Parliament amends charter to create new seat for Australasia and Asia, rejects creation of Jhonang seats
DHARAMSALA, Mar 31: An amendment to the Tibetan Charter to allow a new parliamentary seat to be created for Tibetans in Australasia and Asia has been made during the Budget Session of the 15th Tibetan Parliament-in-exile which concluded on Mar 28.
The new parliamentary seat will represent Tibetans residing in Australia, New Zealand and Asia (excluding India, Nepal and Bhutan).
The Charter was amended after twenty-nine members of the Tibetan Parliament voted in favour of the creation of the new seat. An amendment to the charter requires the support of two-thirds of the total membership of the House.
Meanwhile the Tibetan Parliament did not approve the creation of two seats representing Jhonang tradition under religious sects as it fell short of the required support with only 17 members voting in its favor.
A group of Tibetan monks belonging to the Jhonang tradition along with several lay Tibetans staged a demonstration outside the Tibetan Parliament on the last day of the budget session of the 15th Tibetan Parliament-in-exile protesting the Parliament’s decision.
The current Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile comprises of 44 members: 10 representatives each from the three traditional provinces of Tibet, 2 each from the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism and Bon religion, and 2 each from Europe and North America.
