Sikyong Penpa Tsering Addresses Dimapur Tibetan Community Amid Chinese Suppression

As part of the 16th Kashag's commitment to visit every Tibetan settlement in India twice during its tenure, Sikyong Penpa Tsering began the second leg of his official visits to some Tibetan settlements and communities in Northeast India to gain a firsthand understanding of the challenges faced by Tibetans in these regions, assess the effectiveness of existing policies, and engage with local communities.

On 22 January 2025, Sikyong, accompanied by Deputy Secretary Sonam Topgyal and Under Secretary Thinley Umawa from the Department of Home, arrived in Dimapur where he was warmly welcomed by members of the Dimapur Tibetan community and state officials at the airport.

Later that evening, Sikyong addressed the Tibetan community at the community hall, discussing the progress and challenges facing the Tibetan cause internationally, as well as the critical issue of sustaining Tibetan settlements and institutions in exile amid ongoing demographic shifts.

The event began with a recitation of an ode and a dialectical disputation presented by a local Tibetan students in honour of Sikyong’s visit, followed by a briefing on the community’s current status from Pema Wangchuk, the representative of the parents’ committee and the community’s executive advisor.

“As an elected representative of the exiled Tibetan community, it is essential that we constantly visit and engage with every Tibetan settlement and scattered community. This helps maintain the relationship between the Central Tibetan Administration and the general Tibetan populace and strengthens our Tibetan freedom struggle,” Sikyong began in his keynote address.

Highlighting the increasing number of Tibetans leaving their settlements in India, Nepal, and Bhutan in search of a better future, Sikyong emphasised the urgent need to understand the demographics of Tibetan exile communities worldwide. This understanding would help develop actionable strategies to preserve Tibetan cultural and linguistic heritage. Sikyong further spoke about the importance of maintaining the Tibetan language and Buddhism, which have influence not only in Tibet but also in the Himalayan regions and the global Buddhist community. “It is essential that we, as Tibetans, learn Tibetan and study our people’s history,” said Sikyong, urging a stronger commitment to the struggle against the PRC’s ongoing efforts to erase Tibetan identity through assimilation policies and an expanding surveillance state. “The Chinese Communist Party continues to create a George Orwell-esque society in Tibet,” he added, referring to the regime’s increasing control over Tibetans, including the indoctrination of young Tibetans.

Sikyong also discussed the progress and challenges of ongoing Tibetan advocacy initiatives, highlighting key developments such as the recently passed U.S. legislation on Tibet. “To amplify our efforts, it is crucial to build a well-structured administration and strengthen our staff capacity,” said Sikyong and hence, provided updates on Kashag’s initiatives, including the digitisation of Central Tibetan Administration documents, collecting actionable demographic statistics, staff capacity-building programs, and Buddhist digital library projects among others. “Thus far, we have achieved nearly 90 per cent of these initiatives,” Sikyong disclosed.

In the context of seeking a resolution for the Tibet-China conflict through the Middle Way Approach, Sikyong emphasised the importance of navigating global political dynamics skillfully and stressed that unity among Tibetans, irrespective of political perspectives, is essential to advancing the Tibetan people’s pursuit of justice and freedom.

In addition, Sikyong commended the Dimapur Tibetan community for its exemplary self-sufficiency and ability to sustain itself.

The gathering was attended by Wangchen Gonpo, President of the Regional Tibetan Freedom Movement, the office secretary from the Shillong Tibetan Settlement Office, members of the Community Representation Panel, the Polling Official of the Community Representation Panel, and the Tibetan teacher of the community’s informal tuition centre.