DHARAMSHALA, Sept. 19: As the sixth session of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile commenced on Tuesday in Dharamshala by extending solidarity with the Tibetans inside of Tibet with a seven-point official resolution.With the announcement of session commencement by the Speaker, the parliament hall assembled with Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel and Deputy Speaker Dolma Tsering Teykhang of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, Sikyong Penpa Tsering of the Central Tibetan Administration along with his ministerial colleagues (Kalons) as well as the parliamentarians, sang the Tibetan national anthem.
a group of close to 500 Tibetans from the Indian sub-continent and overseas made appeals to the lawmakers to make necessary amendments in the Charter, including one that will allow the appointment of the Chief Justice Commissioner and two judges of the Supreme Justice Commission, the apex judicial body of the Central Tibetan Administration.
The group under the banner of ‘Advocacy of the general public’ stressed the urgency to appoint the Chief Justice Commissioner and two additional justices of the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission to establish a robust judiciary capable of administering oaths for future leadership of the exile Tibetan government. The advocacy group highlighted that this move can play a pivotal role in bringing stability to the parliament.
The advocacy group also called for immediate action to grant the general Tibetan public the right to elect the Members of Parliament from the various religious sects. The appeal asserted that failure to implement this crucial measure would compel them to advocate for the exclusion of MPs from religious sects altogether from the parliament.
An appeal made by the International Jonang Association called for equal rights for various religious sects, and appreciated ongoing efforts by the present Kasang. International Jonang Association has been making such appeals for many years.
Finally, the Speaker ended the address with a call for unity amongst Tibetans and coordinated effort from all in resolving the Sino-Tibetan conflict.