Dharamshala: - The Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), the largest international Tibetan nongovernmental organization has apologized to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, if they had made mistakes in the past.
The TYC is holding its general body meeting from 27th May-1 June in Dharamshala, India and is being attended by over 300 of its members, including guests and representatives from Tibetan NGOs.
Speaking at the event, Tsewang Rigzin, the President of the Tibetan Youth Congress said that "if the TYC had made mistakes by going against His Holiness's thoughts", he apologized from the depths of his heart.
He also paid tribute to the "martyrs of Tibet", to those who have lost their lives protesting Chinese repression and those who are still suffering under the Chinese system, stating that the "courage and strength' they had shown would be the basic route of the Tibetan struggle. He also promised that the TYC would follow His Holiness's guidance and would co-operate with and contribute support to the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA)
Aiming to analyse the functioning of the organization, the general body meeting will also re-evaluate the stance of the Tibetan Youth Congress on various prominent issues, including future activities.
Temdin Tsultrim, a member of the RTYC Paonta Sahib in HP and pro-independence activist said that he had changed his stance after listening to the recent speeches of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who formulated the model. He said that the Middle-way approach was mutually beneficial for both the Tibetans and the Chinese as the Tibetans would get genuine autonomy and China would earn respect and credibility from the international community. He added that he felt that this approach was what was required now and that it guaranteed results.
Dolma Tso, a member of the Toronto regional chapter said that "it was better to close down the TYC" if it changed its independence stance as "there was no need for two movements fighting for the same cause" and that "two movements with two approaches" were required.
She added that the Chinese would be more worried by calls and activism for Tibetan independence and that His Holiness, as a Buddhist teacher would always think for the benefit of "the entire humanity"
The TYC will discuss steps to make their movement more powerful and efficient. Special discussions will also be held on the demands of the more than 100 Tibetans, who have who self immolated protesting Chinese repression since 2009.
Other topics that will be considered are measures to pressure the Chinese authorities to release Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama, who has been missing since 1995 and other Tibetan political prisoners, who have been languishing in Chinese jails and measures to strengthen the democratic structure of the exile administration.
Another important subject will be the measures to counter and prevent threats to His Holiness the Dalai Lama's security from various sources in co-operation with Chinese authorities, including Dogyal followers.
The TYC will step up efforts to preserve the Tibetan language, religion and culture. The meeting will also focus on improving the structure and regulations of the Tibetan Youth Congress, its budget and its relationship with other international organizations.
