Sikyong Penpa Tsering Wraps Up Official Engagements in the Czech Republic with Media Outreach

On 14 October 2026, the concluding day of his official engagements around the Forum 2000 Conference in Prague, Sikyong Penpa Tsering of the Central Tibetan Administration focused his outreach on prominent Czech national media to amplify global awareness of Tibet’s human rights, religious freedom, and geopolitical situation.

The morning commenced with an in-depth television interview with Dana Zlatohlávková of Czech Television (Česká televize), the nation’s public broadcaster, held at the Holiday Inn Prague. During the interview, Sikyong reflected on the enduring moral bond between Václav Havel and His Holiness the Dalai Lama while expressing gratitude to the Czech leadership and public for their steadfast solidarity. He reaffirmed that the reincarnation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama is governed solely by His Holiness and the Gaden Phodrang Trust, condemning Beijing’s attempts to appoint a successor as an absurd political tool and asserting that the next Dalai Lama will be born in a free world. Sikyong also sounded alarms over China’s accelerated assimilation policies under the guise of “Ethnic Unity and Progress” laws—calling them a legal cover for cultural genocide through colonial boarding schools, language suppression, and pervasive surveillance—while reiterating the CTA’s firm commitment to the Middle Way Approach in seeking genuine autonomy and holding onto hope for future dialogue with a sensible Chinese leadership.

Following the broadcast, Sikyong held an extensive media interaction with Magdalena Slezáková from Deník N, one of the Czech Republic’s leading independent daily newspapers. During the interview, Sikyong cautioned that Beijing’s domestic repression in Tibet serves as a blueprint for its global ambitions, urging democratic nations to resist Chinese economic coercion. Drawing on Václav Havel’s legacy and the principle of impermanence, Sikyong described the Chinese Communist Party as a primary enabler of global authoritarianism that exploits Tibet’s fragile ecology and exports surveillance technology. Reaffirming the CTA’s commitment to the Middle Way Approach, he called on world leaders to abandon short-term political complacency, address trade imbalances, and unite to protect democratic freedoms against unchecked Chinese hegemony.

Following the successful completion of his official engagements in Prague, Sikyong headed to Berlin. En route, Sikyong visited Lány Chateau (Zámek Lány), the summer residence of the Czech President, where he was received by Alexandr Neuman, personal secretary to the late former President Václav Havel. In commemoration of what would have been President Havel’s 90th birth anniversary this year, Alexandr guided Sikyong on a tour around the historic residence, reflecting on fond memories and the deep, enduring friendship shared between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and President Václav Havel.

Upon arrival in Berlin, Germany, Sikyong Penpa Tsering was warmly welcomed by representatives and members of the Tibetan Community in Germany. Throughout the day’s proceedings, Sikyong was accompanied by Representative Thinlay Chukki of the Tibet Bureau Geneva, who assisted in coordinating the engagements.