Over the last six decades in exile, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) and the Tibetan people under the leadership of His Holiness the Dalai Lama have been carrying out a non-violent movement to regain their lost freedom and dignity. The Tibetan freedom struggle-based on truth, justice and non-violence and Tibetan people’s dedicated hard work-has generated intense and active interest for Tibet from people of all walks of life internationally. As a result, over the past two decades numerous Tibet Support Groups (TSGs) have been formed around the world, giving a major fillip to the international Tibet support movement. These support groups, formed voluntarily and working in close cooperation with the Tibetan people but independent of CTA, have helped in creating increased awareness about the situation in Tibet and generating an impressive level of world-wide support for Tibet.

Today the support for Tibet has reached a critical stage. The ever-expanding Tibet movement has brought more countries under its influence. In the First Tibet Support Group Meeting in Dharamshala in 1990, there were delegates from 25 countries. Delegates from 56 countries attended the Second Meeting held in Bonn, Germany in 1996. Since then the number of Tibet supporters has increased manifold. A welcome injection of young blood with the founding of the movement of Students for a Free Tibet in the United States in 1994, witnessed an increased participation during the Third Meeting in Berlin, Germany in May 2000 with 283 Tibet supporters attending it.

While delegates from 47 countries, including 12 Chinese participated in the Fourth International Tibet Support Group Conference held in Prague, Czech Republic in October 2003, the Fifth Conference brought the maximum number of delegates of 306, including 13 Chinese from 52 different countries. There were delegates from 57 countries during the Sixth Conference held in Haryana, India in November 2010. The Seventh Conference of Tibet Support Groups was held in Brussels in the heart of European Union in 2016 with 250 participants from 50 countries with a 29 strong participation of Chinese Lawyers, scholars, and human rights activists in its deliberation and regards their engagement as an expression of the growing solidarity between the Chinese people and the Tibetan people. The growing number of support clearly shows the widespread support for Tibet movement worldwide.

The Tibet Support Group movement has become so strategically effective that no government can ignore it any longer. A measure of its effectiveness can be gauged by the reaction of the Beijing government to every Tibet Support Group meeting. Beijing has been making every effort, but without success, to prevent the important and historic meetings of Tibet Support Groups since 1990.

In the official Chinese propaganda, Tibet supporters are routinely referred to and labelled as “hostile western forces” and the Tibet movement as whole is labelled as “splittist movement” backed by “Western imperialist forces.” However, the reality is that the supporters of Tibet are far from hostile to Beijing. The members of Tibet Support Groups belong to a wide diversity of countries, cultural background and ideological denominations. As a matter of fact, Tibet today also enjoys support from a substantial number of Chinese who contribute meaningfully in supporting the cause of Tibet. The common thread that unites these supporters is the common belief that freedom, justice and human dignity are the birthright of every human being.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has said, “it is natural for human beings to feel a sense of compassion and solidarity if they see their fellow human beings suffer.” The Tibet Support Group members have taken upon themselves the universal responsibility of working for the dignity and freedom of Tibetan people.

The interaction of the Tibetan people with the international Tibet supporters over the years has reinforced their Buddhist belief in the spirit of non-violence and forgiveness, even towards China. It has rejuvenated the sense of optimism for the future of Tibet and the world at large. Just as truth and justice must triumph at the end, Tibetan people believe that Tibet will regain its lost freedom sooner rather than later. When such a time comes, Tibetans will remember the consistent and committed contribution of Tibet supporters to the cause of Tibet. Tibetans, too will, under the leadership of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, dedicate their lives and actions to the cause of peace, justice and freedom for all in this world.

Tibetan NGOs based in Dharamsala

• Tibetan Youth Congress
• Tibetan Women’s Association
• Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet (former Tibetan Political Prisoners’ Association)
• Tibetan Centre for Human Rights & Democracy
• National Democratic Party of Tibet

The main functions of the TSG Desk at the Department of Information and International Relations of Central Tibetan Administration based in Dharamshala, North India, are to:

• Inform TSGs about the policies and initiatives of the CTA;
• Inform TSGs about Tibet and the Tibetan communities in exile;
• Interact with members of TSGs, and coordinate their programme during their visit to Dharamshala;
• Act as an observer to the ITSN Steering Committee;
• Facilitate international conferences of TSGs;
• Keep records of campaigns and activities of TSGs, and present annual reports on the state of the worldwide Tibet movement.

Contact Address:

Liaison Officer for TSGs
TSG Desk DIIR,
Central Tibetan Administration
Dharamsala – 176215 H.P.,

India Tel: +91-1892-222457, 222510
Fax: +91-1892-224957
E-mail: tsgdesk[at]tibet.net

International

• Eighth International Tibet Support Groups Conference Report, Dharamshala,2019
• Seventh International Conference of TSGs
• Special International Tibet Support Groups Meeting, 2012
• Sixth International Conference of TSGs, Surajkund, 2010
• Special International TSGs Meeting, Gurgaon, India 2008
• Fifth International Conference of TSGs, Brussels, 2007
• Fourth International Conference of TSGs, Prague, 2003
• Third International Conference of TSGs, Berlin, 2000
• Second International Conference of TSGs, Bonn, 1996
• First International Conference of TSGs, Dharamshala, 1990

Regional

• First Conference of Asian TSGs, Rewari (India), 2002

World Parliamentarians Convention on Tibet (WPCT)

• Seventh WPCT, Riga, 2019
• Sixth WPCT, Ottawa, 2012
• Fifth WPCT, Rome, 2009
• Fourth WPCT, Edinburgh, 2005
• Third WPCT, Washington, D.C., 1997
• Second WPCT, Vilnius, 1995
• First WPCT, New Delhi, 1994

Urgent Appeal to the Tibetan people and Tibet supporters in the USA and Canada

Under the wise guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Middle-Way policy, we have been striving for a genuine autonomous status for all the Tibetan people through negotiations. This policy has been adopted democratically by the Tibetan people in and outside Tibet, as well as by the Assembly of Tibetan People’s Deputies. In order to achieve this, the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama have undertaken five rounds of talks with the concerned officials of the People’s Republic of China since 2002. At present our effort to bring about negotiations has reached at a critical stage of whether we are able to sustain it or not.

Last year the Kashag issued a detailed and unambiguous appeal letter on 3 September 2005, but it had not been as effective as expected. Moreover, Tibetans have staged a strong protest demonstration during President Hu Jintao’s visit to America and Europe, and, as a result, the fifth round of talks was prolonged by three months.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama stated in this year’s 10 March statement “The Kashag of the Central Tibetan Administration has made a number of appeals to Tibetans and our international supporters to work toward the creation of a conducive environment for negotiations. Today, I would like to emphasize that we leave no stone unturned to help the present process of dialogue for the resolution of the Sino-Tibetan problem. I urge all Tibetans to take note of this on the basis of the Kashag’s appeal. I make the same request to Tibet supporters and those sympathetic to the Tibetan people.”

President Hu Jintao will soon pay an official visit to America this month and the Kashag would like to once again strongly appeal with utmost importance and emphasis to all the Tibetans and Tibet Support Groups to refrain from any activities, including staging of protest demonstrations causing embarrassment to him. This appeal is not only to create a conducive atmosphere for negotiations but also not to cause embarrassment and difficulty to His Holiness the Dalai Lama whose visit coincides with President Hu Jintao’s visit to America. If protests are held, this will give the impression that no Tibetan or Tibet Support Group is taking notice of and carrying out His Holiness the Dalai Lama?s instructions issued in the recent 10th March statement.

Therefore, to avoid such things from happening, the Kashag hopes and believes that, unlike last year, all Tibetans and Tibet support groups will respond positively to this appeal at least for this one time, and make a wise choice from a wider perspective.

With warm greetings
3 April 2006
The Kashag
(Translated from Tibetan original)

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Urgent Appeal to the Tibetan people and Tibet supporters in the USA and Canada

Under the noble guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Middle-Way policy, we have been striving for a genuine autonomous status for all the Tibetan people through negotiations. This policy has been adopted democratically by the Tibetan people in and outside Tibet, as well as the Assembly of Tibetan People’s Deputies. In order to achieve this, the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama have undertaken four rounds of talks with the concerned officials of the People’s Republic of China since 2002. Particularly, in the third and fourth round of talks held in Beijing and Berne respectively, both sides were able to clear many doubts, and had the opportunity to provide clarifications and explanations on a number of issues so that a meaningful negotiations can take place. Now that our efforts to bring about negotiations have reached a critical stage, a time has come for all the Tibetan people to employ every possible means to ensure the success of this process without creating any obstacles to it.

Soon after the reestablishment of our contacts in 2002, we have made an appeal for the creation of a conducive environment for our future negotiations, to which most of the Tibetans and Tibet supporters have responded positively. This has helped immensely in the ongoing process of dialogue. We, therefore, would like to thank all of you for your co-operation.

At the same time, as you all know, the President of the People’s Republic of China, Hu Jintao, will soon pay an official visit to the Americas sometime in September this year. We would like to take this opportunity to make an urgent appeal to all the Tibetans and Tibet Support Groups to refrain from any activities, including staging of protest demonstrations, which will cause him embarrassment. This is President Hu Jintao’s first visit to the US as the President of the People’s Republic of China and General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. Moreover of late, China has been showing a keen interest in and positive attitude towards our relations. Therefore, if the Tibetan people can demonstrate a new attitude this time, it will not only help bring about the fifth round of talks, but will also positively impact the future status of our negotiations. Conversely if we cause embarrassment to him, it will certainly have a negative impact on the process of negotiations, particularly on our existing contacts with the Chinese leadership. Therefore, irrespective of whether this is agreeable to the Tibetan people and Tibet supporters, we have dared to make this appeal. We hope that all of you will pay a close attention to this and lend us full co-operation.

Needless to say that the responsibility to work for the cause of Tibet, in general, does not rest upon His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration alone. Every Tibetan has a responsibility towards it. The Kashag has always been appreciative of all those Tibetans who perform their share of responsibilities against all odds.

In recent times, we have made successive appeals not to undertake demonstrations which are potentially violent in nature or any other activities that will cause embarrassment to the Chinese nation and people. These have been misinterpreted by some Tibetans as if one should not carry out any Tibet-related activity at all, or simply remain satisfied by hurling criticisms against the CTA’s position. Anybody, who is genuinely concerned about the Tibetan people and is conscious of his or her responsibilities, can work for the cause of Tibet without going against the principle of non-violence. These include improving the environment for negotiations, creating awareness about the truth of the Tibetan struggle amongst the world community, in particular the Chinese people, and soliciting support from the governments, parliaments, political organizations and the general public in one’s place of residence.

Moreover, there are many other political, social, educational and economic activities, which do not hamper the environment for negotiations. To think that only by staging a violent demonstration will benefit the cause of Tibet is a wrong notion. In short, when a person of intellect initiates any activity, it should certainly benefit the short and long-term goals of that particular activity. Therefore, a careful analysis will make it clear that by simply staging protests which cause embarrassment to a few Chinese leaders, and the short publicity gained from it, will not at all help our cause, including China’s policy on Tibet and the ongoing Sino-Tibetan dialogue.

With warm greetings,

The Kashag
3 September 2005

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Letter for TSGs from Kashag

Dear Friends of Tibet,

In the last two years we have seen some encouraging developments with the release of several prominent Tibetan political prisoners, including Takna Jigme Sangpo, Ngawang Chophel and Ngawang Sangdrol. We have also had our contacts with China renewed last September for the first time in more than a decade. The second delegation is now in China and it is our sincere hope that these contacts will contribute to creating an atmosphere for a substantive negotiation that will restore the dignity of the Tibetan people.

International Tibet supporters have contributed greatly through various campaigns in realizing these developments. In the past Tibet supporters have worked ceaselessly for the release of the young Panchen Lama and other political prisoners. Tibetans remain thankful to all Tibet supporters for your unwavering sympathy, support and your efforts to bring an end to the suffering of the Tibetan people.

However, despite these efforts and developments the young Panchen Lama is still under detention in China and his whereabouts are unknown. One area of deep concern to us is the recent extradition of 18 Tibetans to Tibet. This shocking incident clearly reveals the degree to which China is willing to go to prevent Tibetans escaping from Tibet. Another concern is the execution of Lobsang Dhondup early this year without proper trial. Tulku Tenzin Delek Rinpoche is still languishing in Chinese prison despite his plea of innocence. Scores of Tibetan political prisoners are still in prison.

We, therefore, would like to request you to continue with your campaigns for the release of the young Panchen Lama and Tulku Tenzin Delek Rinpoche. We hope that your efforts will see the early release of these two Tibetan political prisoners.

With my best wishes,

Yours sincerely,

(Singned)
Thupten Lungrig
Kalon for the Departments of Religion & Culture and Education
4 June 2003

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Follow up Message from the Kalon Tripa’s Desk

Dear fellow Tibetans and friends of Tibet,

I am writing in connection with my previous communication, in which I gave you an update on some of the recent developments concerning our efforts to resolve the Tibetan problem with the Chinese leadership. Since then I have received positive feedbacks from many of you. I have also been following the discussions on the Internet, including the concerns some of you have raised. Seeing these as healthy discussions, I chose not to hasten with my clarifications on the issues you had raised.

In all my decisions, I have endeavored to take the greater interests of the Tibetan people into consideration, and have, as far as possible, tried to keep the Tibetan people informed of all the developments. I am, of course, aware of my heavy responsibility as a democratically elected leader of the Tibetan people. And, I have tried to shoulder this responsibility to the best of my ability, even if it sometimes meant making decisions that might not endear me to a section of the community.

For the first time in recent years, there is now a possibility of our efforts moving forward. Taking stock of the situation, I made a commitment to the Tibetan exile parliament that the Tibetan Government-in-Exile would do everything within its means to create an atmosphere that is for early resolution of the Tibetan problem. The parliament endorsed my decision to this effect.

We are fortunate that our movement has gained support from a vast section of the international community.I cherish this outpouring of international solidarity, and have, therefore, taken the first possible opportunity to update our supporters on the recent development and the follow-up action that we intend to take.I have appealed for your cooperation in our efforts to find out if the new development really holds the promise of a negotiated settlement to the Tibetan issue.

I was rather surprised and saddened to discover that some of our friends had misunderstood my appeal and called it a “directive” or “order”, thus creating misgivings in the minds of many people, who had not read my communication carefully.

Almost all of you, international supporters, have been working for the wellbeing of the Tibetan people. Your dedication to our cause is, of course, voluntary. There is absolutely no way I can presume to issue directives or orders to any of you. At the same time, as a legitimate representative of the Tibetan people, I have an obligation to explore all avenues, including appealing for your cooperation, for a peaceful resolution of our problem. If you read my communication more closely, you will realize that my appeal was only one part of the message that dealt with the significant political implication of the recent development and the Tibetan Government-in-Exile?s decision to make the most of the new opportunity.

I believe we should seize the opportunity presented by the recent development. I want to make every effort to promote His Holiness the Dalai Lama?s Middle Way Approach; and we believe that our strategy does contribute toward this. I want to show the international community and the Chinese Government that the Tibetan Government-in-Exile sincerely wishes to find a peaceful solution. As you may have noted, governments of the world have welcomed the recent development, which naturally means we can expect their support and encouragement as well.

I must point out that we are only at the initial stage of the process. It is our hope that the process will culminate in a positive outcome for the Tibetan people. We stand to lose nothing by contributing to the creation of an atmosphere for such an outcome. More importantly, struggle per se, of which public demonstration is but one aspect, is not the goal of our movement. It is only a means to an end. We need to be clear about the roles of the medium and the message, and act accordingly. If the on-going process fails to take us towards our goal, then the Tibetan Government-in-Exile will redouble its efforts to highlight our issue publicly. In such an eventuality, I am sanguine the determination and dedication of the Tibetan people will be there, just as I know that our international supporters will continue their noble endeavors for our cause. However, if the on-going initiatives succeed in bringing dignity and respect for the Tibetan people, each one of you will have contributed significantly toward it.

Samdhong Rinpoche
Kalon Tripa
18 October 2002

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Message from the Kalon Tripa’s Desk

Dear fellow Tibetans and friends of Tibet,

In recent times there have been some positive development in our effort to re-establish contact with the Chinese leadership. As you all know, Special Envoy Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari and Envoy Kelsang Gyaltsen visited Beijing and Lhasa from 9-24 September 2002 and met Chinese leaders and senior officials. On their return, they reported to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Kashag that they had been encouraged by their discussions with the Chinese leadership. This gives us hope that we can open a new chapter in our relationship and start a process of dialogue, leading to negotiations toward resolving the issue of Tibet.

His Holiness welcomed Beijing’s positive gesture in receiving our delegation and was very pleased that the contact has been renewed. He instructed the Kashag and his envoys to make full use of the new opportunity and continue our efforts to advance this process vigorously.

The Kashag reported the latest development to the Assembly of Tibetan People’s Deputies during its recent session. We have informed the Assembly that we will respond to the Chinese gesture by devoting the period till June 2003 towards creating a conducive atmosphere for building on the new contact. I look forward to the cooperation of the Tibetans and friends of Tibet in this endeavour.

In October, Chinese President Jiang Zemin is visiting the United States and Mexico. In the past Tibetans and Tibet supporters throughout the world had used the opportunity of Chinese leaders’ visits to convey their feelings through peaceful rallies and demonstrations. One of the objectives of such actions was to encourage the Chinese leaders to respond to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s initiatives for a negotiated settlement of the Tibetan problem. Now that there is an indication that the Chinese leadership may be willing to start discussing with us, we could use the opportunity of President Jiang’s visit to test China’s response. I want to urge all Tibetans and friends of Tibet to refrain from public actions like rallies and demonstrations during President Jiang’s visit to the United States and Mexico.

This is a crucial time in our nonviolent struggle. It is of utmost importance that the worldwide Tibet movement is able to arrive at a unified position on important issues such as this. It will be a strong gesture for dialogue, nonviolence and reconciliation during a time when the international community is threatened by terrorism, violence and war cries.

Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche
Kalon Tripa
September 30, 2002