(TibetanReview.net, Sep05’21) – Sikyong Penpa Tsering of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has said Sep 3 that he has been receiving positive signals from China on dialogue towards the resolution of the issue of Tibet but was being cautious on the genuineness of those signals.
He has made the remarks in a wide-ranging interview with the CTA’s Tibet.net website to mark the 100th day of his assumption of office as the executive head of the CTA.
“We are actually receiving positive signals from the Chinese side on the issue of dialogue. However, I am being cautious as we need to verify whether these signals are genuine and trustworthy,” he was quoted as saying.
It was not clear what the nature of those signals were.
However, he has explained that the question of appointing an envoy for the dialogue – who “must work first of all to fulfill the vision … of His Holiness the Dalai Lama” – will depend on the responses from the Chinese government regarding the resumption of the dialogue process.
He has said that for a dialogue to take place, the Chinese government should treat the Tibet issue as a conflict along with other issues like the Uyghur, Mongol, and Hong Kong. “If they have the political will, they can easily resolve it.”
He has made it clear that until the Sino-Tibetan conflict is resolved, “we will continue our efforts as representatives of the Tibetan people inside Tibet to highlight and monitor the situation inside Tibet.” He has vowed to exert our full strength to pressure the Chinese government.
He has said his administration was committed to devising many programs and initiatives that would engage maximum youth participation in the Tibetan freedom movement, taking advantage of the resettlement that has taken place of many Tibetan people in the West.
Also, “from next year, the Offices of Tibet will amplify their efforts to reach out to the host country’s government, Parliament, think tanks, media houses, and Tibet support groups,” he has said.
He has called the inability of the newly elected 17th Tibetan parliament in exile to hold its session a minor hindrance but hoped the oath-taking issue will be resolved swiftly. “The Kashag would also extend its assistance and co-operation in whatever ways it can to resolve the impasse. However, the Kashag won’t interfere without the approval of the stakeholders as it is overstepping the constitutional authority,” he has said.
