(TibetanReview.net, Aug02’19) – A delegation, possibly the largest thus far, from the US Congress is on a two-day visit at Dharamsala beginning Aug 2. The 30-member delegation is led by Congressman David Price and Congressman Vern Buchanan from the House of Democratic Partnership along with their staffers, military escorts, and the staff of the New Delhi embassy, said the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) on its Tibet.net website Aug 1.
The delegation is scheduled to call on the Dalai Lama as well as meet with all sections of the exile Tibetan administration leadership.
The meeting with the Dalai Lama on Aug 3 will be preceded by that with the CTA ministers led by President Lobsang Sangay.
There will also be a meeting, later in the afternoon, with the standing committee members of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile led by the Speaker Mr Pema Jungney and the Deputy Speaker Ven Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok.
The delegation is also to give an evening talk to the officials of the CTA.
CTA called the current US Congressional delegation’s visit to Dharmasala the second significant high-level visit, with the earlier one being the one led by the then House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi who is again the Speaker in May 2017.
Following that visit, a bill was introduced in the House providing for 3,000 immigrant visas for qualified Tibetans residing in India or Nepal “in the 3-fiscal-year period beginning with fiscal year 2017.” It was quickly referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary and then to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security where it has remained ever since.
Last year a delegation led by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) paid a similar visit to Dharamsala in April.
