DHARAMSHALA: Forty-two members of the Scottish Parliament signed to support the ‘I Stand with Tibet’ petition on 15 September, according to a press release issued by Mr. Wangpo Tethong and Ven. Thubten Wangchen, members of the 15th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile.

The petition filed by Tibet groups in Europe on the human rights situation inside Tibet, would be presented to the European Parliament and other international bodies in November this year.

Members of the Scottish Parliament who signed the petition include Mr. Alex Salmond, Clare Adamson, Claire Baker, Richard Baker, Neil Bibby, Cameron Buchannan, Roderick Campbell, James Dornan, Linda Fabiani, Mary Fee, Alex Fergusson, John Finnie, Christine Grahame, Rhoda Grant, Iain Gray, Hugh Henry, Cara Hilton, Jim Hume, Alison Johnstone, James Kelly, Bill Kidd, Richard Lyle, Angus MacDonald, Gordon MacDonald, Ken Mackintosh, Mike Mackenzie, John Mason, Joan McAlpine, Liam McArthur, Jamie McGrigor, Stuart McMillan, Anne McTaggart, Margaret Mitchell, Elaine Murray, Dennis Robertson, Alec Rowley, Mike Russell, Tavish Scott, Kevin Stewart, Jean Urquhart, Sandra White and John Wilson.

The Cross Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Tibet (CPG on Tibet) also held an exhibit on Tibet in the Scottish Parliament.

The exhibit’s focus was primarily on the impact of human rights abuses in Tibet and China and to raise this with Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs), bringing also to their attention the reports on the varied human rights issues in Tibet compiled by Dr. Martin Mills, Professor of Tibetan Anthropology at Aberdeen University.

Mr. Alex Salmond, former First minister of Scotland, also expressed that he would be happy to meet with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the future while responding to David Lloyd Hudson and other colleagues on the question of the former First Minister’s inability to meet His Holiness in 2012.