DHARAMSHALA: Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay of the Central Tibetan Administration today interacted with a group of about 40 Taiwanese students from Taiwan. The talk was co-ordinated by Students for a Free Tibet and Friends of Tibet, two Tibetan non-governmental organisations based in exile.

The Sikyong talked about the Middle Way Policy of the Central Tibetan Administration, Tibetan democratic polity and the wave of self-immolation protests that has swept the Tibetan plateau.

Acknowledging Tibet’s independence historically, Sikyong Dr Sangay said, there is idealism on the one hand and reality on the other. The reality of the current times demands us to be practical about our  approach. And the middle way policy is the most practical and realistic approach to solve the Tibet issue peacefully.

He also highlighted the great sacrifices and efforts made by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the elder generation of Tibetans to create a vibrant democratic polity in exile.

The talk was followed by an interactive question and answer session where the students posed questions ranging from devolution of political authority by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to issues like the role of political parties in Tibetan exile political scenario..

Earlier in the morning, Kalon Dicki Chhoyang of the Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR) also spoke to the students.

Kalon Dicki Chhoyang said that one of the most important functions of DIIR is to reach out to as many Chinese speaking people as possible and educate them about the mutually-beneficial Middle-Way policy of the Central Tibetan Administration.

She also said that the wave of self-immolation protests across Tibet sends a clear signal that there is something fundamentally wrong on the ground, adding that the Chinese government should address the aspirations of the Tibetan people.

The Central Tibetan Administration have repeatedly appealed to Tibetans to refrain from resorting to drastic actions including self-immolations, she said.