By Phuntsok Yangchen
DHARAMSHALA, August 5: The regional chapter of the Tibetan Youth Congress, Sarah, today held its 8th Edu-Cultural debate at the College for Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarah.
A modest inaugural ceremony of the three day debate was attended by Tenzing Jigme, President of the Tibetan Youth Congress; Tashi Tsering, Director of Amnye Machen Institute; Jamphel Drakpa, Principal of College of Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarah; Claude Arpi, Tibetologist; Sonam Gyaltsen, Tibetan MP and the students of the college.
Addressing at the inaugural ceremony, TYC president Tenzing Jigme said that preservation of religion, culture and language is one of the main objectives of his organization and that it encourages its regional chapters to initiate events to this effect.
“The unique religion, culture and language of Tibet provide Tibetans their identity despite the Chinese government’s repression and ploy to destroy the Tibetan identity through wronged policies and laws. Therefore as a Tibetan, it is very important to preserve our religion, culture and language,” said Jigme.
He further said that the Tibetans must not create rift between the Middle Way Approach and Independence. “Tibetan Youth Congress’s stand of Independence is its right, what we are asserting for is our right and our responsibility. The Middle Way Approach is a policy of the Central Tibetan Administration. Keeping in view the serious political situation under which the Tibetans in Tibet live there is no need for any conflict between a right and a policy. I, as an individual, and the Tibetan Youth Congress respect the Middle Way Approach but I think we must continue to assert for our right.”
Some of the key speakers at the debate are Claude Arpi, Tibetologist; Tri Yungdrung, teacher at Menri Bon monastery; Sherab Woeser, former TYC Centrex member; Tenzin Nyinjey, researcher at the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy; Tenzin Norgay, research fellow at the Tibet Policy Institute; Lobsang Yeshi, Tibetan MP; Rongwo Lobsang Nyendak, Tibetan MP and Sonam Gyaltsen, Tibetan MP.
“Shimla Convention is important in that sense that for the first time Tibetans sat vis-à-vis Chinese and vis-à-vis British India on the same table and they could discuss for a few months all the problems relating to the status of Tibet. Of course later on Chinese refused to ratify the Shimla Convention,” said Claude Arpi.
Fifteen Tibetans from various schools and universities including Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, Varanasi; Sherab Gatsel Lobling; Norling College, Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute and Dzongsar Institute are also attending the debate as observers.
Tenpa Dhargay, President of Sarah regional chapter of Tibetan Youth Congress, said that the annual debate hopes to benefit those who want to study or do a research on a particular subject.“This year marks the 100 year anniversary of the Shimla Convention therefore we kept it as the topic for the debate. Whether it is good or bad, it will be an important part of our history.”
In the year 1914 representatives of Great Britain Sir Henry McMahon, Secretary in the British-India Government, Ivan Chen, Special Commissioner for Foreign Affairs in Shanghai, China, and Lonchen Shatra Paljor Dorje, Prime Minister of Tibet, met in Shimla to draft a tripartite treaty where the governments of Great Britain and China recognized the latter’s suzerainty over Tibet and the autonomy of Outer Tibet guaranteeing to “respect the territorial integrity of Tibet and abstain from interference in the administration of Outer Tibet.
