Group Photo of TPPRC Governing Council
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Mr. Penpa Tsering (Speaker,TPiE) - Chairman
Mr. Penpa Tsering (born 1967, Bylakuppe, India) now lives in Dharamsalai. He studied at the Central School for Tibetans, Bylakuppe and topped the merit list in Class XII. He graduated with Economics Major from the Madras Christian College, Chennai. His work experience includes running a private export enterprise and a restaurant. During his student days, he served as the General Secretary of both the Tibetan Freedom Movement and the Nigerian Tibet Friendship Association. He also served as the General Secretary of the Central Executive Committee of Dhomey. He served the Tibetan Parliamentary and Policy Research Centre for seven year as an executive director. He was elected to the Twelfth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth Parliament in exile. He is presently a speaker of Tibetan Parliament in Exile.
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Ven. Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, (Kalon Tripa-CTA)- Co Chair
Venerable Professor Samdhong Lobsang Tenzin, the 5th Samdhong Rinpoche, was born on 5th November, 1939 in Jol, Eastern Tibet. At the age of five, he was recognised as the reincarnation of 4th Samdhong Rinpoche and enthroned in Gaden Dechenling Dorjichang Kyabje Sangbhum Rinpoche. He received his primary teaching from scholar Ngawang Jinpa when he was nine. He started his religious training at Drepung Monastery in Lhasa and completed his (Uma Nyinpa) middle school of the Madhyamika School of Buddhism at the age of 12. He came to exile in the year 1959 after the Chinese invasion of Tibet. In the year 1960, he started his service in the Tibetan Community by beginning as a teacher to monks from the Sera, Drepung, and Gaden monasteries. From 1961, he served as the religious teacher of Tibetan School in Shimla, and later becoming the acting principal of Shimla Tibetan School in 1963. Then again he worked as religious teacher of Darjeeling Tibetan school in 1964. From 1965 to 1970 Samdhong Rinpoche was the Principal of Dalhousie School. He received his Lharampa Degree in the year 1968 and Ngagrimpa Degree in 1969. From 1971 to 1988 he was the Principal of Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (CIHTS, Varanasi). From 1988 to 2001 he worked as the Director CIHTS. In 1990, he was a member of the Drafting Committee Constitution of the Future of Tibet and Law for the exiled Tibetans. From 1991 to 1995 he was appointed by His Holiness as one of the deputies of ATPD and later was unanimously elected as its Chairman. From 1996 to 2001 he was elected member of the Parliament from Kham province and also its Chairman.
In 2001, he became the first democratically-elected Kalon Tripa, with an overwhelming majority support of nearly 85% of the total votes cast. He was re-elected as the Kalon Tripa in 2006.
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Ms. Gyari Dolma (Deputy Speaker, TPiE) - Member
Mrs. Dolma Gyari Drawu (born 1964, Kalimpong, India) now lives in Dharamsala, India. She studied at the Central School for Tibetans, Darjeeling and has a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Punjab University, Chandigarh. She studied for three years at the Campus Law Centre, Delhi University. She served as the Joint Secretary of Chandigarh Tibetan Youth, Chairperson of Women’s Cell and Information Secretary and Joint Secretary of the TYC Central Executive Committee. She organized a number of demonstrations, seminars and has been involved in social work. She currently serves as an interim co-chair of the International Movement of Parliamentarians for Democracy. She was elected to the Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth and the Fourteenth Parliament in exile and is presently the Vice-Chair Person of the Assembly.
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Ms. Kelsang Yangkyi Takla (Kalon -DIIR) - Member
Kelsang Yangkyi Takla (Mrs.) (born 1944, Tibet) now lives in Dharamsala. In 1953 she studied at Lhasa, Gorkha Tibetan School. She has a B.A. (Hons.) from St. Bede’s College, Shimla H.P. She studied at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York for a special Intensive General Administrative Course and passed with distinction. She served as a secretary and Interpreter at TCV School, Dharamsala. In 1967- 68 she worked as an administrative secretary and accountant at Tibetan Children’s Nursery, Shimla then she served Library of Tibet Work and Archives, Dharamsala for seven year.
In 1978 to 82, she served the Administrator of Delek Hospital, Dharamsala, India. After developing the 2 hours Out Patient Service into a fully functioning hospital with Out Patient, Inpatient and other services, initiated the concept of Primary Health Care and TB control Programmes at Delek and adapted these programmes in the hospital's out-reach programmes covering 17 Tibetan Refugees Settlement in Himachal Pradesh. Training of Community Health Workers and Mobile Team visits were also initiated.
In 1983 to 1988, she served Department of Health, CTA, and Dharamsala, India. Involved in initiating the Primary Health Care and TB control programmes and training programmes,
In 1989 to 1997, she served as Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the Office of Tibet London, UK. In 1997 to 1999, she served as the 1st Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Taiwan. In 2000 to 2001, she served as a secretary for International Relations at DIIR, Dharamsala. In 2002 to 2007, she re-appointed as representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama office in the Office of Tibet London, UK and she is presently the minister of Department of Information and International Relations, Dharamsala
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Mr. Thupten Lungrik(Kalon-DOE) - Member
Mr. Thupten Lungrik obtained his Acharya degree in 1981 from the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies in Varanasi, India. He subsequently underwent Teachers' Training Course (TTC) for one year and then taught at the Tibetan Children's Village School in Dharamsala. Later in 1993 Mr. Lungrig was promoted as the Director of the Tibetan Children's Village School in Suja. In 1996 he was one of three members appointed to the Assembly of Tibetan People's Deputies (ATPD) by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The ATPD, in turn, elected him as its Vicechairperson. In 2001 he was voted to the ATPD to represent the Amdo province. The ATPD, in turn, elected him as its Chairperson.
Later, as a member of the 12th Kashag, he has held the portfolios of the Kalon for education, religion and culture, and health. He was re-elected to the 13th Kashag and is currently the Minister of Education.
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Dr. Rene Klaff (Regional Director - South East Asia FNSt) - Member
Dr.Rene Klaff Regional Director, South East Asia, Friedrich Naumann Foundation
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Mr. Chemi Rinzin Choekyongpa (Secretary - Office of H.H.The Dalai Lama) - Member
Secretary to His Holiness the Dalai Lama Private Office. Dharamsala
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Choechung Wangchuk, Member Secretary
Mr. Choechung Wangchuk: Born in Kalimpong in 1971, presently lives in Delhi. He was awarded with "Best Boy" medal of CST Poanta Sahib in 1982. He passed his Senior Secondary School from SFF School, Herbertpur in 1990 and then obtained B.A. degree in 1st div. from GCM Chandigarh, Punjab University in 1993 followed by Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing and Sales Management from Bhartiya Vidhya Bhavan in 1994. In 1991 and 1992 he was elected as the President of Overseas Student's Association of Govt. College for Men and the President of Regional Tibetan Youth Congress Chandigarh respectively. From 1995 - 2001, he was elected to the Central Executive Committee of Tibetan Youth Congress and served as Secretary Int’l Relations, Joint Secretary, General Secretary and Editor of English "Rangzen" magazine. After the completion his tenure with TYC, he worked as Deputy Coordinator and later Coordinator of Delhi based India Tibet Coordination Office of CTA from 2002 - 2006. During his tenure with TYC and ITCO, he has organized numerous large-scale Tibet awareness programs of different nature and has also attended many national and international conferences in and outside India including the UN. He was elected to the 14th house of Tibetan Parliament in exile from Dotoe province in 2006. He is presently the executive director of Tibetan Parliamentary and Policy Research Centre.
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