His Holiness’ London representative concludes Poland visit

Wednesday, 17 January 2007, 12:45 p.m.

Mrs Takla with Mrs Beata Bublewicz, chair of the Polish Parliamentary Group for Tibet, Mr. Jaroslaw Walesa (son of former Polish President Lech Walesa), Ms. Ewa Kedzierska and others at the inaugural function of the Tibet photo exhibition at the Polish Parliament. (Photo: Tsering Tashi, London Office of Tibet)

London: During a three-day visit to Poland last week, upon invitation from the Polish Parliamentary Group for Tibet, the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama for Northern Europe, Kesang Y. Takla, called upon the Polish Parliament Speaker Marek Jurek, officials of the Foreign Office and some key NGOs like the Helsinki Foundation of Human Rights.

Commenting on her meeting with Speaker Jurek, Mrs Takla was quoted by the leading newspaper of Poland, Gazeta Warszawa, as saying that “I was touched by the compassion and understanding with which he expressed his support for the peaceful struggle of Tibetan people for the right to cultivate their culture and religion, as well as human rights.”

The representative based in London–also a Kalon of this Kashag, after her nomination by Kalon Tripa Samdhong Rinpoche was approved by the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile–also opened a photo exhibition, “Tibet, My Love”, at the Polish parliament on 10 June.

Several members of the Polish parliament, including Parliamentarian Jaroslaw Walesa, son of the former Polish President Lech Walesa, were present at the exhibition showcasing photographs of Tibet shot by an ardent Tibet supporter and ace journalist Ewa Kedzierska.

In her report on the day’s event, Ms. Kedzierska writes “The secretary of the Chinese embassy called Mrs. Beata Bublewicz, the chair of the Polish Parliamentary Group for Tibet in the morning, saying that the ‘Exhibition is unfriendly to China’ and requesting for taking off some of the comments under the photos, like those speaking about the ‘Chinese occupation’ or the ‘Black Day’ in reference with 1 October.”

In this visit from 10-12 January, apart from meeting with the Tibetan community, Tibetan Buddhist Centre and Tibetan Medical Clinic based in that country, Mrs Takla also addressed a mixed audience of students and locals at the Warsaw University on the ongoing efforts of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Administration to peacefully resolve the Tibet issue.