, China, Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan and Bhutan reside in this part. Now a debate is going on – development vs environment. When I was a university student, I was part of the ‘Save the Trees’ movement. In our part of India we say ‘Save the Himalaya’. If you save the Himalayas, you save the Indian civilization. You will save the rest of the world. When we oppose the construction of dams on India side, Indian govt. gives same logic.  ey say that they are doing this for development.  ey are creating employment for the people.  en they say that we are against development. But when the same dams are made on the Tibetan Plateau, they adopt a di erent stand. When the Tibetan issue will be settled between the Tibetan people and the Chinese. But the entire Himalayan region where we belong and 2/3 of the population belong; they have to cherish the Himalayan regions and the rivers.  is is the basic right of thousands and thousands of people living in these areas – India, China, Tibet and Nepal. We have di erent yard sticks or di erent measurements but not the govt. perspective, with the perspective of the people save the Himalayas and save the human civilization. Lastly I think that the Tibetan struggle and the pathway shown by the Dalai Lama is important not only to the Tibetans but to the rest of humanity. In the 21st century as someone from Romania said something about the minorities... but I say that the peaceful way of

struggle for their values.  at is the hope for the world. Rest of the group when they are oppressed, when they are suppressed, they react violently, but the path shown by the Dalai Lama – you may su er, you may be hit, but you will not hit anybody.  at is the relevance of the path shown by the Dalai Lama for the rest of the country – how to solve your problems, how to make your presence felt.

Session IX- Closing Session

Address by Chief Guest Hon. Andrius Navickas MP, Lithuania

Vote of Thanks by Hon. Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok Deputy Speaker of Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile