U.S Congressional Staff Tour Dharamsala
Dharamsala, 17 January: A US Congressional Staff Delegation is on a three day visit to Dharamsala, the headquarters of the Tibetan exile administration. The delegation comprising of Kelley Currie, Director of Government Relations for ICT, Washington D.C, Jon Stivers, Office of the House Minority Leader (Congress woman Nancy Pelosi), Cynthia Cook, Office of Congressman Tom Udall, was received at the Pathankot railway station yesterday by Mr. Masood Butt, Protocol Officer of the Department of Information and International Relations.
The concerned officials of the Department of Information and International Relations welcomed the delegation on their arrival in Dharamsala.
The delegation met with newly arrived refugees from Tibet at the Reception Center run by the exile administration. Later in the day, the delegation toured Gangchen Kyishong, the administrative capital of the exile Tibetan community. A meeting of the delegation with the officials of the administration was held at the Lhakpa Tsering memorial hall of the Department of Information and International Relations. A briefing session with the various Tibetan non-governmental organisations was held at Hotel Tibet in the evening.
The delegation today tours Sherab Gatsel Lobling, the transit school for new arrivals managed by the Department of Education. It will also attend an audience with the Gyalwa Karmapa, head of the Kagyu sect later today. Ms. Gyari Dolma, the Vice Chairperson of the Assembly of the Tibetan People’s Deputies will call on the delegation this evening. A dinner reception hosted by the Kashag secretariat is also in the schedule.
These annual visits of the US Congressional delegation is an attempt by the Washington based International Campaign for Tibet to help inform key staffers about the problems and challenges faced by the Central Tibetan Administration and the larger exile community.
The delegation leaves Dharamsala tomorrow.