The Dalai Lama offers condolences to north India flood victims, Dharamshala hold

[Ensapa]

Another act of placating India by the Dalai Lama:

The Dalai Lama offers condolences to north India flood victims, Dharamshala holds prayer service
Phayul[Monday, June 24, 2013 22:38]


Exile Tibetans joined by local Indians hold a prayer service for victims of the north India floods at the Tsug-la Khang in Dharamshala on June 24, 2013. (Photo/tibet.net)

DHARAMSHALA, June 24: Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama has expressed his deep condolences to families who have been effected by the devastating rain and floods in the northern Indian state of Uttrakhand and offered monetary contributions to the ongoing relief efforts.

In letters to the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Uttrakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, the Dalai Lama “expressed his deep sadness at the loss of life and property as a result of unprecedented flooding and landslides during heavy monsoon rains in Uttarakhand.”

The Tibetan spiritual leade,r who has just returned from an extended visit to New Zealand and Australia, also offered his “deep condolences to the families who have lost loved ones in this calamity.”

“As a token of sympathy, The Dalai Lama Trust is making contributions to the relief efforts of both the state and central governments,” a statement issued by the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama said on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Tibetan Settlement Office in Dharamshala organised a mass prayer service to pay homage to the victims of the devastating rains and floods in north India earlier today.

Hundreds of Tibetans joined by local Indians gathered at the Tsug-la Khang, the main temple in McLeod Ganj to pay their respects.

Thinley Namgyal, a volunteer at the temple from Sherab Gatsel Lobling School said, "We have a good history with India and we've been living here for so long that surely there's a sense of brotherhood and solidarity with the victims of the flood. We feel a sense of loss as other local Indians have felt."

The flooding is mainly concentrated in Uttrakhand region where over an estimated 800 people have died, along with thousands who remain stranded in remote mountainous areas. The Indian government is desperately responding with the use of makeshift bridges to transport people to safety by road, after the army was forced to halt helicopter rescues, due to thick fog.

It is believed around 34,000 people have been evacuated so far with a further 50,000 remain stranded, with the death toll expected to rise. The floods have come as a result of early monsoon, predicted to be the heaviest rainfall in 60 years.

Last week, the exile Tibetan administration expressed its “deep sadness” over the devastation caused by torrential rain and floods and announced a donation of Rs 3 lakh to the Uttrakhand Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for the flood victims as a “gesture of solidarity.”

[Ensapa]

This is very  good news that the Tibetans are finally giving back to the Indian community

   
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Tibetans in Uttrakhand set up relief camp, Offer prayers
Phayul[Tuesday, June 25, 2013 23:51]


Tibetan monks leading prayers for the victims of the devastating floods in Uttrakhand in the state capital Dehradun.

DHARAMSHALA, June 25: Local Tibetan monasteries and groups have joined ongoing relief efforts in the flood-ravaged state of Uttrakhand in north India.

Tibetan groups and monastic institutions near the state capital of Dehradun have set up a camp to aid relief works at the Dehradun Jolly Grant Airport, which has been serving as the base camp for the ongoing rescue and relief efforts.

The Doon Tibetan community also held a prayer service and lit hundreds of butter lamps to pay homage to those who have become victims of the devastating rain and floods being referred to as the ‘Himalayan Tsunami.’

Monks from the Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug monasteries in the region offered prayers for the deceased and for the safe return of the thousands of people, locals and pilgrims, who have been left stranded in the higher regions of the State after entire stretches of roads were washed away in flood waters.



The camp set up by the local Tibetan groups and monastic institutions is providing basic amenities to thousands who have been rescued as well as to the large number of people involved in the rescue efforts.

“All possible help and food and drinks will be provided by this camp from June 24-26,” the Tibetan monastic institutions said in a release. “Keeping this tragic disaster in mind, we pledge to continue to provide relevant assistance as the situation develops.”


The Dehradun area shelters large communities of exiled Tibetans, most prominently in Dickyiling, Clement Town, Rajpur and Mussoorie, the first residence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama after coming into exile.

In Uttrakhand, over an estimated 800 people have died, along with thousands who remain stranded in remote mountainous areas. The Indian government is desperately responding with the use of makeshift bridges to transport people to safety by road, after the army was forced to halt helicopter rescues, due to inclement weather.

So far, the India army has rescued about 90,000 people from hundreds of villages and small towns. In some areas, entire towns have been flattened by landslides that were followed by floods.

The Dalai Lama has written to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Uttrakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, expressing his condolences to families who have been effected by the devastating rain and floods and also offered monetary contributions to the ongoing relief efforts.

Last week, the exile Tibetan administration in Dharamshala expressed its “deep sadness” over the devastation caused by torrential rain and floods and announced a donation of Rs 3 lakh to the Uttrakhand Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for the flood victims as a “gesture of solidarity.”