Sikyong Penpa Tsering addressing the staff of Central Tibetan Administration, 5 April 2022. Sikyong is accompanied by Chairman of PSC cum Election Commissioner Wangdu Pesur, and Kashag Secretary Tsegyal Dranyi. Photo/Tenzin Phende/CTA

Dharamshala: Sikyong Penpa Tsering of the 16th Kashag addressed the staff of the Central Tibetan Administration in the afternoon of Tuesday, 5 April. The address which took place at Sikyong Hall was attended by the entire staff of the Central Tibetan Administration working at Gangchen Kyishong. The staff based at the settlement offices were advised to watch the address via livestream.

In his address, Sikyong spoke about the 16th Kashag’s objectives and the amendments made to staff rules and regulations in consultation with the Tibetan Public Service Commission. He reaffirmed the Kashag’s firm commitment to resolve Sino-Tibetan conflict through dialogue based on the Middle Way Approach, and emphasised the importance of professionalism, co-ordination, synchronisation and positive work ethics among the staff.

“To resolve the Sino-Tibetan conflict, we need to reach out to the Chinese government. The current political trends and the situation inside China is not inspiring. However, as Buddhists, we are believers in interdependence and causality. Therefore situations can change based on minor incidents and we remain committed to pursue every channels to resume dialogue,” he said. “However, until the Tibet issue is resolved, it is our duty to highlight China’s atrocities in Tibet to the global audience,” he added.

To highlight China’s atrocities in Tibet, he explained that the various departments of the Central Tibetan Administration needs to work in close co-ordination and collaboration with each other. “New arrivals from Tibet has decreased drastically in the last few years. With the decrease in new arrivals, there is a decrease in the flow of information from inside Tibet. Moreover, the ban on apps like WeChat by India have created a stumbling block for exiles to contact Tibetans inside Tibet. China has also intensified its surveillance to stop Tibetans from disseminating information, making it extremely hard and dangerous for Tibetans inside Tibet to send out information,” he said.

“Despite these challenges, we cannot remain idle. We have to exert our every effort to gather information and work in tandem with each other to resolve the Tibet issue. The three main departments that are directly related to the Tibetan political cause are the Department of Security, Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR), and the Kashag Secretariat. The main responsibility of gathering information inside Tibet will be carried out by the Department of Security. The information gathered will then be analysed by the Tibet Policy Institute, and then it will be repackaged by the DIIR for petitions and advocacy campaigns,” Sikyong explained.

Sikyong also spoke about the amendments made to CTA staff guidelines, rules and regulations, and employment benefits. The changes include increasing the official retirement age from 60 to 62, amendments to existing rules on staff allowances and official visits, staff appointment guidelines, gratuity benefits, etc . He also explained that although the provision on extending the retirement for staff has not been repealed, the 16th Kashag doesn’t plan to implement this provision.

Sikyong Penpa Tsering addressing the staff of central Tibetan Administration, 5 April 2022. Photo/Tenzin Phende/CTA

Staff of Central Tibetan Administration. Photo/Tenzin Phende/CTA