Dharamshala: A five-day workshop on Rules & Regulations and CTA’s Policy to the new Parliamentarians of the 17^th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile began today here in Dharamshala.

Registration for the workshop attendees started yesterday and a brief welcome ceremony was held. Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel and Deputy Speaker Dolma Tsering Teykhang attended the ceremony to welcome the new Parliamentarians especially those coming from faraway places.

Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel explained the programs of the five-day workshop and said, “In order to provide recommendations to ensure administration’s accountability and transparency on its undertakings, the MPs must have a thorough knowledge of the rules and regulations of the CTA” while speaking on the significance of the workshop.  Aside from upgrading their knowledge on CTA’s rules & regulations and Policy, the Speaker solicited unity and collective effort of the MPs in resolving the Tibetan issue.

The Speaker informed the forthcoming Parliamentary programs, especially political projects to the new MPs and then elucidated the Charter of Tibetans in exile in the morning session.

The workshop continued with Deputy Speaker Dolma Tsering Teykhang imparting the ‘Rules and regulation of Parliamentary Procedure and conduct of the business of Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile’ to the new MPs to make them have a better understanding of the Parliamentary proceedings.

In tomorrow’s session, the new MPs will be educated on the Middle Way Policy and Sino-Tibetan dialogue by Sikyong Penpa Tsering of the Central Tibetan Administration, followed by the introduction of CTA’s Department of Finance (DoF), rules & regulations of budget, and budget proposal by DoF’s Interim Secretary Tenzin Legdup.

Likewise, the Parliamentarians will be introduced to the undertakings of the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission, Parliamentary Secretariat, Cabinet secretariat, Department of Religion and Culture, Department of Home, Department of Education, Department of Security, Department of Information and International Relations, and Department of Health by their respective Secretaries on the third day of the workshop. Parliamentarians will be then taken on a tour to visit all the offices of the seven departments and the autonomous bodies of the Central Tibetan Administration on the fourth day.

Finally, on the fifth day, the undertakings of the Tibetan Election Commission, Public Service Commission, and Audit General will be introduced to the Parliamentarians. They will be also educated on connecting with the Tibetan diaspora and on the privileges of the Members of Tibetan Parliaments on the final day of the workshop.

-Report filed by Tibetan Parliamentary Secretariat