Sangay hails Taiwanese bill that dissolves Tibetan panel

Dharamsala, Nov 28 (IANS) Tibetan Prime Minister-in-exile Lobsang Sangay on Tuesday hailed a bill passed by the Taiwanese parliament that dissolved nearly a century old ministry-level Mongolian Tibet Affairs Commission (MTAC), saying it was creating misunderstanding between Tibetans and Taiwanese.

"The MTAC has been a sore point and source of misunderstanding between Tibetans and Taiwanese. Personally, I have opposed MTAC since my college days and I am glad to see it shut down," said Sangay in a statement.

Taiwan's Yuan on Tuesday approved the bill to dissolve the MTAC.

Ruling Democratic Progressive Party legislator Lee Chun-yi, also a member of the committee for dissolving the commission, said: "As things change with time, our concerns for issues regarding Mongolia and Tibet should have changed course much earlier. What we should do is protect the Mongolian and Tibetan community in Taiwan and guarantee that Mongolian and Tibetan culture will continue to be respected in Taiwan."

Dating back to the Chinese Empire, the organisation, meant to oversee relations with its Mongolian and Tibetan dominions, was renamed MTAC in 1929 in then Republic of China and continued in Taiwan.

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