(TibetanReview.net, May13’24) —The Sikyong (executive head) Mr Penpa Tsering of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) at Dharamshala, India, was on May 10 welcomed in the parliament house of Austria in Vienna for a meeting with members of Austrian People’s Party and the GREENS, reported the ANI news service May 12.
The report said the Sikyong shed light on China’s egregious targeting of Tibetan children, and Buddhist monks, and the relentless assault on Tibetan cultural heritage. It said he underscored two critical concerns: the grave implications of China’s operation of state-controlled boarding schools in Tibet and the urgent need to safeguard Tibetan religious freedom and Buddhist heritage.
He has urged the Austrian lawmakers to recognize Tibet’s historical status as an independent country and to endorse the exile administration’s middle-way approach of seeking autonomy under Chinese sovereignty as a viable solution.
His words were stated to have resonated with the Austrian MP’s, who acknowledged the imperative of sustained international support for Tibetans in their quest for respect for their fundamental rights.
The report said Gudrun Kugler, MP from the Austrian People’s Party and spokesperson for human rights and displaced persons, along with Faika El-Nagashi, MP from the GREENS, joined forces with a delegation from Save Tibet, Austria, and Friends of Tibet, Austria, to reaffirm their commitment to upholding Tibetan human rights.
They were stated to have pledged to amplify the Tibetan cause at various multilateral forums to hold the Chinese government accountable for its transgressions.
Before Vienna, the Tibetan Sikyong visited Rome on May 9 and met with members of the Parliamentary Intergroup Italia Tibet. He extended an invitation to the group, which is led by Senator De Priamo Andrea as its president, to pay a delegation visit to Dharamshala in the near future.
Apart from speaking about the gravity of the current situation in Tibet under Chinese rule, the Sikyong has informed the Austrian MP’s about the CTA’s plans for yearlong celebrations in 2025 to mark His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday as Year of Peace.
Others who attended the meeting were stated to include the intergroup’s Vice President and member of Chamber of Deputies On. Ilenia Malavasi, Senator Terzi di Sant´Agata Giulio (a former Minister for Foreign Affairs), Senator Domenica Spinelli, Mr Claudio Cardelli (President of the Italia Tibet Association), Matteo Angioli (general secretary of Global Committee for the Rule of Law, also representing Radio Radicale), Tseten Lunghini (President of Tibetan community Italy).
This visit followed the Sikyong’s packed itinerary spanning Berlin, Munich (Germany), Innsbruck (Austria), Bolzano, Trento, Milan (Italy), Paris (France), and Zurich (Switzerland) starting Apr 28, said the CTA on its Tibet.net website May 12. The Paris visit included a meeting with President Emanual Macron just days before the latter welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping for his state visit.