DHARAMSHALA: Mr. Tashi Phuntsok, the Secretary of the Department of Information and International Relations, Central Tibetan Administration, met with members of Swedish Tibet Support Group this afternoon.
During the meeting, the Secretary briefed the visiting Tibet supporters about the on-going 9th session of the 15th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile. He also apprised them about the official policies and the organisational structure of the Central Tibetan Administration and the functions of the various departments under it.
“The main goal of the Central Tibetan Administration is to work for the restoration of freedom for Tibetans, look after the welfare of the Tibetans in exile and promote the Tibet issue across the globe,” he said.
He then explained in detail the evolution of Tibetan democracy under the guidance of His Holiness of the Dalai Lama since 1960, which led to the establishment of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). He also spoke about the complete devolution of political authority by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 2011 to fully democratise the Tibetan polity.
“It has not come abruptly, it has not come out of confusion, it has not come out of tension, it has also not come out of internal strives, but it came about through a very phased planned manner,” he exclaimed.
He further spoke about the election and the composition of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile. “The parliament consists of 44 members with 10 representatives each from the three traditional provinces of Tibet, 2 each from the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism and Bon religion, and four from Tibetan communities in North America and Europe,” he said.
The members headed to the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile to witness the ongoing budget session following their meeting with DIIR Secretary.
