By Phuntsok Yangchen
DHARAMSHALA, May 13: The largest Tibetan women’s group of the Tibetan Diaspora today elected its new executive members on the final day of their 11th General Body Meeting here at Sarah.
Dolma Yangchen from Bylakuppee won the election for the post of President, while Tsering Dolma, former Joint-Secretary of TWA, was elected as the Vice-President. Tsering Choezom from Tsering Dhondenling settlement in Dehradun was elected the Secretary of the women’s body.
Three of the five incumbent executive members who were re-elected submitted their resignation citing personal reasons. However, the new executive will decide whether to accept their resignations.
Of the elected 11 new executive members, only six were present at the meeting. The new executives will start its office from June 1.
124 women from 26 different regional chapters attended the TWA’s General Body Meeting where elections for new executive members were held on the last day yesterday.
TWA’s charter allows a candidate to serve in its central office for a maximum of two consecutive terms and is eligible for re-election after a gap of three years.
The GBM, held every three years, is the highest decision making body of TWA and can also amend the association’s working charter. The body also elects a new team of executives to lead the Dharamshala headquarter of TWA, which supports the Tibetan exile government’s position of Middle Way Approach to resolve the issue of Tibet.
The six day meeting passed resolutions including TWA’s initiative for grand 80th birthday (Gyaton) celebration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, security of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, situation inside Tibet and preservation of Tibetan language, among others.
A resolution was also passed to work towards increasing the population of Tibetans as raised by His Holiness the Dalai Lama during his meeting with the participants on the second day of the GBM. TWA will also provide scholarship for every third child of TWA members and for every fifth child of a Tibetan woman.
TWA, headquartered in Dharamshala, is the largest women’s organisation and the second largest NGO in the exile Tibetan community. It claims to have 56 regional chapters and over 17,000 members worldwide, making it the second largest Tibetan NGO, next only to the pro-independence Tibetan Youth Congress.
