Central Tibetan Administration Mourns Passing Away of Arunachal Chief Minister  [Friday, 6 May 2011, 4:47 p.m.] 

DHARAMSHALA:
The Central Tibetan Administration has mourned the sad demise of
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu, who perished in a
recent helicopter crash.”My colleagues in the Kashag join me in
mourning the tragic demise of Mr Dorjee Khandu, the Honourable Chief
Minister of Arunachal Pradesh. We offer our deepest condolences to all
the late chief minister’s family members,” Kalon Tripa Prof. Samdhong
Rinpoche said in a condolence message sent to the state chief secretary.”Mr.
Dorjee Khandu’s tragic death is a huge loss for not only the people of
Arunachal Pradesh but also for the people of India. During his tenure
as the chief minister, Mr Dorjee Khandu brought immense development to
Arunachal Pradesh and vastly improved the quality of life enjoyed by
the people of the state.”We Tibetans will particularly remain
grateful to the late chief minister Dorjee Khandu for contributing to
improving the lives of the Tibetan refugees in the state and ushering
harmony between the Tibetan refugees and the people of Arunachal
Pradesh.”In the tragic death of Mr. Dorjee Khandu, the people
of Arunachal Pradesh lost an outstanding Chief Minister and for
Tibetans, a dear friend,” Kalon Tripa said in the condolence message.In
May 2008, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khando personally
visited Dharamsala and extended formal invitation to His Holiness the
Dalai Lama to inaugurate a multi-speciality hospital at Tawang. During
his meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Kalon Tripa Prof
Samdhong Rinpoche in Dharamsala, the chief minister expressed
solidarity with the people of Tibet and the Tibetan Central Tibetan
Administration. The Kashag hosted a luncheon reception in honour of the
chief minister’s visit to Dharamsala.At the invitation of the chief
Minister Dorjee Khandu, His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited Tawang,
Dirang and Bombila in Arunachal Pradesh from 8 – 15 November 2009. The
chief minister is also one of the sponsors for the 32nd Kalachakra
teachings by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to be held in Sarnath from 1 –
10 January 2012.