16th Tibetan Parliament-in-exile commences its 2017-18 budget session

By Lobsang Tenchoe

DHARAMSALA, March 14: The Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile, Khenpo Sonam Tenphel urged the Chinese government to resume peaceful Sino-Tibet negotiation on the issue of Tibet with the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama as he flagged off the budget session for the financial year 2017-2018 of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile earlier today.

“The repressive policy of the Chinese regime in Tibet has brought hell like suffering to the Tibetans in Tibet,” Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel said and urged the Chinese government to resume peaceful Sino-Tibet negotiation on the issue of Tibet with the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in his address to the House.

The Speaker further thanked the Bihar Chief Minister, the Kashag (Tibetan cabinet), members of the organizing committee of the 34th Kalachakra and the sponsors for the successful hosting of the 34th Kalachakra.

The legislators unanimously passed resolutions to express solidarity with the suffering of the Tibetans inside Tibet, to mourn the demise of Tibetan self-immolator Tashi Rabten, 145th reported Tibetan self-immolation, two former parliamentarians, Namgyal Wangdu and Achung Tsering and former Secretary Ngawang Dhondup Narkyid.

The third session of the 16th Tibetan Parliament will commence from March 14- 25. The Tibetan lawmakers will discuss and approve the budget of the Central Tibetan Administration for the year 2017-18.

Foreign delegation including Senator Lisa Singh from Australia, Senators Annick Billon and Andre Gattolin from France, Mr Michel Raison, President of Tibet Group in the French Senate and retired parliamentarian Consiglio Di Nino from Canada and an eight-member delegation from Rainbow for Children, Japan, paid a short visit to the Tibetan Parliamentary session.