Kalon(Minister) Norzin Dolma and the Working Committee Members of the Japan Parliament Support Group.
By — BT NEWSDESK
Tokyo: Shimomura Hakubun, Chairman of the Japan Parliament Support Group for Tibet, and the standing committee members welcomed Kalon(Minister) Norzin Dolma of the Department of Information & International Relations(DIIR) at the Japan Parliament Lower House building’s meeting hall at Nagatacho on 12 July 2023.
Shimomura Hakubun in his welcome speech expressed pleasure in meeting Kalon Norzin Dolma and informed her of the vibrant support of the parliament members for the Tibet issue. “We have more than a hundred members in the support group and we have been able to get the resolution condemning China for human rights violations and religious suppressions in Tibet, Uyghur, South Mongolia, and Hong Kong passed by the Lower House last year.” He read a part of the resolution urging the Japanese government to monitor human rights in China. He promised full support and expressed great respect for His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his message of peace and non-violence.
Kalon Norzin Dolma greeted and thanked the Chairman and the members for their strong and continued support for His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibet issue. She informed the members of the critical situation in Tibet, where cultural genocide is going on through the sinicisation of Tibetan Buddhism and colonial boarding schools. She briefed the committee about Tibet being the water tower of Asia and how the livelihoods of 1.4 billion people of the riparian states are in great danger. She thanked the lawmakers for their help and guidance and discussed further support in both political and community development initiatives for about an hour.
Watanabe Shu, a lawmaker from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, welcomed Kalon Norzin Dolma and thanked her for the updates on the Tibet issue. He compared Tibet’s situation with North Korea where there is virtually no flow of information and people in and outside the country. He encouraged the dissemination of testimonies worldwide from the few who could escape from the communist regime and make the world aware of what is happening in Tibet.
Kalon further explained the massive surveillance system, monitoring of mobile phones, and collection of DNA samples of Tibetans without their consent. She dwelt on how the number of refugees from Tibet has diminished since 2008 because of strict and restrictive measures adopted by the communist regime.
Representative Dr. Tsewang Gyalpo Arya thanked the lawmakers for their time and updated them on three issues: request statements from the lawmakers on the ongoing repression and cultural genocide going on in Tibet; online registration of the lawmakers in International Network of Parliamentarians on Tibet (INPaT), an initiative from the Tibetan Parliament in Exile and the World Parliamentarians Convention on Tibet (WPCT); and the continued help and support in the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) efforts in logistic and capacity building initiatives in the exile community.
General Secretary of the Japan Parliament Support Group for Tibet, Ishikawa Akimasa, moderated the discussion and informed Kalon that the Japan Parliament Support Group is a non-partisan group with members from almost all the parties. He thanked Kalon Norzin Dolma for her visit to Japan and for addressing the committee members. Urano Yasuto from Japan Innovation Party and Eto Seichi from the Liberal Democratic Party participated in the reception and the discussion.
Kalon presented Tibetan traditional scarves to the lawmakers and a copy of the recently released book “Chibetto No Hanron”, a Japanese version of “Harnessing the Dragon’s Fume” by Representative Dr. T.G. Arya. Chairman Shimomura Hakubun thanked and assured Kalon of the continued support from the lawmakers and wished her a successful tour in Japan.
Tselha of the Office of Tibet Japan accompanied Kalon and Representative to the Parliament building and Maruyama Chieko of the Human Value Institute interpreted for Kaon Norzin Dolma.
-Report filed by the Office of Tibet, Japan
Ishikawa Akimasa, General Secretary of the JPSGT addressing the meeting.
Kalon Norzin Dolma with the Chairman Shimomura Hakubun and others.
Chairman Shimomura Hakubun and G. Secretary Ishikawa with Kalon and Representative.
Kalon Norzin Dolma with interpreter Maruya Chieko.
