Second Tibetan National General Meeting Held in Dharamsala By Caroline Couffinhal May 21st, TCV school, Dharamsala 418 Tibetans from over 20 countries including the US, India, Russia, Europe, and Nepal gathered May 21st at the TCV school auditorium for the second Tibetan General Meeting. The General Meeting was called by the Tibetan Parliament in exile after Tibetan leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama announced his decision on March 10th of this year to devolve his “political authority” to that of an elected leader. In response, the exiled parliament appealed to him to reconsider his decision. His Holiness not only refused, but also explained in detail the background of his decision to the general public. Following this, it has become clear that His Holiness will remain firm on his decision.
Copyright photo: Samuel Ivor
Many years ago, His Holiness once expressed the wish to retire from the political life of the Tibetan government. In his March 10th statement, he once again clarified the issue of his retirement: “As early as the 1960’s, I have
repeatedly stressed that Tibetans need a leader, elected freely by the Tibetan people, to whom I can devolve power. Now we have clearly reached the time to put this into effect.” (continued on page 7)
25 days TYC Hunger Strike in Delhi By Caroline Couffinhal Three executive members of the Tibetan Youth Congress - Dhondup Lhadar (Vice President), Tenzin Norsang (Assistant Secretary) and Konchok Yangphel (Finance Secretary) participated in a hunger strike lasting 25 days in New Delhi protesting against the blocking of the monastery of Kirti and the brutal repression inflicted upon the inhabitants and Buddhist monks of Ngaba, Tibet. TheNgaba County in Sichuan knows serious tension. It has now been nearly two months since the death of Phuntsok, a 20-year-old Tibetan monk who self immolated in Tibet last March. This act itself was in response to the third anniversary of a major 2008 demonstration at Kirti, during which at least 10 Tibetans were killed. After the Chinese authorities
locked down the Kirti monastery that the young monk was affiliated with, new security forces were deployed around the monastery and inside the campus to regulate and restrict all the monks’ placements and movements. According to ICT(International Campaign of Tibet) headquartered in New York, security forces raided the monastery in the evening of April 21st, removing more than 300 monks. The police then brutally beat a group of people who had been guarding the monastery, killing two elderly Tibetans. Now only a few days later, the authorities have forbidden people to offer food to monks, leading to a food shortage within the monastery. The indefinite hunger strike began in response to this on April 26, at Jantar
Photo: TYC.org
Mantar, New Delhi. TYC members are now calling for the withdrawal of the Chinese authorities from the Monastery and the unconditional release of its political prisoners. The organization also called on Chinese authorities to allow for a Tibetan Youth Congress delegation to assess the situation of political prisoners inside Tibet. (continued on page 5)