Representative Sonam Frasi met with Senator Malcolm Byrne of the Seanad, the Upper House of the Irish Parliament, with other Parliamentarians on 10 May in Dublin.

Senator Malcolm Byrne was the convenor of today’s Irish Parliament (dáil éireann). The meeting was attended by members of parliament (Teachta Dála/TDs) Richard Barrett Boyle from People before Profit Party, Charles Flanagan TD, Chair of Foreign affairs Défense Committee, Irene Dunne from County Louth, Senator Roisin Garvey of Green Party, Tony Dunne, chairman of Tibet Support Group, Ireland.

Representative Sonam Frasi briefed on the current situation in Tibet and provided a detailed explanation of the Middle Way Approach as a possible solution for resolving the Tibet China conflict.

He further explained that Tibet was forcefully annexed by the People’s Liberation Army of Communist China in 1950, which is illegal in international law. Tibet was an independent country whose territories were annexed by force, and it is now an illegally occupied nation requiring international solutions and support. The situation is not an internal matter for China; it requires the international community to play an active role in the peaceful resolution of the Sino-Tibetan conflict.

To amplify Tibet’s voice, he requested the TDs and Senators present to form a core Tibet group in the Irish Parliament. He also asked the Irish Parliament to support the CTA’s Middle Way Approach policy.

The meeting was well received, and Charlie Flanagan, chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, promised to write a representation letter on Tibet to the Irish Foreign Ministry.

Following the meeting, the Representative met with Officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and expressed the deteriorating human rights situation inside Tibet and called for support for Tibet and not to accept the Chinese Mantra of Tibet being a part of China. China has a legitimacy deficit to rule Tibet and requests Ireland not to make any statements to the effect that Tibet was a part of China

Representative Sonam Frasi was accompanied by Tsering Dolma, chairman of the Tibetan community in Ireland and Tony Dunne of the Tibet Support Group of Ireland. The representative concluded his official tour with a meeting with the members of the Tibetan Community in Ireland.

 – Report filed by OOT London