His Holiness’ Representative Visits Poland for Celebrations of 30th Anniversary of ‘Solidarity’[Tuesday, 5 October 2010, 5:22 p.m.]

Representative Thubten Samdup speaks at the ‘Forum for Youth’ in Gdansk, Poland on 29th September 2010/Photo by: Lukasz Unterschuetz/Archive of the European Solidarity Centre

London:
Mr Thubten Samdup, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the
Office of Tibet, London, was a guest of the Lech Walesa Institute
Foundation for the celebrations of 30th anniversary of the founding of
‘Solidarity’, the first self-governing trade union in Poland. The
events were held over three days from the 29th September and took place
in the northern Polish city of Gdansk, the birthplace of the
‘Solidarity’ movement.In December 2008, His Holiness the Dalai
Lama had visited Gdansk at the invitation of the Lech Walesa Institute
Foundation to address a meeting of fellow Nobel Peace Prize Laureates
marking the 25th anniversary of the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize
to former Polish President Lech Walesa. His Holiness has also addressed
an international conference of World Forum of the Young which was
attended by about 1000 participants.This year’s gala dinner on
the 29th September and the one-day conference Europe and the World: 30
Years After the Victory of the Polish ‘Solidarity’ Movement on the 30th
September were attended and addressed by leading figures from Poland
including former President Lech Walesa, Mayor of Gdansk Mr Pawel
Adamowicz and the recently elected President of Poland Mr Bronislaw
Komorowski, and other guests from around the world. Representative
Thubten Samdup la offered his congratulations to Ms Janina Ochojska,
head of the charity Polish Humanitarian Action, the winner of the Lech
Walesa Institute Foundation’s third annual Lech Walesa Award.Mr
Samdup addressed the third Forum of the Young held on the 29th
September and met participants of international project ‘Gdansk
Station’ organised by European Solidarity Center. Representative
Thubten Samdup spoke at the youth meeting about the fundamental meaning
of non-violence struggle that was important for the ‘Solidarity’
movement and the Polish struggle for independence, and in our violent
times distinguishes the Tibetan struggle for preservation of own
identity and human rights. He also answered many questions from the
participants including about the future of Tibetan leadership and
activities that allow direct dialogue between Tibetans and Chinese
citizens.At a dinner meeting with the participants of Civic
Academy on the 1st October, Mr Samdup again had the opportunity to
speak about the issue of Tibet and respond to questions from the
assembled young leaders from across Eastern Europe.Mr Samdup
said of his three-day visit to Gdansk: “It was such an honour for me to
represent His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the celebrations of the 30th
Anniversary of the Polish Solidarity Movement. Meeting Nobel Laureate
and Former President of Poland Lech Walesa and other great Solidarity
champions of the time was such a humbling experience.When I
addressed the Youth Forum, I urged them that they have the
responsibility to continue and carry out the legacy of their parents
and export that incredible spirit from the Solidarity Movement to the
rest of the world. This is Polish greatest gift and export to the
world!”