Office of Tibet in London Brings Tibet to Liberal Democrats Party Conference, Wins Best Stand Award – Central Tibetan Administration

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London Tibet Office Brings Tibet to Liberal Democrats Party Conference, Wins Best Stand Award.

London, 24 September 2025: Tibet House Trust (THT), the charitable arm of the Office of Tibet, London, made a vibrant and impactful debut at the Liberal Democrat Party Conference in Bournemouth, drawing attention to Tibet’s struggle for freedom and winning the award for Best Commercial Stand.

From 20 to 23 September, the Tibetan delegation – Representative Tsering Yangkey, Secretary Tenzin Kunga, and THT Secretary-cum-Accountant Tenzin Namkha, supported by volunteers Namgyal Tsering and Namgyal Tarab – welcomed visitors at the Tibet stand inside the Bournemouth International Centre. They engaged with curious visitors, answering questions and sharing Tibet’s story.

The stand was among more than 60 exhibitors at the conference, but it stood out for its striking Tibetan décor displaying a slice of Tibetan culture: a thangka of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, traditional shambu, and colourful prayer flags, alongside banners highlighting His Holiness’ four principal commitments and his latest film, Wisdom of Happiness.

The effort paid off. “As the results of the vote for the best stands were declared by Wendy Chamberlain MP on the last day of the exhibition, we were thrilled when Tibet House Trust received the prize for the best commercial stand!” said an elated Tenzin Namkha.

The presence of the Tibet stand continues the Office of Tibet’s tradition of political outreach at UK party conferences. Its aim this year was to remind delegates of Tibet’s ongoing occupation and the severe human rights violations inflicted on Tibetans by the Chinese Communist regime. Delegates and visitors heard about China’s colonial boarding schools in Tibet, where over one million Tibetan children – some as young as four – are forcibly separated from their families and subjected to cultural and political indoctrination, an issue that has drawn international alarm from UN experts.

The Tibet stand ensured that, beyond the colourful display, delegates and visitors left with a clear understanding of Tibet’s story and the stark realities facing its people today.

The stand also spotlighted the environmental importance of the Tibetan plateau, the source of ten major river systems that sustain nearly one-fifth of the world’s population. Colourful educational displays, along with Free Tibet magazine, postcards, handicrafts, comic books on the Dalai Lama’s life, and information leaflets, were distributed to the more than 150 visitors – including party members, councillors, Peers, MPs, students, journalists, and diplomats from the High Commissions of India and Taipei. Guests were also invited to pen birthday messages for His Holiness the Dalai Lama with many leaving heartfelt birthday messages.

A key request made to Liberal Democrat delegates was to encourage their MPs to join the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Tibet (APPGT) and to raise Tibet in parliamentary discussions.

Lord Mark Pack, President of the Liberal Democrats; Lord Purvis of Tweed; Wera Hobhouse MP (APPGT member), Wendy Chamberlain MP (APPGT member) and Angus Macdonald MP visited the stand. Angus Macdonald MP and the parliamentary staff for Sarah Gibson MP assured that they would consider joining the APPG on Tibet, opening the door to new allies for Tibet. The parliamentarians were honoured with a khata and gifted His Holiness’ new book Voice for the Voiceless and Dr Michael van Walt van Praag’s Tibet Brief 2020.

Beyond the exhibition hall, the Tibet team deepened engagement through other conference events. Secretary Kunga attended a Chinese, East & South East Asian Liberal Democrats (CESEA) fringe meeting, where he connected with Bobby Dean MP and Luke Taylor MP, and also joined a Hong Kong solidarity vigil organised by Liberal Democrat Friends of Hong Kong, opposing China’s transnational repression and controversial mega-embassy plan in London.

The Tibet stand also welcomed former Liberal Democrat MP Richard Younger-Ross, a longstanding Tibet supporter who once noted that “maps and the media all describe Tibet as the ‘Tibet Autonomous Region’ when in reality it is Chinese-occupied Tibet” during a Westminster Hall debate on Tibet in April 2008. He was honoured with a khata and a copy of Beyond Religion in gratitude for his past advocacy.

The Tibetan delegation concluded their participation by attending party leader Sir Ed Davey’s keynote speech on the final day, marking a strong finish to their outreach at the conference.

Reflecting on the success of the visit, Representative Tsering Yangkey said: “We were able to reach out and speak about Tibet to a new audience at the party conference, establish new connections with local councillors, and strengthen friendships with existing Tibet supporters – all of whom were admirers of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.”

For Tibet House Trust, the award was a proud moment. But the true achievement was in making Tibet visible in a space where political conversations about justice, democracy, and freedom take centre stage.

-Report filed by Office of Tibet, London