DIIR Welcomes Tenzin P Atisha as Secretary for International Relations

[Friday, 5 February 2010, 2:28 p.m.]

Secretary Tenzin P Atisha (R) greets an official after receiving a traditional scarf during a welcome ceremony at Gangchen Kyishong on 5 Feb. 2010

Dharamshala: The Department of Information and International Relations today extended hearty welcome to its new Secretary, Mr Tenzin Phuntsok Atisha, who earlier worked prominently as the representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Taiwan and Australia, and visited Tibet and China as part of official delegations of the administration in 1985 and 2010. After joining the Tibetan civil service in 1982, Mr. Tenzin P Atisha took leading responsibility in highlighting the significance of Tibet’s environment situation in the international arena. He was part of the fourth Tibetan fact-finding delegation led by Woeser Gyaltsen Kundeling, that visited Beijing and Tibet in June 1985. The delegation spent most of their time in meeting Tibetans in Amdo, north-eastern Tibet. They met senior officials of the CPC’s United Front Work Department. During the visit, the delegates got the opportunity to celebrate the birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama with the late 10th Panchen Lama and Baba Phuntsok Wangyal in Beijing.He accompanied the then Secretary of the Department of Information and International, Mr Tempa Tsering, to attend the Rio Earth Summit at the United Nations in 1992, and submitted the first-ever comprehensive report on Tibet’s environment. He contributed a great deal to the issue of Tibet by participating in many international conferences to put spotlight on the detrimental impacts of China’s development projects on Tibet’s environment.Secretary Thubten Samphel expressed hope that Mr Tenzin P Atisha’s “expertise and rich experience gained during his service will help the department in improving and strengthening the standard of work”. Welcoming the new secretary, Kalon Kesang Yangkyi Takla reminded the staff members of the “political exigencies inside Tibet, and urged the staff members to “put collective efforts towards fulfilling the aspirations of the Tibetan people”. Secretary Tenzin P Atisha told the staff members to “enhance their awareness and knowledge on every aspect of the Tibetan issue”. Recounting the fourth Tibetan fact-finding mission to Tibet in 1985, he said clear understanding and knowledge about Tibet’s issue helped him in refuting a claim made by a senior official of China’s United Front Work Department as that of Tibet being historically a part of China.