Ngwang Norbu (2 nd from left) with Will Huntington, Legislative Assistant of U.S. Congressman Edward J. Markey, and others.

Ngawang Norbu (Far right) with Frank Jannuz, Committee on Foreign Relation of Senator John Kerry, and others.

ITIM Board Visits Senate and Congress

On March 9, 2009, Ngawang Norbu (Board Member, ITIM) visited the U.S. Congress and Senate as part of a large contingency of Tibetans who discussed with government officials the future status of Tibet. Tibetans from all over the United States were on hand to visit their House Representatives and Senators. Norbu met with four different aides to these officials and one actual Congressman. In part, Norbu shared the following message with these individuals:

"The message of the International Tibet Independence Movement on this day is, first, to express our deep gratitude to the U.S. Congress and Senate for the decades of support you have given to Tibetan communities, both those working to preserve the Tibetan identity in exile and those struggling to persevere inside Tibet. Second, we ask you to continue your leadership on Tibet, for both programs and policy, and give Tibetans the hope that they can one day return to Tibet as the rulers of their own country.

On behalf of my fellow Board Members and the supporters of ITIM, I thank you for your vigilance and generosity. We look forward to opportunities to deepen connections between you and your Tibetan American constituents in Massachusetts."

Norbu reported that he and other Tibetans received a very warm welcome and supportive response from all the officials who were visited.