DHARAMSHALA: The Central Tibetan Administration deeply mourns the sad demise of Ven. Jampa Tsultrim, former Assistant Secretary of Gaden Phodrang, who passed away after a prolonged illness. He was 85.
Ven. Jampa Tsultrim was undergoing medical treatment at Moolchand hospital, Delhi, following a severe relapse of chronic ailments that he has sustained during his prison sentence in Tibet. After a slight progress in his medical condition, he was discharged from the hospital and was at a guesthouse when his condition suddenly deteriorated before passing away at around 3 pm on 26 February.
Ven. Jampa Tsultrim was born in Lhasa in 1930. He was educated at Nyarong Shar School since his early childhood. At the age of 20, he sat for the civil services examination for the Tibetan government. After clearing the exam, he was posted at the Tse-Chak office where he served for three years.
After that, he was posted at the Tibetan administrative secretariat as a junior clerk. He was then promoted to the fifth rank.
During the Tibetan National Uprising of 1959, he was arrested in the demonstrations against the Chinese government. Captured later by the Chinese authorities, he suffered torture for 20 years in prison. Despite facing struggle sessions in the prison, he showed unwavering loyalty to his country and devotion to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Finally in 1979, he was released from prison along with many other Tibetan political prisoners. Taking into account his impeccable knowledge of Tibetan history, he worked at Tibet University’s history department in Lhasa.
He came into exile in India in 1983.
On 19 March 1984, he was appointed as an Assistant to the Secretary of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s private office. He served his duties to the best of his abilities till his retirement in 1993. Even after retirement he continued to extend his services to the office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama till his demise.
“Ven. Jampa Tsultrim was a life long advocate of the Tibetan cause and had dedicated his whole life to the service of the country. The passing away of such a senior Tibetan bureaucrat from this world is a great loss to the Tibetan people. We pray for his noble rebirth,” the Gaden Phodrang office said.