1st Europe Tibetan Congress Calls for an intensified Action Plan on Tibet Monday, 13 October 2008, 10:24 a.m.
Kalon Tripa Prof Samdhong Rinpoche addresses the inaugural day of a two-day Europe Tibetan Congress held in Basel, Switzerland, on Saturday, 11 October 2008./Photo: Tibet Bureau, Geneva |
Basel: 127 delegates from 15 countries in Europe held a historic gathering on 11-12 October 2008 in Basel, Switzerland and approved a set of clear plan of action to intensify and reinvigorate the Tibetan campaign in the continental Europe.The Congress reiterated that His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the sole and legitimate leader of the six million Tibetan people and expressed deep concern at the on-going military crackdown in Tibet. A memorandum calling for immediate cessation of China’s defamation campaign against His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be forwarded to President Hu Jintao of the People’s Republic of China.
from right: Mr Tseten Samdup, representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Monkhar Sonam Phuntsok, member of Parliament, Kalon Tripa Prof Samdhong Rinpoche, Sonam Tsering Frasi, member of Parliament, during the singing of Tibetan national anthem. |
In view of the current deplorable human rights situation in Chinese-occupied Tibet, the Congress will request the Member-States of the European Union to designate a Special EU Coordinator for Tibet, who will encourage the Chinese leadership to agree on a mutually acceptable solution on the future political status of Tibet.In a written message to the delegates, His Holiness the Dalai Lama while welcoming the Congress said: “The fact that new generations of Tibetans, who have been born and brought up in foreign lands, are able to follow their elders in upholding our cultural heritage in exile and creating a greater awareness of the Tibetan issue amongst the international public is a source of pride.” In his keynote address to the Congress, Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, Kalon Tripa of the Central Tibetan Administration, updated the delegates on the present political developments in Tibet, while urging the meeting to be frank and transparent.
Following the historic Tibetan Uprising of 2008, the Congress unanimously resolved to intensify their political activities and programmes to preserve and promote Tibetan language and culture, including on Tibetan Buddhism for the benefit of Tibetan youths in Europe. Recommendations to Tibetan Communities in Europe were agreed upon to be implemented at the national, regional and international levels.Delegates from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and UK took part in this 1st Europe Tibetan Congress. The next Europe Tibetan Congress will be held in October 2010.–Report filed by Tibet Bureau, Geneva