Dharamshala: The Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR) expresses profound sorrow at the demise of Kasur Tsewang Choegyal Tethong, an honorable individual and a distinguished Tibetan leader who formerly held the esteemed position of Minister for the Department of Information and International Relations, Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) from April 2, 1997, to September 4, 2001. Additionally, Kasur served as the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in New Delhi from December 17, 1996, to January 11, 1998.
Kasur (former Kalon) Tsewang Choegyal Tethong, born in 1933 in Chamdo, Tibet, faced the tumult of exile from his homeland in 1949, preceding the occupation of Tibet by the People’s Liberation Army in 1950. In 1959, Kasur volunteered as a translator within the camps of Tibetan refugees who sought sanctuary in India following the Tibetan national uprising in Lhasa.
Kasur’s journey continued with the pursuit of political studies at the University of Tübingen in Germany. Upon his return in 1964, he served as an assistant to the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Delhi. Starting in 1966, he assumed the role of personal interpreter at the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, concurrently serving as an assistant to the then Minister of the Department of International Relations, CTA. Later in 1967, he relocated to Doeguling Tibetan Settlement in Mungod, South India where he served as the Settlement Officer during its formative years. Concurrently from 1968 to 1975, he held the position of Chief Representative for the Tibetan Settlements in South India, alongside his role as assistant to the Minister for the Department of Education, CTA. In the latter capacity, he contributed as a board member of the Central Tibetan Schools Administration and the Tibetan Homes Foundation, Mussoorie.
In 1975, an invitation led him to teach at Pearson United World College on Vancouver Island, where Kasur dedicated four years to education while advocating for the welfare of Tibetans in British Columbia. On December 17, 1996, he assumed the role as the new Representative of the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in New Delhi. From April 1997 to August 2001, he held the esteemed position of Minister of the Department of Information and International Relations,CTA. Until his final days, he enjoyed retirement, carrying the title of honorary professor at the University of British Columbia.
Kungo Tsewang Choegyal Tethong is survived by his loving wife Judy and their three adult children who will carry forward his legacy with love, commitment and reverence for Tibet and the Tibetans.
DIIR Kalon (Minister) Norzin Dolma said, “We at the DIIR profusely mourns the loss of one of our distinguished former Ministers who had led the department to new heights and into unchartered territories with his emphathetic and visionary leadership. We offer our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and pray for swift rebirth of the departed soul.”
Department of Information and International Relations, CTA.
Dharamshala.