Exile Tibetan parliament concludes session on subdued note after drama and controversy

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The fourth session of the 16th Tibetan Parliament in Exile opened at Dharamshala on Sep 19 with the main agenda to discuss the annual work reports of the seven departments of the Central Tibetan Administration. (Photo courtesy: tibet.net)
The fourth session of the 16th Tibetan Parliament in Exile opened at Dharamshala on Sep 19 with the main agenda to discuss the annual work reports of the seven departments of the Central Tibetan Administration. (Photo courtesy: tibet.net)

(TibetanReview.net, Sep30, 2017) – Marred by its fair share of drama and controversy, the fourth session of the 16th Tibetan parliament in exile concluded its 10-day meet on Sep 28 with the Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel expressing appreciations for the members’ high-level of discussions and participation.

The main agenda of the session was to discuss the annual work reports of the seven departments of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA).

The session had to be briefly suspended on its third day of Sep 21 due to lack of quorum after several members staged a walkout over an allegation by a fellow-member that the office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama had honoured in April a man, also a fellow-member, who had refused to transfer a Tibetan kindergarten school being run by him to the CTA despite a court ruling having suggested it. The allegation turned out to be wrong, founded on a misunderstanding, and the member in question withdrew all his allegations.

The same member, however, questioned the propriety of the CTA taking recourse to consulting the state oracle Nechung on the basis of what he said were the deity’s questionable credentials, for sectarian reasons, and for the relevance of the practice. The Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje criticized the Kagyu member’s remarks for its divisiveness without naming him or specifying the particularity of his remarks.

There were great deal of discussions on several issues during the session, including especially on the question of instituting a Tibetan women’s or Tibetan women’s uprising day and on the issue of Indian citizenship for Tibetans.

The parliament passed five resolutions of mourning, one on solidarity with Tibetans in Tibet, and one mandating the use of Tibetan language in all official businesses of the CTA.

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