Tibetan Parliament concludes budget session
DHARAMSALA, Mar 22: The seventh session of the 15th Tibetan Parliament-in-exile concluded today after finalising the budget allocation for the fiscal year 2014-2015.
A total amount of INR 189,26,55,572 ($ 31 million approx) was passed by the Parliament on the final day of the session.
The Parliament also observed a minute’s silence in honour of Lobsang Palden, the latest Tibetan self-immolator from restive Ngaba County in Tibet who passed away after setting himself on fire on Mar 16.
In his closing remarks, Speaker Penpa Tsering expressed confidence in the current Kashag led by Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay to resume the Sino-Tibet dialogue which has remained stalled since 2010 after nine rounds of talks between the representatives of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and their Chinese counterparts.
Citing utter frustration over lack of positive response from the Chinese side and deteriorating situation inside Tibet, the special envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen resigned in June, 2012.
“Given the deteriorating situation inside Tibet since 2008 leading to the increasing cases of self-immolations by Tibetans, we are compelled to submit our resignations. Furthermore, the United Front did not respond positively to the Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People presented in 2008 and its Note in 2010. One of the key Chinese interlocutors in the dialogue process even advocated abrogation of minority status as stipulated in the Chinese constitution thereby seeming to remove the basis of autonomy. At this particular time, it is difficult to have substantive dialogue,” stated the two envoys in their resignation letter.
