Himachal Assembly Honours His Holiness the Dalai LamaThursday, 18 December 2008, 11:00 a.m.———————————————————————————————————-Dharamshala: At the invitation of the Vidhan Sabha, the Legislative Assembly of the north Indian State of Himachal Pradesh, His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Wednesday visited the assembly complex and attended a tea reception hosted in his honour. His Holiness’ visit coincided with the winter session of the state assembly, which began on 11 December at Tapovan, near Dharamshala. During the visit, His Holiness met with Assembly Speaker, Tulsi Ram, chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal and former chief minister, Virbhadra Singh and Congress legislative party leader Vidya Stokes. Kalon Tripa Prof Samdhong Rinpoche, speaker and deputy speaker, standing committee members of the Tibetan Parliament were also present.On 28 August 2006, the state assembly formed the Himachal Pradesh Legislature Forum for Tibet, to garner support for the Tibetan cause and strengthen friendship between Indian and Tibetan peoples. Following his visit to the assembly, His Holiness inaugurated a cricket match between Chief Minister’s XI and Governor’s XI at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Stadium near Dharamshala.The members of state assembly, local Indian administration, speaker and deputy speaker of the Tibetan Parliament, members of Tibetan Parliament, justice commissioners, members of Kashag were present at the occasion.The Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile hosted a luncheon reception in honour of the members of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly.In his brief address, His Holiness expressed his gratitude to government of India and the people of India for their constant support for the Tibetan people. Talking to newspersons, His Holiness said that non-violence is the biggest strength of Indian culture and India should spread out this ancient culture of peace, religious tolerance and non- violence as these values are more relevant in this strife-torn world, the All India Radio reported.Appreciating the model of democracy adopted by India, His Holiness said that this system paves the way for justice for the people