During a talk at Hotel Okura in central Tokyo, Japan
Photo: Tibet.net
A delegation of Tibetan parliamentarians has just returned from a visit to Japan where they lobbied for Tibet and drew attention there to the escalating crisis inside Tibet. The visit, which started on July 4, was part of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile’s (CTA) current lobbying campaign which is responding to the present crisis in Tibet and the spate of self-immolations there.
The delegation first met members of the Tibetan community and Japanese Tibet supporters in Tokyo, where they discussed the critical situation prevailing in Tibet, the CTA’s Middle-Way Approach, and the effects of the Chinese Government’s Tibet policy on the people living in Tibet. About 70 people were present and they asked questions on many topics, including the efficacy of the self-immolations, the devolution of political power from His Holiness, the hopes for the new Chinese government and the benefits of the Middle-Way Approach for China. The delegation also met Japanese Buddhist Association members who assured them of their continued support for Tibet.
On July 7 the delegation visited Osaka by invitation of Tibet supporters there. They met current and former members of Parliament as well as Tibet supporters, reporters and researchers, and expressed their gratitude and appreciation for Japan’s consistent support for the Tibet cause. They spoke to around 300 people, telling them about the aims and objectives of their campaign and the Middle-Way Approach, as well as the functioning of the CTA. At the end of the talk a yellow book explaining the CTA’s campaign was distributed, and in a show of support everyone in the audience raised it in the air.
The trip to Osaka was sponsored by the family of Mr Hiraoka Hidinobu who is a follower and admirer of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and also the main sponsor of the Gyumey Monastry in South India. Mr Hiraoka is the founder of the well-known Senapan Kagon private school in Japan where his elder son Hiraoka Koichi is principal. His elder son is also the translator for His Holiness, and his younger son Hiraoka Hiroaki is the president of the Osaka Tibet Support Group.
The delegation attended a celebration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday organised by the Office of Tibet in Japan, and gave an interview to the leading political journal Sapio.
The delegation participants were three members of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile: Bawa Kelsang Gyaltsen, the representative member of Do-Toe Province; Yeshi Dolma, the representative member of Do-Mey Province and Yangchen Dolkar, the representative member of Do-Toe Province.
Print
Email