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Tibetans begin historic brain-storming Special Meeting

By Lobsang Wangyal

Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile Samdhong Rinpoche (second right) and Deputy Speaker of Tibetan parliament-in-exile Gyari Dolma (right) leading a procession to bring a portrait of the Dalai Lama to the venue of the Special Meeting of exile Tibetans at the Tibetan Children’s Village School in Dharamshala, India, on 17 November 2008.Tibet Sun/Lobsang Wangyal/India

Around 600 exile Tibetans from around the world gathered in Dharamshala for a special six-day brain-storming session to find ways to fulfill the aspirations of the Tibetan people for a free Tibet.

Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile Samdhong Rinpoche said that the situation in Tibet is serious and the suffering of Tibetans in Tibet is unspeakable since the March anti-China protests this year.

“We must contribute and come together to closely discuss the views of the Tibetan masses on what future action needs to be taken on Tibet,” Rinpoche said.

In the light of the failed talks with the Chinese government, Rinpoche said his government takes full responsibility for the outcome, and that he is not trying to shirk the responsibility of the failure or pass the blame to others. “We don’t have to look for somebody else to blame.”

China rejected a Tibetan proposal for implementing national regional autonomy within their boundaries as enshrined in the Chinese constitution, during the eighth round of talks in Beijing on 4th and 5th of this month.

Rinpoche said China considered the proposal a ‘splittist’ act.

“We were accused of seeking independence in disguise. There was no positive response. Now the time has come for all the Tibetans to discuss their concerns and share opinions,” he said.

In the days leading to the Special Meeting, Tibetans in Dharamshala, held talks, panel discussions, and some closed-door meetings.

The Dalai Lama asked the Tibetan government on 11 September to convene this meeting keeping in view the failed talks with the Chinese government, the unrest in Tibet since March this year and the mounting frustration among Tibetans, particularly the youth.

The Kashag has collected opinions of 17,000 Tibetans inside Tibet. About 8,000 have said they would follow whatever the Dalai Lama decides, around 5,000 have said to adopt independence as the policy, and about 2,000 have said to continue with the Middle Way policy, announced Speaker of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile Karma Choephel during a press conference. However, he refused to say how these opinions had been gathered.

The participants will be divided for discussion into 15 smaller groups of more than 30 members each. Each group will announce their results to the conclave on 21 November, and a final report will be compiled the same day.

Further discussions on the final report will take place on 22 November, after which it will be presented to the Dalai Lama, who in turn may instruct the exile parliament to take futher action.

“Whatever stand may be decided for the future of Tibet, it should have the clear mandate of the people,” Rinpoche said.

He appealed to all the participants to have open and frank discussions.

Copyright © 2008 Tibet Sun

Published in Tibet Sun