Sydney – Sikyong Penpa Tsering, of the Central Tibetan Administration, concluded his official engagements in Sydney, Australia, on June 19, 2023. He met with several youth organisations and political figures during his visit, and Sikyong stressed the importance of preserving Tibetan culture to Tibetan youth in Sydney.
The President and members of the Sydney Tibetan Association and members of the Tibetan community all extended cordial welcomes to Sikyong Tsering upon his arrival to Sydney, Australia, on June 17, 2023. His official engagements in Sydney began the same day till the noon of June 19, 2023, when he left for the Australian capital city of Canberra. His visit gathered a lot of attention substantially.
He paid his first formal visit while in Sydney to the Weekend Tibetan Language School at the Mackellar Girls' Campus on June 17, 2023, where he addressed the Tibetan community in the Australian state of New South Wales. Sikyong referred to the fact that countries and international communities are becoming aware of the Chinese government's policy of deception, and that this is a good opportunity or time to raise the issue of Tibet on the international stage. Sikyong urged young Tibetans to raise awareness of the Tibet issue according to their abilities.
Sikyong interacted with Tibetan youth and members of the Voluntary Tibet Advocacy Group (V-TAG) in and around Sydney on June 18, 2023. He informed the assembly about the history of Tibet, the formation of the Tibetan plateau and the current critical situation in Tibet. Sikyong advised Tibetan youth to pay attention to Tibetan history by reading as many books on Tibet as possible, and to participate in the Tibet advocacy movement.
Dr Sophie Scamps, an Australian member of parliament, organised a special luncheon on June 18, 2023, at the Royal Motor Yacht Club in New Port, Sydney, to welcome Sikyong Tsering's official visit to Australia.
He also spoke on “Resolution of the Longstanding Sino-Tibet Conflict is Imperative for World Peace” at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) the same day. The talk hosted by the UTS’s Asia Pacific Research Group and the Discipline of Social and Political Sciences. The event was attended by democracy advocates, experts, writers and members of the Sino-Tibetan Friendship Association in Sydney. Sikyong introduced them to Tibet's historic independent status, the Middle Way Approach to resolving the Sino-Tibetan conflict, and the Central Tibetan Administration.
Sikyong was interviewed by Sydney Morning Herald journalist Mathew Knott in the early hours of June 19, 2023. He then gave a speech at the New South Wales State Parliament on "Resistance, Resilience and Democracy in Exile". In collaboration with the Tibet Information Office and the Australian Tibet Council, the event was co-organized by parliamentarians Micheal Regan and James Gryphon.
