The parliament said that through the white paper published by the Chinese government in November 2023 titled “CPC policies on the governance of Xizang in the new era: approach and achievements’’ it is clear that China was engaged in ongoing efforts to meddle in the recognition of the reincarnation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

The parliament in a statement issued on the 66th anniversary of national uprising day, stated that the fact remains that the systems and procedures by which each of the reincarnations of the lamas in Tibetan Buddhism make their appearances is solely and uniquely a Tibetan religious tradition. “Resolutions, announcements, and other forms of notifications have been issued from across the world, demanding that China desist from making any such interference in this uniquely Tibetan Buddhist religious practice,” the parliament of the exiled Tibetan government said.

Speaker of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile, Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, while reading the statement, said, “To us, the main thing to bear in mind at this time is that we have the heart-warming words directly from the 14th Dalai Lama himself uttered on numerous occasions, saying that all the signs he had have indicated that he will live to be more than 110 years of age. We all should earnestly pray that this will indeed come true.”

“Besides, it is impossible to imagine that any Tibetan or others in the international community would believe the genuineness of a future reincarnation of him who might be installed in a manner that is at variance with the intentions of His Holiness the Dalai Lama himself expressed a statement he made in 2011 specifically on this issue,” the statement added.

This year the 14th Dalai Lama will attain 90 years of age and plans are underway both officially and by the Tibetan civil society to mark this occasion with grand celebrations with a year-long series of events. In keeping with these plans for ushering in the Dalai Lama’s nonagenarian years, preparations have been underway led also by the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile to honour him for his gift of democracy to the Tibetan people and his accomplishments in democratising Tibetan society.