Tezu, Arunachal Pradesh: On the second day of his arrival in Tezu, Sikyong Penpa Tsering addressed the Tibetan community before departing for the Miao Choephelling Tibetan settlement.
Sikyong conveyed in his address, His Holiness’ assurance to live for another 10-20 years as per the declaration made during the recently held Tenshug in October. He reminded the gathering that the only way to express gratitude to His Holiness the Dalai Lama was to practically imbibe His Holiness’ teachings and advice.
“As far as political responsibility is concerned, I am firm about my dual commitment to resolving the Sino-Tibetan conflict and alleviating the welfare challenges of Tibetans in the diaspora, ” Sikyong added and pledged Kashag’s firm commitment to strongly abide by the Middle Way Approach as envisioned by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Furthermore, he emphasised Kashag’s disapproval of partiality and favouritism in its governance while firmly establishing transparency and accountability as the fundamental principles of the administration.
Apprising the gathering about some of the political developments brought by his administration, Sikyong spoke about the developments in CTA’s advocacy and lobbying activities, such as the establishment of the Permanent Strategy Committee for the resumption of Sino-Tibetan dialogue and the Voluntary Tibetan Advocacy Group (VTAG) to efficiently provide a platform accessible for every Tibetan around the world to advocate and lobby for Sino-Tibetan conflict.
To the public’s deeper understanding of Tibet’s history, Sikyong suggested they read Michael Van Walt Van Praag’s Tibet Brief 20/20 and the research materials, including testimonials of Prof. Hon-Shiang Lao whose life-long research and analysis depicts a strong rejection of Tibet as part of China.
In conclusion, Sikyong called for concerted efforts to forge national unity and dissuade Tibetans from becoming a tool of China’s propaganda activities. On the previous day, Sikyong visited and interacted with local associations, school, and residents of the five camps under the jurisdiction of the Department of Home, with a key focus on assessing concerns and requirements put forth by them.