Tibet Study Group and TPPRC jointly organised a roundtable discussion on Greater Tibet at India International Centre Annexe, Delhi on 27th August 2009. The main objective of the programme was to clear the confusion surrounding the concept of Greater Tibet arisen due PRC’s propagation and to make the TGiE’s stand known on this subject.
Many eminent speakers such as prof. Samdhong Rinpoche (Kalon Tripa), Prof. Bharat Kanard (CPR), Prof. Jampa Samten (CUTS, Sarnath), Prof. Madhuri Sondhi (Director, ML Sondhi Institute for Asia Pacific Affairs), Col. V.S.Verma (Director, Tibet Study Group) gave a presentation. The program was chaired by Dr.Kapila Vatsyayan (Chairman IIC Asia Project)
The program was started by Mr. Shoban Saxena by giving brief information on the subject and the keynote address was made by Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche. In his speech he stated that the basic aspiration of all the Tibetan people in today’s PRC to have a uniform policy that will enable them to preserve and promote their distinct identity is a right granted by the PRC constitution and relevant statutes. Keeping in view of above-mentioned facts, to make one autonomous administration for all Tibetan autonomous areas is appropriately desirable and easily achievable. For this to happen there is neither any need to make amendments to the Constitution nor any change in policy or political system is needed. It only requires a political will of the leadership. Click Here for complete statement by Prof.Samdhong Rinpoche
Later Col.Verma read out the paper issued by Ethnic Minority Group Development Research Institute of State Council PRC at Beijing. As they want the paper to be read out at this conference but he is not on their behalf, he is just reading the paper send by them. Prof. Jampa Samten from Central University of Tibetan Studies, Sarnath read out his statement on the subject by describing the historical provision of using the word Greater Tibet and later Prof. Bharat Kanard from Centre of Policy Research made his presentation on the subject and shared his experience on his recent visit to Tibet and China. He said genuine autonomy is not the Free Tibet and he once sense what happened in Tibet as this was articulated by the first president of republican China - Sun Yat-Sen and his regime in 1911 in a pamphlet that he wrote or what he called the minority problem. Minorities shall always been in problem in Chinese culture, if you see through out the historiography. In Sun Yat-Sen pamphlet said “to resolve the minority problem, let’s extend the minorityâ€. Prof. Madhuri Sondhi gave her presentation especially on the prospect of future Tibet.
