IN THE SHADOW OF THE HIMALAYAS: THE TIBETAN GOVERNMENT IN EXILE POSITION DOSSIER

Transcription

1 IN THE SHADOW OF THE HIMALAYAS: THE TIBETAN GOVERNMENT IN EXILE POSITION DOSSIER

2 In the Shadow of the Himalayas Representative to the Underrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO): Tenzin Norbu Tenzin Norbu serves as the representative to the UNPO. The UNPO facilitate the voices of nations and peoples worldwide whom are unrepresented in bodies such as the United Nations. Given the pro-democracy nature of the organization and the close working nature the representatives have, Norbu has personal relationships and support from unrecognized states such as Taiwan and Kurdistan. Other formerly unrepresented nations like Georgia and Armenia are typically willing to petition the UN on behalf of currently underrepresented nations. Additionally, as a resident of Brussel, Belgium, Norbu serves as the de facto leader of the Tibetan community in Belgium. Representative to the Indian Government: Dawa Bhutia As the primary contact between the CTA and officials in the Indian government, Dawa Bhutia is a very influential character. He remains an integral piece in ensuring the continuity of the relationship between India and Tibet. Given his constant attendance at government events and fondness for a laugh, he has grown close to several staunch Anti-Chinese government officials in a number of branches in the Indian government. This has, in the past, given him insight into the actions of the Indian government prior to it being made public. Ministry of Home, Director of Agricultural Development: Rigzin Aukatsang The Ministry of Home is perhaps the largest department within the CTA, and oversees the widest array of programs, and as such is divided into two primary departments. The agriculture of Tibet and the CTA is largely subsistence, and with the temperamental weather of the region is often unreliable which leads to frequent food shortages. The CTA has recently placed a newfound emphasis on the advancement of agriculture within Tibet and Auktsang is the individual leading this charge. In this role he is responsible for acquiring resources and materials for agricultural production, building agricultural infrastructure, and gaining favorable contracts as the CTA moves to an agricultural system capable of producing excess foodstuffs. Aukatsang is close friends with the Hindustan Unilever CEO, Sanjiva Mehta, and met as business students during their time at university. Ministry of Home, Director of Welfare Division: Pemba Gyaktsen The Ministry of Home is perhaps the largest department within the CTA, and oversees the widest array of programs. Because of this, it is divided into two primary departments the Welfare Division and Agricultural Development. The Director of the Welfare Division is essentially responsible for the elimination of poverty within the Tibetan people. In this capacity he serves three primary groups; impoverished elders, impoverished children, and those seeking to receive micro capital loans to start their own business. Gyaktsen serves as the head administrator for fourteen Old Persons Homes which provide proper living conditions for those past the retirement age. Additionally, he works to provide vocational study programs to young Tibetans to aid in employment chances, and is the head evaluator of all small business loan applications made by Tibetans within Tibet and India. Minister for Culture: Karma Gelek Yuthok The Minister for Culture is the authority of the CTA tasked with the preservation of non-religious cultural traditions and artifacts. He oversees the smuggling of Tibetan artifacts out of Tibet to be kept safe at CTA headquarters in Northern India, and then to be rented out by museums around the world. Yuthok has especially strong contacts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the Newark Museum. Additionally, he has well-hidden smuggling networks and smugglers under his purview. However, as the Chinese crack down on Tibetan resistance, he has to be more careful than ever lest they shut down all the 2

3 The Tibetan Government in Exile routes in and out of the country. He is also charged with the organization of traditional Tibetan ceremonies for the CTA and the Tibetan diaspora in India. Minister for International Relations: Nyima Yeshi Despite not being recognized as a legitimate autonomous country the Minister of International Relations plays an important part in the campaign for an independent Tibet. Yeshi has extensive experience traveling around the world in order to protest for the better treatment of Tibetans and to plead for Tibetan autonomy. During her tenure as minister, the conflict over the South China Sea has grown in intensity. As a result, she has established close relations with Japan s Akie Abe and Vietnam s Madam Nguyễn Thị Hiền. The three women met in Macao at a convention on the growing role of women in Asian politics. Since her first meeting with Abe and Nguyen, she has supplemented her role as Minister for International Relations by becoming an activist for gender equality in the region. Minister for Education: Kalon Dr Pema Yangchen The Minister of Education plays an integral role in ensuring the continuity of Tibetan history and language among the youngest generation of Tibetans in the diaspora. Dr. Yangchen oversees all of the schools under the mandate of the CTA, as well as approving and distributing teachings for Tibetan children all around the world. As the foremost representative of the Tibetan language, Dr. Yangchen has established contacts in organizations such as the Endangered Language Alliance and Endangered Language Fund as they closely monitor the state of the Tibetan language. The one facet of the education system that Dr. Yangchen does not control is that of vocational education for Tibetans struggling to find gainful employment. Spiritual Leader of the Bön: Lungtok Tenpa i Nyima Lungtok Nyima is the recognized Spiritual Leader of the Bön given his position as the Abbot of the Menri Monastery. As the de facto leader of the Bön faith, Nyima has purview over the approximately 250 remaining Bön monasteries, convents, and hermitage, and around 15,000 followers. As the spiritual leader of the Bon, Nyima is the final spiritual interpreter of the faith and makes decisions and judgements on all discrepancies within practitioners of the faith and matters of interpretation of the faith. Nyima lives a life of relative solitude, tucked away from the public eye as part of practicing his faith, and rarely meets with persons other than this council and faithful followers. Nyima does however travel frequently throughout Greater Tibet when possible visiting practitioners of the faith from Pakistan to Burma and everywhere in between. Minister of the Tibetan Diaspora: Dorjee Alsaif The Minister of the Tibetan Diaspora serves as the unifying and coordinating force for the tens of thousands of Tibetans spread around the world. Alsaif travels around the world from Nepal to Canada and works with individual communities of Tibetans. He is responsible for both coordinating Tibetan diaspora fiscal contributions to the CTA and meeting the needs of Tibetans in diaspora when possible. He also maintains the so-called Tibet Offices. These offices are embassies of the CTA offices of culture and information They are based in New Delhi, Geneva, Tokyo, London, Canberra, Paris, Moscow, Pretoria, and Taipei. Representative to the United States: Kunchok Samdup Kunchok Samdup was one of the first exiled Tibetans to immigrate to the United States following the Chinese conquering of Tibet. As a young boy, along with his parents, he settled in Virginia right outside of Washington D.C.. Samdup later attended Georgetown University receiving both his undergraduate degree and masters degree in International Relations. As a student there, he gained a multitude of invaluable contacts within the State Department of the U.S. government. These contacts led to his appointment as the 3

4 In the Shadow of the Himalayas Representative of the CTA to the U.S.. In this role, he pleads the Tibetan case and negotiates with the state department on their foreign policy. Samdup had considerable luck establishing relations with senior officials in the Obama administration, including Obama himself, however, under the Trump administration he has struggled to connect with the most elite political figures. Bhikkhu of the Drepung Monastery: Hussam Dhundup As the bhikkhu (a Theravadu Bhuddist Monk) of the Drepung Monastery, Hussum Dhundup is the foremost expert on Tibetan Buddhism and leader of the single largest Tibetan monastery in the world. Hussum Dhundup has the responsibility of continuing the ancient line of monks at Drepung and growing the number of young Tibetan monks within the monastery and region. As bhikkhu, he leads the 300 remaining monks at the monastery. These monks opted to stay in the face of increasing Chinese crackdown and are fiercely loyal to their beloved leader. Dhundup commands these monks, who will go to many lengths for him, but would do well to create a larger force of monks that work under his behest. Minister for Security: Phagpa Tsering Labrang Despite serving as the Minister of Security for an occupied region with no standing army, Phagpa Labrang is a hugely important member of the CTA. Prior to being appointed Minister for Security, Labrang, an Australian citizen by birth, worked as an intelligence analyst in the Australian Secret Intelligence Service where he specifically monitored and reported on Chinese actions in Southeast Asia. Labrang has two primary responsibilities. First, he coordinates the security force that travels with the Dalai Lama wherever he goes and is responsible for his protection at large. Second, Labrang is responsible for protecting the security and integrity of the CTA by ensuring that there is no undue Chinese influence over the decisions or actions of the CTA.With the permission of the council, he specifically may monitor the communications of any other CTA government official including council members. As a peaceful and typically pacifist people, Labrang is fervently opposed to the creation of an Independent Tibetan Army. Minister of Health: Kalon Choekyong Wangchuk Kalon Wangchuk has been involved in the Tibetan cause since 1991 and been a member of the CTA since 1995 with his election to the Tibetan Youth Congress. Prior to his appointment as Minister of Health he received a masters degree in Healthcare and Hospital Administration at the Institute for Clinical Research India. Now as Minister of Health, Wangchuk has a wide variety of responsibilities. His overall responsibility is to help combat many of the health and wellness problems that are typically prevalent in third world countries, including malnutrition, mental illness, infectious diseases, among others. Wangchuk is the head administrator for the seven hospitals and four Primary Health Centers that are operated by the CTA throughout various locations in Northern India and Nepal, including one in Doon Valley. These centers practice both Western and traditional Tibetan medicine and Wanchuk is responsible for regulating the integration of the two, as well as establishing proper procedure for the administering of medicine. In addition to running healthcare facilities owned by the CTA, he also runs the Ngoenga School for Tibetan Children with Special Needs and is responsible for overseeing both the staff and approximately the 50 students. Minister of Finance: Kalon Karma Yeshi The Minister of the Finance serves as the accountant for the coffers of the CTA, and as such, must be informed of and approve all spending by officials of the CTA, unless a vote by the council is held. Karma Yeshi was a controversial choice for Minister of Finance, as he has little formal experience in finance or accounting despite receiving an education at the University of Toronto. His father is a rich businessman, who made millions through his development of software for various companies, and rumors are swirling 4

5 The Tibetan Government in Exile that his father bought him this job. Prior to being appointed Minister of Finance Yeshi worked for his father in Silicon Valley, and despite the rumored nepotism is known for being an intelligent computer programmer, and solid financial analyst. Head General Counsel: Tsering Drakthonpa Tsering Drakthonpa is the lead attorney for the CTA having received his degree in law formally from the KIIT School of Law in India, where he began his career practicing human rights law for the National Human Rights Commission of India. As Head General Counsel, Drakthonpa oversees all lawsuits brought against the CTA both from international actors and domestically within India. Perhaps more importantly, Drankthonpa is the chief mediator in disputes within both the CTA and the Tibetan Diaspora. Thusly in this role, Drakthonpa serves as chief justice of all internal disputes, this gives him the authority to make judgements on and initiate trial proceedings against individuals within the government in exile. Drakthonpa as head general counsel has established strong relations with the Himachal Pradesh Police, and is good friends with the Director General of Police, Mr. S.R. Mardi. Head NGO Liaison: Khandro Trungpa Khandro Trugpa is the primary contact between the executive of the CTA and the numerous pro-tibet Non- Governmental Organizations. These NGOs include the likes of the International Campaign for Tibet, Free Tibet, and the Tibet Fund amongst others. As the head liaison of the CTA to these organizations, Trungpa petitions these NGO s on behalf of the CTA for funding, and typically guides the various pro-tibet organization on what initiatives are most needed. As a regular at non-profit events, Trungpa has contacts from around the world in a breadth of diverse non-profit organizations. Additionally he is responsible for drumming up support from NGO s around the globe to coordinate monetary donations, supplies, and protests to other national government. Chief Media Officer: Dawa Yangdon Dawa Yangdon has always had a distinct interest in radio and has been the editor in chief of The Voice of Tibet radio news show in His time in radio news has gained him many contacts within Vividh Bharati of All India News, which is one of the largest nationally syndicated radio programs in India. While still producing the Voice of Tibet, he has been approached to serve as the Chief Media Officer. Dr. Lobsong Sangay has personally instructed Yangdon to begin the creation of a CTA sponsored and printed newspaper. Lastly, in his role as Chief Media Officer, Yangdon is responsible for releasing all public statements and media releases from the CTA to the public. Special Advisor on China: Gao An De Gao An De has had the most unique pathway to becoming a member of the Central Tibetan Administration. Originally born in Chengdu, China, Gao An De pursued a career as a case manager for the Chinese Ministry of State Security, where he was responsible for overseeing deep cover Chinese operative around the globe. With the passing of his mother in 2012, An De discovered his mom was ethnically Tibetan and had in fact been born in a small village outside of Lhasa. Having discovered this, he took a unique interest in Tibet and, upon learning of the acts of the Chinese against Tibet, fled to the CTA Headquarters in India with an intense desire to help free the homeland of his mother. As the Special Advisor on China, he is responsible for understanding the intricacies of the Chinese government and intelligence community. But he also serves as the Spymaster for the CTA, a role which was just recently created and that has 10 Tibetan spies waiting for assignment on his command, and a slew of others waiting for proper training. 5

6 In the Shadow of the Himalayas Representative from the Dalai Lama: Jinpa Rapten Jinpa Repten currently serves as the Official Representative from the Dalai Lama to the Central Tibetan Administration. Jinpa Repten was one of the first hundred Tibetans who followed the Dalai Lama. During the treacherous journey Repten and the Dalai Lama grew close as they debate morality and ethics, a debate that continues in their friendship to this day. As one of his representatives he travels with him around the world and has become a confidant for the Dalai Lama. Perhaps more importantly he has become a trusted advisor, who the Dalai Lama will listen to on most topics. Deputy Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile: Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok Acharya Phuntsok serves as the second most senior official in the Tibetan Parliament in Exile. As the Deputy Speaker he is the single official point of contact between the Tibetan Parliament in Exile and Central Tibetan Administration. Phuntsok is charged with taking all bills originating in the parliament for approval in this council so they may become law. Additionally as a member of Parliament he has been given the purview to oversee all Tibetans and CTA operation in Nepal. As the senator for Nepal he has a staff of approximately 50 that he can use at his discretion for both personal and work matters. 6