By Phurbu Thinley
Dharamsala, August 2: The 14th General Body Meeting (GBM) of the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), the largest non-governmental organisation in the exile Tibetan community, began here this morning at the Tibetan Children’s Village School’s Hermann Gmeiner Hall.
Over 170 members from 47 regional chapters based in Bhutan, India and Nepal, and members representing chapters in United States, Canada and Taiwan are participating in the meeting, which will end on August 8.
The meeting will discuss issues related to organisation’s working objectives, and its future plans and programmes.
TYC president Mr Tsewang Rigzin said Tibetan culture, security of the Dalai Lama, unemployment among Tibetan youth, and the upcoming elections of the Tibetan prime minister and the members of the exile Parliament would be the major issues to be discussed in the meetings.
“During the meeting there will be open, frank and thorough discussions on all aspects of our organisation’s work and its goal of restoring Tibet’s lost independence,” TYC president Mr Tsewang Rigzin told Phayul following the inaugural function.
At the end of the seven-day meeting, the members will elect the organisation’s new executive members.
Elected for a term of three years, the executive body, called the Central Executive Committee (CENTREX), supervises the entire functioning of TYC, provides guidance to the ‘Regional Working Committees’ and represents TYC in all national and international forums.
Unspecified differences have, however, caused rifts within the working of the organisation’s central executive members, both during the previous and current executive body.
Observers say heated exchanges are likely during the week-long meeting over the controversy surrounding the ousting of the Vice President Dhondup Dorjee just few months back.
Apparently for taking unauthorised decisions of his own that disrupted a TYC’s planned hunger strike protest to be held in New York in February this year, the organisation on February 11 issued a letter announcing the sacking of Mr Dhondup. The decision was not supported by two of the remaining nine executive members. The move also faced mixed reaction from public and regional TYC members.
TYC leaders have so far completely refrained from making any comments to media on the issue, but the matter did not stop from surfacing in public discussions and internet forums.
Although officially relieved from his position, Dhondup was, however, seen seated on the stage alongside other executive members during the opening function here this morning. He was seated at the end of a row, and not next to the president as it would have been otherwise.
A TYC insider on condition of anonymity said the remaining part of the opening day would be fully devoted to discussing and clearing the issue.
Rigzin said he was confident that the overall meeting would come to a successful conclusion.
“We are hoping that the members will put all partisan feelings aside to contribute to the larger interest of the organisation’s work towards the cause of Tibet and its people,” Rigzin said.
The GBM, held every three years, is the highest policy making body of the Tibetan Youth Congress and it alone is empowered to amend the organisation’s written Constitution.
The inaugural function this morning opened with a minute-of-silence to pay tribute to Tibetan martyrs.
Deputy speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, Gyari Dolma, was the chief guest of the function. TYC’s former executive members and members of the Tibetan parliament were also present at the function.
During the function, three regional chapters with exceptional contribution to TYC’s work were felicitated with honorary trophies. RTYC of Bylakoppe in South India bagged the best prize trophy. Darjeeling and Shimla RTYCs were given the second and third best contributor’s trophies respectively.
TYC’s “Rangzen” (Freedom) award was dedicated collectively to Tibetan demonstrators of the 2008 anti-China unrest in Tibet. The award was presented to Mr Lhasang Tsering, a veteran Tibetan independence activist and former president of TYC, on their behalf.
The organisation’s “Martyr’s” award, which was received by the Gu-Chu-Sum Movement (Ex-Tibetan Political Prisoner’s Association), was dedicated to those Tibetans who lost their lives in the 2008 unrest.
Widespread unrest against Chinese rule rocked Tibet in 2008. Tibetan government-in-Exile say more than 200 Tibetans died and several more went missing after Chinese government reacted with violent military crackdown on the demonstrators.
The organisation also dedicated its “Social Service” award to Tibetans in Tibet who actively took part in rescue and relief works in Tibet’s Kyegudo (Ch: Yushu County) region after it was hit by a devastating earthquake in April this year.
Founded in 1970, Tibetan Youth Congress is a worldwide Organisation of Tibetans united in common struggle for the restoration of Tibet’s lost independence. It claims over 30,000 registered members and 81 regional chapters worldwide.
Tibet was illegally occupied by China after Communist Chinese troops marched into Tibet in late 1949.
Tibetan spiritual and political leader, the Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 following a failed mass Tibetan uprising against Chinese Communist rule.
