Dharamshala: Sikyong Penpa Tsering of the Central Tibetan Administration today inaugurated the 7th Young Tibetan Research Scholar’s Conference organised by the Tibet Policy Institute (TPI). The annual conference is being organised online this year due to the Coronavirus pandemic and will be held from 18-20 August 2021. Click here to view the online conference.
In his inaugural address, Sikyong acclaimed the rising number of Tibetans attaining advanced education in various fields, and attributed the success of Tibetan education to the vision and emphasis placed on education by His Holiness the Dalai Lama from the early days of Tibetan exile.
“It is a proud moment for all Tibetans to see rising number of Tibetans achieving advanced degrees and achievements in education. It is clearly a sign of progress of the Tibetan people. This progress is the fruition of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s long-term vision and efforts. It is also a result of the guidance by Tibetan parents and the hard work of individual student themselves,” Sikyong said.
Sikyong also spoke about the importance of studying Tibetan history and the current situation inside Tibet under China. He said that although there is a rising number of educated Tibetans, there is still a dearth of Tibetan scholars in Tibetan history who can comprehensively set a Tibetan narrative and challenge the false narrative of the Chinese government.
Sikyong particularly urged the scholars to study and focus on the current situation inside Tibet under Chinese occupation, and noted the increasing challenges laid by Chinese government to ascertain the ground situation inside Tibet.
“The crucial need of the moment is understanding the situation inside Tibet. The information flowing out from Tibet has drastically reduced in the last several years due to intense repression and surveillance. On top of that, due to geopolitical reasons, the few lines of communication between people inside and outside Tibet such as WeChat were banned by India and other countries for security reasons. It has become a challenge to monitor the situation inside Tibet now,” Sikyong explained.
“Tibetans escaping into exile has also decreased due to increased surveillance at the borders. Last year only five Tibetans and this year only seven Tibetans were able to escape Chinese occupation. This means that people who can narrate the situation inside Tibet through lived-experience is also decreasing,” Sikyong expressed, and called on the scholars and researchers to use their research skills to study the situation inside Tibet.
Sikyong also urged Tibetans to be cautious of Chinese manipulation to foment conflicts within the Tibetan community in exile, and asked them to pay more attention towards Tibetan charter to understand the concept of rule of law. He further encouraged the scholars as well as the Tibetan public to maintain a holistic approach towards developments within the Tibetan community and not remain trapped in narrow partisan strife.
Dawa Tsering, Director of Tibet Policy Institute, in his introductory remarks spoke about Tibet’s rich tradition of oral and written history. He said that the Tibetan cause is directly related to Tibetan history and explained that only by studying Tibetan history, we can make the case for Tibet convincingly and accurately.
He also welcomed the increasing number of Tibetan scholars and said it is a matter of pride for the entire Tibetan people. He further explained that the conference places extreme importance on the subject and theme of the presentations which is why it welcomed presentations in Tibetan, English or Chinese.
“Our belief is that we need to present our case appropriately and clearly. We need to present in Chinese to a Chinese, in English to an English-speaking audience, or in Tibetan to a Tibetan audience. Our main emphasis is the content of the research, not the medium,” he clarified.
The inaugural session was moderated by Tempa Gyaltsen Zamlha, Deputy Director of Tibet Policy Institute.
A total of thirty-three scholars including Tibetan PhD scholars and PhD candidates from across the world are participating in this year’s conference. The guest speaker is Prof. Ngawang Phuntsok, Professor Emeritus, California State University.
Diverse topics of research will be presented in the conference including subjects like Tibetan woodblock printing, Tibetan sovereignty, the thirteenth Dalai Lama’s modernisation efforts, Tibetan diaspora, Tibetan medicine, etc.