By Robin Greenberg
On 21 August afternoon, several members of Friends of Tibet-Wellington welcomed the arrival of Rep. Karma Singey and the delegation of four Tibetan Parliamentarians to Wellington Airport: Ven Khenpo Jamphal Tenzin, Mr Choedak Gyatso, Mr Tenzin Phuntsok Doring, and Ms Tsering Dolma. Following their programme in Australia, they traveled to Aotearoa New Zealand for the first time to participate in the International Parliamentary Assembly hosted by the Asia Pacific Security Innovation Forum (APSI) on 23 August.
The delegation had a fruitful day on 22 August. Friends of Tibet (New Zealand) hosted a lunchtime Public Talk at Rutherford House, Victoria University: “Tibetan Exile – Democracy & Freedom Movement”. The Tibetan Parliamentarians gave an in-depth and inspiring presentations on the history, evolution and workings of the Government-in-Exile, as well as insights into the current situation in Tibet and challenges faced by the Tibetan diaspora. An engaging Q&A session followed. In Karma la’s closing, he paid tribute to our dear founder, the late Thuten Kesang and his extraordinary legacy. We’re thankful to Victoria University of Wellington for providing the lovely venue. Gold-coin donations were collected towards Friends of Tibet (NZ)’s sponsorship of a Tibetan tertiary student in India.
Later that day, the Tibetan delegation was welcomed to Parliament, hosted by MPs Dan Bidois and Ingrid Leary, to present a ‘Tibet Brief’. Other MPs in attendance included Paulo Garcia, Willie Jackson, David Parker, Laura Trask and Helen White.
It’s hoped that the meeting will seed the formation of a new New Zealand Parliamentary Friendship Group for Tibet (a long-held wish by Thuten la). In due course, we’ll be informed of developments and how Friends of Tibet (NZ), the Auckland Tibetan Association and Tibet supporters can get involved to support this.
For more information about the delegation’s visit to Wellington, please see the following link:
