Hundreds of the Bay Area’s Tibetan refugees and their supporters rallied in Berkeley and San Francisco this month to commemorate the 52nd anniversary of the peaceful uprising of the Tibetan people against China’s occupation of Tibet.
More than 1,500 Tibetan refugees from India, Nepal and Tibet live in the Bay Area, according to the Tibetan Association of Northern California.
Yangchen Lhamo, 25, has been politically active in the movement since her high school days. She sits on the board of Students for a Free Tibet, a Tibet support group. Lhamo was part of the group that organized monthlong demonstrations that took place in the Bay Area during the Beijing Olympic torch relay in 2008.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, issued a statement in support of the Dalai Lama’s plan to devolve his political authority and give it to the future prime minister of the Tibetan Government in Exile.
He said steps toward selecting a new leader would begin next week.
“Regardless of the outcome as to which candidate will now shoulder the responsibility of navigating our cause, we will need guidance at this crucial juncture in our history. As such, I strongly feel that (the Dalai Lama) should defer his retirement for a period of about a year “… to minimize any chaotic situations,” Tulku-la said.