Dharamshala: The leadership and staff of the Central Tibetan Administration held a prayer service this afternoon to mourn the passing of former Kalon (Kasur) Choepe Paljor Tsering Namru Ringpapo Ntsang, who passed away in Australia on 11 June 2026.

The late Kasur devoted more than four decades of dedicated service to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan people, and the Tibetan cause, demonstrating unwavering commitment and loyalty throughout his life. He has served as the Kalon for Department of Health during the 13th Kashag and served over two decades as the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in various countries.

During the prayer service, Kalon Tsegyal Chukya Dranyi, serving as the officiating Sikyong, briefly highlighted the life and contributions of the late Kasur and conveyed condolences to the bereaved family on behalf of the Central Tibetan Administration.

Brief Bio:

Kasur Chope was born in 1948 in Namru, in the Northern Plains of Tibet. Following the Communist Chinese invasion of Tibet, he fled with his family at around the age of ten. The family eventually settled in Pokhara, Nepal.

In 1966, he served as the translator during the establishment of the Tashi Ling Tibetan settlement in Pokhara. From 1968 to 1970, he studied in the United Kingdom before returning to Tashi Ling to serve as a teacher and, later, school principal. From 1973, he served as Tibetan Settlement Officer of Dhorpatan, northern Nepal.

From 1978 Kasur Chope served at the Office of the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Nepal. He was then transferred to the Department of Education in Dharamshala as its Deputy Secretary on 26 April 1982. Returning to Nepal, he served as the Central Tibetan Administration’s Education Officer for Nepal.

From May 1986, Kasur Chope served as the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Nepal. He went on to serve as Representative for Eastern Europe (1991–1998), for Australasia (1998–2002), and finally for Japan and East Asia (2002–2007). With twenty-one years in the role, he was the longest-serving Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama thus far.

In 2007, he was unanimously elected to the 13th Kashag (Cabinet) by the Tibetan Parliament in Exile and served as Kalon (Minister) for Department of Health until 2011.

In retirement, he continued to work to preserve and promote Tibetan language and culture through the Global Tibet Institute.

He passed away in the afternoon of 11 June 2026 in Australia.