Dharmashala: Sikyong Penpa Tsering of the Central Tibetan Administration offered his condolences on the demise of Dr Alfredo Martinez Moreno, a longtime friend of Tibet who passed away on Saturday, 2 October at the age of 98. Dr Alfredo Moreno was the deputy head of the El Salvador UN delegation that took a stand to support Tibet’s pleas at the UN by submitting a draft resolution to the UN entitled ‘Invasion of Tibet by Foreign Forces’ in 1950.
In his letter addressed to the wife of the deceased, Sikyong wrote, “It is with deep sadness that I learnt of the passing away of your husband and a longtime friend of Tibet, Dr Alfredo Martinez Moreno. On behalf of the Central Tibetan Administration and the Tibetan people, I offer our deepest condolences and prayers to you and your family.”
“The Tibetan people recall in profound gratitude the compassionate stand that the delegation of El Salvador, of which Dr Alfredo was the deputy-head, took in support of Tibet at the United Nations on 7 November 1950. El Salvador was the first nation to raise the issue of Tibet at the UN, and we will always remember Dr Alfredo as a torchbearer of the Tibetan movement,” writes Sikyong adding “Dr Alfredo remained a stalwart supporter of the Tibetan cause throughout his life, and a dear friend to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.”
Sikyong said he was honoured to have had a chance to meet him in person in Scotland in 2006. As a diplomat and lawyer, “he spent his life advocating for peace and human dignity and was a true humanitarian who embodied the spirit of the UN, like few others.”
“His legacy will remain an inspiration for all of us in our pursuit for freedom and dignity. Once again, I offer our sincere condolences and offer our prayers for his swift rebirth,” Sikyong concluded.