BRUSSELS: On his first visit to European capital since becoming the new political head of the Central Tibetan Administration, Kalon Tripa Dr Lobsang Sangay has thanked the people of Europe for their consistent support to the Tibetan cause.

Dr Sangay arrived in Brussels last Saturday (26 November) for a three-day visit at the invitation of the European Parliament’s Tibet Intergroup. He was scheduled to deliver a key-note speech at the Tibet conference on Genuine Autonomy organised by the European Parliament, meet with leading politicians and parliamentarians, address the Foreign Affairs Committee among other engagements.Kalon Tripa was joined by the speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, Mr Penpa Tsering, Kalon for the Department of Information and International Relations, Ms Dicki Chhoyang and two members of Tibetan Parliament representing Europe, Ven. Thupten Wangchen and Chungdak Koren.On the first day of his visit on 27 November, Kalon Tripa met with the representatives of the Benelux Tibet Support Groups and Belgium based Buddhist centers to convey his appreciation for their consistent support to the Tibetan cause and to inform them of the policy priority of his administration, Ms Rigzin Choedon, an official at the Office of Tibet in Brussels, which is coordinating the visit told TibetNet.Kalon Tripa also briefed them on the recent crisis in Tibet and on the devolution of political authority by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the elected leadership this year, whereby their support would be now even more appreciated.

In her remarks, Kalon Dicki Chhoyang thanked them for having chosen to support the Tibetan cause rather than any other cause and said that it very much touched her.She reminded them of the importance of unifying their strengths and coordinating their actions in order to get the expected impact. She also stressed the importance of involving and working together with the Tibetan community based in their regions.The Tibetan community hosted a luncheon in honour of the Kalon Tripa’s visit. It was attended by all the former board members of the Tibetan Community in Belgium since its inception in 1995. Later in the evening, Kalon Tripa and the Speaker Penpa Tsering met with the Belgium Tibetan community and representatives of The Netherlands Tibetan community. Over 1,000 Tibetans from across Belgium commuted to hotel Radisson in Antwerpen to listen to their democratically elected leaders. The event started with the singing of Tibetan national anthem followed by a minute’s silence in memory of the Tibetans who self-immolated recently.Speaker Penpa Tsering spoke at length on the amendments made to the Charter, the supreme law governing the Tibetan administration in exile, following the devolution of political authority by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the elected leadership, its consequences, implication of Chinese policies in Tibet and the recent wave of self-immolations in Tibet.

Kalon Tripa Dr Lobsang Sangay informed the Tibetans of his recent visit to the US and other European countries where the respective governments and parliamentarians had shown strong sense of concern on the recent crisis in Tibet.  His Holiness the Dalai Lama handed over the political authority to the elected leadership with a certain level of trust and we must strive hard and live up to the expectations of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, said Kalon Tripa.  Dr Sangay further said, the present political leadership led by him is the continuity of the legitimate political leadership of the Tibetan people and that he along with his cabinet is dedicated to work hard in preserving and taking forward the legacies of the older generation.Kalon Tripa also emphasised the importance of education of the younger Tibetans, which he said is the priority policy of his office. Earlier on his arrival in Brussels from Paris on 26 November, Kalon Tripa was received by Envoy Kelsang Gyaltsen, Ms Rigzin Choedon, Office of Tibet, Brussels, president and vice-president of the Tibetan community and representatives of regional Tibetan Youth Congress, Chushi Gangdruk and Chinese-Tibetan Friendship Society.