DHARAMSHALA: Secretary Tashi Phuntsok of the Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR) today spoke to a group of 31 students and six teachers from the reputed Woodstock International School in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand.

The students are in Dharamshala as part of an educational trip, aimed at enriching their understanding of the Tibet issue and the non-violent Tibetan movement led by the Central Tibetan Administration.

In his address, DIIR Secretary Tashi Phuntsok spoke to the students briefly about Tibetan history, contemporary Tibetan politics and the organisational structure of the Central Tibetan Administration vis-a-vis the functions of the various departments under the administration.

He explained in detail the harmony of the three pillars that determine the success of Tibetan democracy, i.e. Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission (Judiciary), Tibetan Parliament (Legislative) and the Kashag (Executive).

The Secretary also spoke about the repressive polices of the Chinese government which makes life difficult for the Tibetans inside Tibet, prompting at least 142 Tibetans to set themselves on fire in protest.

The secretary’s talk was followed by a question/answer session wherein the students posed questions on the functions of the Offices of Tibet, international support for the Tibet issue, UN resolutions on Tibet, etc.

A documentary film – Escape from Tibet – was screened to the students and books and pamphlets on Tibet published by the Department of Information and International Relations were distributed.