Switzerland: The Tibetan Community in Switzerland & Liechtenstein held the Thank You Switzerland event on Saturday as part of Central Tibetan Administration’s yearlong Thank You campaign.
Addressing at the event, Ngodup Dorjee, Representative of the His Holiness the Dalai Lama said, “Switzerland set an example by not only becoming the first western country to welcome Tibetan refugees, but also accepting the country’s first non-European refugees”.
Today, it is estimated that Switzerland hosts more than 7000 Tibetan refugees, making it the largest Tibetan community in Europe.
Several hundreds of Tibetans gathered to thank the people and the government of Switzerland for their hospitality towards Tibetans for the last several decades.
“Soon we shall be in Tibet with His Holiness the Dalai Lama presiding over the Potala Palace, and we shall welcome our Swiss brothers and sisters with open arms in return”, Representative Ngodup Dorjee further added.
Guests of the event included Mario Fehr (Member of the Swiss National Council and Councilor of the Zurich Canton); Elmar Metzger, Gemeinde President of Falwel; Peter Lunginbuhi, Gemeinde President of Ruti and Martin Stockiling, Stadt President of Rapperswil-Jona.
In their addresses, the guests of the event commended the Tibetan community in Switzerland for successfully integrating with the mainstream culture while keeping the Tibetan identity and culture intact.
Students of the Tibetan Sunday Schools of the Switzerland & Liechtenstein also presented Tibetan cultural performances.
-Filed by Tibet Bureau, Geneva