DHARAMSALA: The 10th session of the 16th Tibetan Parliament-in-exile scheduled to take place from September 16-24 has been postponed until March 2021, it was announced on Monday.
"This decision has been taken considering the rising urgency situation across the world caused by COVID-19 which originated in Wuhan in China," said the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker in a joint statement here.
They said the postponement was in accordance with Article 6 and Clause 2 of Article 49 of the Charter of Tibetans in exile.
"We were bound to take this decision as we have to take responsibility, especially when His Holiness the Dalai Lama resides here in Dharamsala. And even if the session is held supposedly, because of the current international travel ban Tibetan parliamentarians from outside of India will not be able to attend the session and parliamentarians in India too might find it difficult to travel with the ongoing pandemic," Speaker Pema Jungney said.
Even though the September session will not be convened, matters and proceedings related to the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile will execute without any negligence.
As such, the annual reports of the Central Tibetan Administration's main offices as well as of institutions under it for fiscal 2019-2020 is being reviewed by the members of the standing committee and questions raised on the annual reports by the standing committee will be submitted to the respective departments through the Secretariat.
All the departments are required to submit, via email, their precis annual reports and clarification to the questions raised by the standing committee to the parliamentary secretariat before September 20.
The Tibetan exile administration, known as the Central Tibetan Administration and headed by democratically elected Lobsang Sangay, is based in this northern Indian hill town. (IANS)
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