Reported by Lobsang Gelek for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Tenzin Dickyi. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Penpa Tsering, the Sikyong of India-based exile government, said this month that he has seen indications China may be willing to resume talks on Tibet’s status under Chinese rule, but cautioned more must be done to move ahead.
“We are actually receiving positive signals from the Chinese side on the issue of dialogue,” the Sikyong, or Tibet’s political leader in exile, told RFA in an interview on September 4 marking his first 100 days in office.
“However, I am being cautious, as we need to verify whether these signals are genuine and trustworthy,” Tsering said. “Until we agree on the right strategy for resuming dialogue, there are certain things we need to prepare, and we have already begun to do this,” he said.
Tibet’s struggle has been a national struggle for more than 60 years, Tsering said, adding, “It is difficult to estimate the timeline for resolving this issue. So now, the key question is how we move forward, and we have to reach out to our Chinese counterparts, to begin with.”
Tibet’s Dharamsala, India-based exile government, or Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), has now formed a Permanent Strategy Committee of four members, each from a different department of the CTA, to consider options for moving ahead with talks, Tsering said.
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