17th Tibetan Parliament-in-exile commences its 2023-2024 budget session
DHARAMSALA, March 14: The Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile, Khenpo Sonam Tenphel said that China’s harsh and repressive policies in Tibet are aimed at exterminating the Tibetan culture and religion as he flagged off the budget session for the financial year 2023-2024 of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile earlier today.
“While it is evident that the repressive policy of the Chinese regime in Tibet is aimed at exterminating the rich Tibetan culture and religion, the Chinese Communist leadership should know that resolving the Tibet issue is mutually beneficial for both China and Tibet,” the Speaker said and urged the Chinese government to resume peaceful Sino-Tibet negotiations on the issue of Tibet with the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
The Speaker also applauded the indomitable spirit of the Tibetans inside Tibet in his address to the House and appraised the legislator’s work report for the past six months since the last session of the house.
The legislators unanimously passed resolutions to express solidarity with the suffering of the Tibetans inside Tibet and to mourn the demise of former Tibetan parliamentarian Tulku Lobsang Thupten.
The business for the first day of the house also saw the President of the Central Tibetan Administration Penpa Tsering who is also the Finance Minister, present the 2023-2024 Budget before the parliament.
The fifth session of the 17th Tibetan Parliament will commence from March 15- 25. The Tibetan lawmakers will discuss and approve the budget of the Central Tibetan Administration for the year 2023-2024.
Tibetan Parliament-in-exile consists of 45 members: ten members each from U-Tsang, Do-tod and Do-med, the three traditional provinces of Tibet, two members each from the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism and the traditional Bon faith, two members each from Europe and North America and a member representing Tibetans in Asia and Australasia (excluding India, Nepal and Bhutan)
The TPIE holds its session twice every year with an interval of six months, a budget session in March and a general session in September.
While the Parliament usually opens its session in the morning, the current session began in the afternoon as the lawmakers attended a long-life prayer offering (tenshug) at Tsuglag-Khang, the main temple here in Mcleod Ganj to the His Holiness the Dalai Lama offered by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) on behalf of all Tibetans inside and outside Tibet.
