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Central Tibetan Administration mourns death of last surviving government officer of independent Tibet
The Central Tibetan Administration, also called Tibetan government-in-exile, on Friday held a prayer service to mourn the demise of Tsedrung Gyaltsen Choden, the last surviving government officer of independent Tibet
The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), also called Tibetan government-in-exile, on Friday held a prayer service to mourn the demise of Tsedrung Gyaltsen Choden, the last surviving government official of independent Tibet.
Choden passed away on 12 January in the United States.
The prayer service was held at the Kashag Secretariat and was attended by Sikyong (president of CTA) Penpa Tsering and cabinet ministers Gyari Dolma, Tharlam Dolma and Norzin Dolma.
Delivering the eulogy for the deceased, Sikyong said that Choden was the last surviving officers of the independent Tibet before 1959.
He served the Tibetan government from a young age and after coming into exile, he served the exile government in various capacities for the entirety of his life, said Tsering.
He was one of the longest-serving Tibetan civil servants and we offer our deepest condolences to his family members, he said, adding that Choden lived a truly meaningful life serving the Tibetan people and fulfilling the aspirations of the Dalai Lama.
Born in 1920, Choden was selected as an accountant in the Tibetan government in 1946.
He came into exile in 1959 and in 1964 was appointed as the education secretary and took charge of editing and printing the biography of the Dalai Lama. In 1967, he served as the cashier-cum-head of the home division at the bureau of the Dalai Lama in New Delhi. In 1969, he was appointed as the secretary of the home department and also served as settlement officer of various settlements and principal of Central School for Tibetans, Mundgod. He retired from active service in 1992.
