Tibetan PM congratulates India

Dharamsala, Aug 15 (IANS) The Tibetan administration in exile here Wednesday congratulated India on its 66th Independence Day and expressed gratitude for the country's support to the Tibetans.

At a function here, Tibetan Prime Minister-in-exile Lobsang Sangay said: "We wish the holy land of India, and the very hospitable and kind host the Indian people, congratulations on India's Independence Day. We wish India shining success in years to come."

The 43-year-old Sangay said: "As a Tibetan, from the civilization and cultural point of view, India and Tibet are very much linked. Geographically also we are very much connected.

"We owe a lot to India and Indian people because our Buddhist civilization came from Tibet and great Indian scholars brought Buddhism to Tibet."

"In the last more than 50 years, the Indian government and people of India have been kind and supportive, for which we are eternally grateful."

Earlier, Sangay raised the Indian tricolour as a gathering of senior CTA officials and sang the national anthem of India.

Some 140,000 Tibetans live in exile, over 100,000 of them in different parts of India. Over six million Tibetans live in Tibet.