At Royal Global University session, Penpa Tsering links plateau’s ecology and security to Asia’s future, urges youth to speak up on Tibet
Guwahati (Assam), Nov 21: Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) president Sikyong Penpa Tsering on Friday said the global Tibet movement must now focus on bringing China “back to the negotiating table”, even as he warned that the plateau had effectively become the “biggest open-air prison” under Beijing’s control.
Addressing a “Tibet Awareness” session on the theme “Security and Environment” at The Assam Royal Global University here, Tsering described Tibet as the world’s highest plateau and the “rainmaker of Asia” because of its vast glaciers, arguing that what happens there has direct implications for water, climate and security across the region.
“It is important that the world should know what China is doing to Tibet,” he told students, stressing that the international community needed to push for renewed dialogue between Tibetan representatives and the Chinese government.
He framed the issue as both a geopolitical and ecological concern, saying the plateau’s fragile environment and militarisation should worry all of Asia.
Referring to the Dalai Lama’s Middle Way Policy, which seeks genuine autonomy for Tibetans under the framework of the Chinese Constitution, Tsering underlined the movement’s emphasis on non-violence and compassion.
He urged the younger generation to study Tibet’s history and current situation closely and to develop informed views on human rights, environmental protection and peace-building.
The CTA chief said awareness programmes in Indian universities were crucial to widening public discourse on Tibet, especially on the twin challenges of environmental degradation and what Tibetan groups describe as shrinking civil liberties.
He argued that informed youth engagement could help build international support for a negotiated, peaceful solution.
The Tibetan delegation to Royal Global University included Tsering; his personal assistant Tenzin Tashi; India Tibet Coordination Office coordinator Tashi Dekyi; and Tibet TV journalists Lobsang Jigme and Tenzin Chokey.
They were accompanied by Assam-based coordinators Basant Chetia and Bicham Kumar Singh.
Penpa Tsering, who assumed office as CTA president in May 2021, earlier served as the Dalai Lama’s representative at the Office of Tibet in Washington DC, where he worked to build political backing for the Tibetan cause in the United States.
