Paris: After concluding official engagements in Vienna, Sikyong Penpa Tsering of the Central Tibetan Administration arrived in Paris on 30 November. Sikyong was received with a warm welcome at the airport by Tibetan Parliamentarian Thupten Gyatso; Representative Rigzin Choedon Genkhang, Office of Tibet- Brussels; Paris Coordinator Thupten Tsering and staff of the Bureau du Tibet; President of the Paris Tibetan Association Karma Thinley; and members of the local Tibetan community.

In Paris, Sikyong Penpa Tsering was interviewed by media personnel from different media outlets in Paris, namely Nathanael Charbonnier from Radio France Internationale, Arnaud Vaulerin from Liberation, Jan Van Der Made from Radio France Internationale, Bruno Philip from LeMonde, and the international news channel France 24.

Sikyong also met with representatives of Paris-based Buddhist centres as well as a group of Tibetan youth as part of his official engagements on 1 and 2 December respectively. He talked about the significance of the Tibetan environment, religion, tradition, and language to the latter group while shedding light on how to advocate the Tibetan freedom struggle through participating in the CTA’s V-TAG initiative. 

In the afternoon of 2 December, the democratically elected head of the exile Tibetan community addressed the Tibetan community in Paris about the recent approval of the bipartisan Resolve Tibet Act from the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) and other key issues. He said, “The bill demonstrates how historically implausible the PRC’s assertion that Tibet has always been a part of China is. And, it will authorise the U.S. State Department to counter CPC’s distortions of Tibetan history, culture, and institutions, including the Ganden Phodrang government.” Apart from this, Sikyong’s talk also encapsulated remembering the kind contributions and legacies of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, alarming human rights situations in Tibet, the present Kashag’s political and administrative undertakings, and the vital importance of general Tibetans’ active participation in the resolution of Tibet-China conflict. 

Before wrapping up his official engagement, Sikyong Penpa Tsering visited the Tibetan Weekend School and interacted with the teachers on 3 December.