Workshop: Today’s Youth, Tomorrow’s Leaders
Friday, 13 June 2008, 4:31 p.m.
 KalonTripa Samdhong Rinpoche (R) addressing Tibetan students on the ‘Status of Sino-Tibetan Dialogue and Future Prospects’ during a workshop being organised by the Tibetan Parliamentary and Policy Research Centre in Gangchen Kyishong, Dharamshala, India, on 13 June 2008. Also seen in the picture is a student acting as the moderator/Sangjey Kep |
Dharamshala: Tibetan students
from schools and colleges across the breadth of India have gathered
here to learn the roots of democratization reforms initiated in the
Tibetan community and role of youth in carrying forward the struggle
for the Tibetan cause.
In its effort to groom and empower today’s Tibetan youth to take on
tomorrow’s leadership, the Tibetan Parliamentary and Policy Research
Centre based in New Delhi has taken the initiative by inviting some
seventy-three students for a week-long workshop.
Addressing the participants this morning, Kalon Tripa Samdhong
Rinpoche said: “The struggle of Tibetan people is not an ethnic
conflict, neither it is aimed to achieve political power by some
individual Tibetans, but to make Tibet a zone of non-violence through
attaining swaraj or self rule by Tibetans.”
 Participantsattending a session on the overview of the development of Tibetan democracy in exile given by Pema Jungney, the former speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile/Photo: Lobsang CHOEDAK |
Kalon Tripa emphasised that the essence of our struggle
is to ensure peace and harmony for the entire humanity, which he said,
is the universal responsibility of the Tibetan people. “It can be
attained only preserving and promoting the essence of ancient Buddhist
traditions of the great Nalanda university, which first flourished in
Tibet,” he added.
He said: “Lots of effort in this regard has been made in the
last six decades to a considerable success and it is need of the hour
that Tibetan posterity should carry forward the endeavour until the
truth prevails over the issue Tibet.”
Out rightly denying the Chinese government’s allegations, Kalon Tripa
said, “Tibetan people as a whole bear no enmity against Chinese
nationalities, since Tibetan and Chinese people have lived as neighbors
since ancient times.”
“In the two thousand year-old recorded history of our peoples,
we have developed friendly relations on the basis of priest-patron
relationship for some six to seven hundred years, which we will
continue to maintain in the years to come,” he added.
 Studentsholding panel discussion on ‘elections in the Tibetan community and the role of youth’ with Chief Election Commissioner Tashi Phuntsok (3rd from right) on 8 June/Photo: Lobsang CHOEDAK |
On the first day of the workshop, students are given
the overview of the development of Tibetan democracy, basic
characteristics and its uniqueness by the former speaker of the Tibetan
Parliament-in-Exile, Pema Jungney.
Tashi Phuntsok, the chief election commissioner spoke on the election processes in the exile Tibetan community.
The chief election commissioner said the right to vote is as
precious as the life of an individual. He underlined the significance
of Tibetan youths to avail their franchise in democratic elections of
Kalon Tripa, members of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, members of the
local assembly and settlement officers.
The students requested to the Election Commission to introduce
internet voting system to ensure maximum participation from youth.
Yesterday, Kesang Yangkyi Takla, Kalon for the Department of
Information and International Relations spoke on the recents events in
Tibet, causes and ramification. She said the peaceful demonstrations in
Tibet is an expression of strong indignation against the repressive
policies of the Chinese government in marginalising Tibetan people in
every aspects of life, hurting their sentiments and denying them
fundamental human rights.
 Deputy Speaker Dolma Gyari (R) speaking on the worldwide Tibet movement and future course of action on 12 June 2008
|
Kalon Takla also said it is very important that all
Tibetans demonstrate a clear and strong gesture of support for the
Middle-Way Approach and on the need to resolve the Tibet issue through
this approach.
The participants also held an interactive discussion on the
functions and future challenges of Tibetan non-governmental
organisations.
Other resource persons were Dolma Gyari, deputy speaker of the
Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, Thubten Lungrig, Kalon for the Department
of Education, Tsegyam, former representative of His Holiness the Dalai
Lama in Taiwan and Chief Planning Officer Dr Kunchok Tsundue.
The participants are from colleges and schools from Chennai,
Bangalore, Kerala, Mangalore, Varanasi, Delhi, Vijaywada, Baroda,
Sarah, Norbulingka, Sherab Gatsel Lobling, Suja, Patlikul, Jammu
Kashmir and London.
The workshop will conclude on 15 June.
