Kolkata, January 9, 2013: The north-east zone Tibetan Parliamentary delegation yesterday met with the honourable Governor of West Bengal, Shri M.K Narayanan at Raj Bhavan, Kolkata. The governor expressed unflinching support of the Indian government towards the Tibetan people and said the Tibetans inside Tibet have the right to live with dignity.

‘India has and will never dither in championing the cause of Tibet, but in the wake of the rampant human  rights violations inside Tibet, the Tibetans must adopt a nuanced position and a forward strategy to resolve the crisis’, the governor added.

Governor M.K Narayanan’s affiliation with the Tibetan cause began in 1960 when, as a staff of the Intelligence Bureau of the Indian Government, he oversaw the creation of the Tibetan settlement of Bylakuppe in Karnataka state.

The delegation also met with Smt Deepa Das Munshi – Union Minister of State for Urban Development, Shri Pradip Bhattachariya – Member of Rajya Sabha and President of West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee, Shri Rachhpal Singh – Minister of State for Planning, Shri Dr. Ramendranath – MLA, Shri Aboni Joardar – MLA, Shri Samares Das – MLA, Shri Sukhbilan Barma MLA, Mr. Bani Singh Roy – Vice President of Trinamool Congress Party. They remained unequivocal in condemning the repressive Chinese policies and demonstrated solidarity with the peaceful resistance of Tibetans inside Tibet.

In the light of the gross human rights violations inside Tibet, the situation in Tibet is exacerbated by a brutal crackdown by Chinese authorities on the Tibetan people. The parliamentary delegation has appealed to the Indian leaders for solidarity and support of the Indian government and it’s people amid the unprecedented spate of self-immolations by Tibetans inside Tibet. They also urged the Indian leaders to engage in urgent diplomatic actions presurring the Chinese government on various fronts.

The north-east Tibetan parliamentary delegation consists of former speaker Pema Jungney, Serta Tsultrim, Yangchen Dolkar and Dhadon Sharling.

The north-east zone Tibetan parliamentary delegation will visit West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand in the first phase of the month-long all-India lobby campaign and Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Assam, Sikkim and Nagaland during the second phase of the lobby campaign.