Confirming that a “back-channel” between Tibetan representatives of the Dalai Lama and Chinese representatives exists at present, the Central Tibetan Administration’s (CTA) Sikyong (elected leader) said, however, that their talks had not progressed enough to be discussed publicly.
In an interview to The Hindu here at the headquarters of the CTA, Sikyong Penpa Tsering said that the CTA backs the Dalai Lama’s call for the “Middle Way” that demands more autonomy from China, but not independence, a statement that the spiritual leader had repeated to journalists on Monday. To questions about whether he faced challenges from younger members of the Tibetan community who are “restless” about the lack of progress in talks, he said this is something China should consider. While the CTA holds regular elections amongst Tibetan refugee voters in more than 25 countries, they are not recognised as a government-in-exile, and most countries worldwide recognise the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) as a part of China.
