South Africa Inter-Parliamentary Group for Tibet Inaugurated
Monday, 13 February 2006, 11:30 AM
South Africa (office of Tibet): A new parliamentary support group for Tibet called South Africa Inter-Parliamentary Group for Tibet (SAIPGT) was inaugurated in Cape Town on 7 February 2006 with a message from His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
The inaugural function was attended by 30 MPs mostly from the Democratic Alliance (DA), opposition party, and some MPs from the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).
Jampal Chosang, representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in South Africa, read the message of His Holiness at the inaugural function. Mr. Tony Leon, leader of the Democratic Alliance party, and Prince Buthelezi, president of the IFP, also spoke at the function.
IFP is a party with third largest number of MPs in the South African parliament after the ruling party African National Congress (ANC) and the opposition DA.
Dawa Phunkyi, deputed to represent the Assembly of Tibetan People’s Deputies also addressed the function. He was also deputed to inaugurate a new Tibet support group called Tibet-Africa Rainbow Allaince (TARA) in Cape Town.
The members of the SAIPGT will meet in April 2006 to elect its chairperson and plan programme of actions for the year.
(www.tibet.net is the official website of the Central Tibetan Administration.)