NEW YORK: The Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile, Mr Penpa Tsering, concluded his 12-day visit to the United States with a meeting with the Governor of the Vermont State, Mr Peter Shumlin, on 16 December. The two leaders discussed about the critical situation inside Tibet, particularly a wave of tragic self-immolations in Tibet since February 2009.
On his first stopover in Minnesota, Speaker Penpa Tsering met the State legislators Carolyn Laine and Dean Knudsen from Minnesota and Wisconsin respectively at a reception dinner hosted by the Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota on 6 December. He also met Commissioner of Minnesota Department of Human Rights, Mr Kevin Lindsay on 10 December.
The Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota has formally invited the Speaker as the chief guest to their event on 10 December to celebrate the 24th anniversary of the conferment of Nobel Peace Prize to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Apart from Minnesota, the Speaker also addressed the Tibetan community of Chicago, Madison, Washington DC, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Vermont. During his talks, the Speaker stressed the contribution made by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the evolution of Tibetan democracy in exile, and the preservation of Tibetan culture and language. He also underlined the essence of the Middle Way Approach of the Central Tibetan Administration to resolve the issue of Tibet. His public talks were followed by four to six hours of Q&A sessions.
He also briefed the members of Tibetan NGOs on the current issues in Tibet
While he visited Washington DC, the Speaker gave interviews with Radio Free Asia (RFA) and Voice of America (VOA). He also met Carl Gershman, Director of National Endowment for Democracy, and his staff members. He also attended a luncheon meeting with Board members of International Campaign for Tibet and met the newly appointed ICT President, Mr Matteo Mecacci.
In New York, the Speaker visited the Office of Tibet and met with Representative Kaydor Aukatsang and staff members of the office. He also met with Tibet Fund’s President Rinchen Dharlo and Executive Director Lobsang Nyandak.
He left for India on 19 December.
