DHARAMSHALA: Addressing Tibetans in Gangtok in Sikkim on 4 October, Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay said the year 2020 is crucial for the Tibetan movement, as Tibetans at that moment will face major challenges as a result of a great generational shift.

“The year 2020 would mark 70 years since the invasion of Tibet by the People’s Republic of China. At the same time, the generation of Tibetans who have experienced freedom in Tibet before the Chinese invasion would have greatly dwindled,” Sikyong said.

“The next generation of Tibetan leadership inside and outside Tibet has to cope with a crucial and challenging reality. Tibetans living in occupied Tibet will have no personal memories of traditional Tibet, while Tibetans outside Tibet will know only a life lived in exile,” he said.

“So to sustain the movement, it is imperative for the elder generation of Tibetans to pass on their knowledge of Tibet’s history and culture to the younger generation,” he added.

The Sikyong also spoke on the progress made by the 14th Kashag in terms of the international support for the Tibetan cause, Middle Way policy of seeking genuine autonomy for Tibet, and scholarship schemes of the Central Tibetan Administration.

He urged the Tibetans to maintain unity and condemned the baseless allegations of Dolgyal followers against His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

He also visited Namgyal institute of Tibetology at Gangtok.

Meeting the Press and State Officials of Sikkim

Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay yesterday met Ms. Rinchin Ongmo, Chief Secretary of Sikkim, and Tenzin Gelek Rinpoche, Secretary of the Ecclesiastical Affairs Department at Gangtok. During their meeting, Sikyong expressed the Tibetan people’s deep gratitude to the people and government of India, particularly the Sikkim government for their hospitality towards the Tibetan community.

Addressing a ‘meet the press’ event in the afternoon, Sikyong responded to questions posed by the local reporters. The reporters asked Sikyong about various issues facing the Tibetan community including the recently formalised Tibetan Rehabilitation Policy 2014, the economic status of Tibetan community in exile and the Tibetan administration’s expectation from the new Indian government.

Following the press conference, Sikyong met representatives of various Tibetan monasteries in the area and members of ‘Wings of Tibet’ – a network of young Tibetans and Tibet supporters in Gangtok. Sikyong urged the young Tibetans to continue their good work, particularly their effort to preserve the rich Tibetan language and culture from degradation.

Sikyong attended a dinner reception in the evening, jointly hosted by six Tibetan organisations and the Tibetan settlement office of Gangtok.