(TibetanReview.net, Aug31, 2014) – Executive members of eight of the more than 80 worldwide regional chapters of the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), the largest Tibetan voluntary grassroots organization, have found themselves booted out after they failed to overturn the organization’s raison d’être, namely campaigning for Tibet’s independence. However the Regional Tibetan Youth Congresses (RTYC) themselves – namely those of Bangalore, Bylakuppe, Mundgod, Hunsur, Kollegal, Dalhousie, Pandoh and Ladakh – have not been dissolved; they have been left free to elect new executive members. The decision on this issue was taken during the 45th annual meeting of the TYC held at Gangtok, capital of the Indian state of Sikkim, over Aug 11-16, 2014 and announced at a press conference at Dharamshala on Aug 29.
Executives from those eight RTYCs had boycotted the 45th meeting and also quit a special meeting held last year at Dharamshala, demanding a decision to change the organization’s founding goal from Tibet’s full independence to the exile administration’s one of autonomy under Chinese rule while refusing to take part in any discussion of their demand.
The executives from those eight organizations had refused to respond to numerous offers to discuss the issue made during the past one year but instead engaged in what the TYC called divisive and disruptive acts which were immensely detrimental to the organization’s unity and independence struggle. It was noted that the executives from the eight RTYCs had held their own meeting in Mysore last year and passed a 17-point resolution, including a demand that the TYC give up the independence struggle.
At the press conference, TYC President Tenzin Jigme appealed to the eight RTYCs to continue to work for the common cause of Tibet by remaining in the organization and added that the matter will be resolved soon with the election of new board members in some of those regional chapters.