Thanedar Joins US Lawmakers In Meeting Dalai Lama In Dharamsala

DHARAMSALA-A high-level bipartisan US Congressional delegation led by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast met Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at his residence here on September 30, following US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The delegation comprised US Representatives James Gallagher, Jimmy Patronis, Haley Stevens and Shri Thanedar.

They were accompanied by Tibetan Prime Minister Penpa Tsering and Jigme Tsering of the New Delhi-based Office of the Dalai Lama.

A senior Central Tibetan Administration functionary said the meeting sent a message that the international community had not forgotten Tibet.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mast said China was among the major issues discussed and expressed concern over what he described as Beijing’s transnational repression.

“The threat from China in terms of transnational repression is far-reaching,” Mast said, alleging that China monitors people and sends personnel to other countries to suppress activities it opposes.

“We believe in freedom and democracy for all of our people. These are fundamental differences between what China represents, what America represents, and what the people of Tibet seek,” he added.

Mast also said the Dalai Lama considered it important for Trump to meet Xi, describing them as leaders of two of the world’s most powerful countries.

He added that such a meeting did not diminish the US delegation’s opposition to repression of people in China, including Tibetans and Uyghurs.

The visit comes amid continuing tensions between Washington and Beijing over a range of issues, including human rights and China’s policies in Tibet and Xinjiang.

Beijing, which considers the Dalai Lama a ‘separatist’, had said it was seriously concerned about the visit of the US lawmakers to Dharamsala.

Voice of Tibet, quoting the 91-year-old Dalai Lama in a post on social media platform X, said the Nobel Peace laureate told the delegation that Tibetans around the world placed “great hopes” in him as they had kept their struggle and traditions alive.

The Dalai Lama has been living in self-imposed exile in India since fleeing his homeland in 1959. (IANS)