Chennai: Parliamentarians Migyur Dorjee and Lobsang Gyatso Sither have successfully concluded their 4 days Tibet Advocacy program in Tamil Nadu from 16th to 19th of August, meeting the dignitaries including the Director-General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center, Regional BJP and Congress leaders and others in Chennai.
On the 16th of August, the parliamentarians began the Tibet Advocacy Program in the state with an interactive session on Tibet with the students from IIT Madras. The session was hosted by Tibetscapes; an independent research collective at IIT Madras, one of the premier higher education institutes in India. The parliamentarians were welcomed by Dr. Sonika Gupta, Associate Professor in Chinese Studies and Global Politics at Department of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai.
The parliamentarians interacted the students on various topics including Introduction to Contemporary Tibet, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Gift of Tibetan Democracy, the support given to Tibetans in exile by the Government of India and on the dire situation inside Tibet.
The parliamentarians also paid a courtesy call on Professor Jyotirmaya Tripathy, the Head of Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at IIT Madras where they discussed future events that this department can hold to bring the story of Tibet to the interested students in IIT.
On the 17th of August, Tibetan parliamentarians met with Shri. Pon. Krishnamurthy, Vice President and Shri. A. Gopanna, Vice President, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee along with State’s General Secretaries and Members of All India Congress Committee at their office. The parliamentarians presented the Vice Presidents with the official momento and the appeal letter from the Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament. The parliamentarians briefed the members on Tibetan issues and stressed on why Tibet matters to India. After the briefing, Shri. Pon. Krishnamurthy spoke to Vasanth media on Tibet.
The parliamentarians in the afternoon met with Shri. V. P. Duraisamy, Vice President, BJP, Tamil Nadu and presented the official momento and the appeal letter from the Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament. After briefing the Vice President on Tibetan issues, he gave assurance of raising this matters directly with the central leadership of the BJP.
On the 18th of August, the parliamentarians Migyur Dorjee and Lobsang Gyatso Sither called on Mr. Richard C. L. Chen, the Director-General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in Chennai. The parliamentarians briefed the Director General and his colleagues, Mr. Dennis M. S. Tsai (Director), Ms. Su-Hsien Cheng (Director), Ms. Angela Tung (Deputy Director) on the current situation inside Tibet and the relation between the Central Tibetan Administration and the Taiwanese government. They also shared the purpose of the parliamentarians’ state advocacy tour. After that, they paid a visit to Men-Tsee-Khang of Chennai branch.
On the 19th of August, the parliamentarians called on the Rev. Dr A. Louis Arockiaraj SJ, Principal, Loyola College, Chennai to thank the college for supporting the hundreds of Tibetan students who have passed out through their college. The parliamentarians thanked the principal with a copy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s book: My land and my people. The parliamentarians were accompanied by Tibet supporters Professor V. Anto and Advocate Arvind during this visit. The parliamentarians also called on Pastor Michael Hubert, a long time Tibet Supporter for his steadfast support towards the Tibet cause and the Tibetan people.
–Reported by Tibetan Parliamentary Secretariat
