Regional U-Tsang community in Belgium celebrated its 5th anniversary on 9 April 2022 with much fanfare in Brugge.

During the anniversary event, Chief Guest Representative Tashi Phuntsok addressed the gathering, saying that with over 40 years of public service, this could be his last speech as the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Brussels. He said that we had progressed so much over the past decades, whether it be in the event organising or preparation of cultural programs, in the presence of Tibetan community leaders while suggesting to pay more focus on the quality of the event than its quantity. He further emphasised standardising and time management in future events and applauded all the community leaders and members for their tireless efforts to make the events successful.

Given the importance of Tibetan customs, Representative urged audiences to preserve the unique Tibetan values and characteristics such as love, compassion, tolerance, and warm-heartedness as His Holiness the Dalai Lama has always promoted throughout the world.

Representative also handed over the certificates to the community’s first executive members issued by the U-Tsang Centre. In addition, young dancers from various cities competed in the cultural events and were presented with a cash prize for their active participation.

Regional U-Tsang community president Tenzin Zomkyi greeted the audience and briefed them about the formation of the community. Secretary Sonam Lhasa presented the past two years’ combined annual report following the president of U-Tsang community. Accountant Tenzin Soepa presented the detailed accounting statements of the financial year 2020 and 2021.

Belgium’s regional U-Tsang community was established in 2016 with the unanimous decision of the U-Tsang people living in Belgium. Each year, the community members kept growing, and currently, it has more than 200 members.