ΦΙΛΟΙ ΤΟΥ ΘΙΒΕΤ

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Attends Religious Ceremonies on Tibetan New Year

February 14, 2010
Dharamshala -- His Holiness the Dalai Lama presided over religious

ceremonies at the main Buddhist temple in Dharamshala this morning,

marking Losar or the "Year 2137 of the Iron-Tiger" of Tibetan calender.
Later, His Holiness the Dalai Lama delivered a brief address to

thousands of Tibetans gathered for the ceremony.
His Holiness offered greetings to Tibetans living inside and outside

Tibet and people of the Himalayan region who share same culture and

religion as Tibetans. His Holiness extended his good wishes and

gratitude to the international community for taking interest in and

supporting the just cause of Tibetans.
"Despite facing great problems in Tibet for many years, the Tibetan

people living inside have shown indomitable courage and sincerity in

standing up to the situation," said His Holiness the Dalai Lama. (more…)

Envoy Kelsang Gyaltsen and I, accompanied by two members of our Task Force, Tenzin P. Atisha and Bhuchung K. Tsering,  and Jigmey Passang from the Task Force Secretariat, visited China from January 26 to 31, 2010, for the ninth round of discussions with representatives of the Chinese leadership. This round was held after a gap of 15 months. We returned to Dharamsala on February 1, 2010 and have formally reported today to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Kalon Tripa Samdhong Rinpoche, as well as the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile.

In Beijing, we had a session with Mr. Du Qinglin, Vice Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference as well as Minister of the Central United Front Work Department, on January 30. We had a day-long discussion with Executive Vice Minister Zhu Weiqun and Vice Minister Sithar on January 31, 2010. Mr. Nyima Tsering, a Vice Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region People’s Congress, also participated in these meetings.

We first arrived in Changsha, capital of Hunan Province, on January 26, 2010. Before beginning our programmes there, we formally presented to the Central United Front Work Department, a Note relating to the Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for All Tibetans that we had given during the previous eighth round of dialogue in November 2008. The Note contained seven points that addressed the fundamental issues raised by the Chinese leadership during the eighth round and some constructive suggestions for a way forward in the dialogue process. The seven points include respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity of the PRC, respecting the Constitution of the PRC, respecting the “Three Adherences,” respecting the hierarchy and authority of the Chinese Central Government, Concerns raised by the Central Government on specific competencies referred to the Memorandum, recognising the core issue, and offering His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s cooperation for a mutually beneficial solution. (more…)