At Himachal varsity’s peace meet,Tibetan ‘PM’ harps on non-violence

Monday, September 12, 2011

Indian Express

File Photo: Dr. Lobsang Sangay, the Prime Minister of Tibetan government-in-exile . (Tibetoday/Tsering Choney)

The Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile Lobsang Sangay on Sunday said his countrymen were confident that their non-violent way of asserting their rights was the most powerful tool in their efforts to return to their home land.

Addressing the Himachal Pradesh Central University’s International conference on its opening day, Sangay said Tibetans were looking forward to an amicable and peaceful resolution to the Tibet issue. “Tibetans are perusing non-violent way of asserting our rights. What we are seeking is justice and then obviously you have to have development, but I think development cannot substitute justice,” Sangay said.

More than 140 delegates from 11 countries including the USA,Japan and Australia are attending the conference that is being held at Dharamshala in collaboration with the Research Committee on Sociology of Law (RCSL) - -a body established in 1962.The theme of the meet is peace, justice and development.

The Tibetan cause is drawing huge support at the conference with at least three papers slated to presented on the issue. “There is a general relationship to Tibetan issues. Tibetan testimony of practices as a form of non-violent human rights practice is an important focus at the meet ,” said Julie Flatcher, a participant from Australia whose paper focuses on the problem.

Commenting on the conference, Central University Vice-Chancellor Prof Furqan Qamar said, “ The theme of the conference is Peace, Justice and Development and the organisers chose this theme which is relatively unusual for Sociology of Law, particularly keeping in view its relevance to India and Dharamshala being the abode of Tibetan Spiritual leader Dalai Lama”.