Prague — President of the Tibetan-government-in-exile, Dr Lobsang Sangay was officially welcomed by the Senate of the Czech Republic, on Tuesday in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic.
Vice-President of the Senate of the Czech Republic Jiří Oberfalzer hosted Dr Lobsang Sangay, the Sikyong (President) of the Tibetan-government-in-exile, officially known as the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), on Tuesday. The President was participating in the Forum 2000 Conference— an initiative with the aim of mapping the progress of globalization and supporting democracy.
The reception was attended by the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Pavel Fischer, Chairman of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee Miroslav Antl and Senator Přemysl Rabas, according to the Sikyong Office.
During their long-hour discussions, which covered a broad range of issues including the Tibetan’s longstanding demand for "genuine autonomy" within the scope of People's Republic of China and their consistent efforts for dialogue based on the Middle Way Policy, the Vice President said he supports CTA’s Middle Way Policy and the demands for meaningful autonomy.
“The talks revealed that Tibetans do not seek independence. Instead by pursuing the ‘Middle Way’ Policy, they seek genuine autonomy. We consider these demands appropriate, legitimate and moreover compliant with the Chinese constitution,” said the Vice-President Oberfalzer.
The Senate Vice President and representatives collectively called on the People’s Republic of China to respect its commitments.
The discussions ensued as the Tibetan President apprised the Vice President on the critical issues related to Tibet; from rampant human rights violations, constant assault on Tibetan Buddhist civilization, Tibetan language and identity over the last 60 years to the reckless developmental policies in Tibet all of which poses irreversible damage to the Tibetan Buddhist civilisation and the fragile ecology of Tibet.
At the end of the meeting, President Dr Sangay invited the Vice-President and other Senate representatives to visit the seat of the Tibetan government in-Exile in Dharamshala, India. The invitation was warmly received by the representatives.
The Tibetan President has been officially hosted by the Senate and the Parliament of the Czech Republic on multiple occasions. Moreover on his last visit in March this year, the President was accorded a grand official reception by the Mayor of Prague Zdeněk Hřib at the Old City Halls, where the Mayor presented him with a symbolic key to city gates.
The Czech Republic not only hosts the largest parliamentary support group on the continent, but also has the largest support for Tibet at the public level.
The Communist-totalitarian regime of China began its invasion of Tibet in 1949, reaching complete occupation of the country in 1959. Since that time, more than 1.2 million people, 20% of the nation's population of six million, have died as a direct result of China's illegal invasion and ruthless occupation. In addition, over 99% of Tibet's six thousand religious monasteries, temples, and shrines, have been looted or decimated resulting in the destruction of hundreds of thousands of sacred Buddhist scriptures.
