Members of the 15th Tibetan Parliament in exile opened with a gathering in Kashag Hall, Dharamsala, to express respect and solidarity with Tibetans inside Tibet.
In his opening speech, Penpa Tsering, Speaker of the Parliament, highlighted the grave situation in Tibet and stated that Tibet needed further attention from world leaders. Mr. Tsering went on to praise individuals and organizations that are engaged in amplifying the voices of those speaking out for change in Tibet, and urged further action to bring more concrete solutions to Tibet's problems.
Speaker Tsering stated that members of parliament must take responsibility for promoting and clarifying the decisions and legislations that have been taken and passed in the Parliament and not continue to take individual stands that deviate from them.
The gathered members of parliament also paid respect to those who have self- immolated in protest against Chinese rule of Tibet by reciting all their names, and passed a solidarity resolution.
The parliament dedicated the entire first day of the session to discussing the situation inside Tibet, and will move on in the remaining 8 day session to completing annual reports.