འབྲེལ་གཏུགས་དུས་དེབ།
www.contactmagazine.net 31 JULY 2012
Volume: XIV Issue: 7
contact magazine A Free Monthly Publication For Tibetan Issues & Community Information
Kalon Tripa Dr. Lobsang Sangay Visits United States By Andrew Dunlop Dr. Lobsang Sangay, Tibet’s Prime Minister (or Kalon Tripa), recently visited the United States, meeting for the first time with several highranking diplomats and politicians including Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner. During his five-day U.S. visit, the Kalon Tripa also met with a number of other key congressmen and senators, among them the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator John Kerry, Senators John McCain and Joseph Lieberman, and Congressmen David Dreier and David Price. Senator Lieberman underscored the importance of the visit, stating that it would “test the conscience of the nation.” Dr. Sangay also met with Maria
Kalon Tripa Dr. Lobsang Sangay meeting with Speaker of the House John Boehner
Otero, Undersecretary for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights and Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues. The pair discussed
current human rights concerns in Tibet. In an hour-long meeting with the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), Dr. Sangay Continued on page 6
H.H. the Dalai Lama Celebrates 77th Birthday in Dharamsala
By Katie Youtz As the morning of 6 July dawned over McLeod Ganj, thousands gathered in the courtyard of the Tsuglhakang Temple to celebrate His
Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 77th birthday. This special celebration, the first observance of his birthday following his retirement from political power last August, was planned with a focus on local participation instead of international spectacle, and the Dharamsala community did not disappoint. Tibetans, Indians and foreign nationals alike crowded into the
temple, all vying for a view of the raised platform where local officials were already seated. Just after 9 AM, His Holiness arrived, shaking hands and waving at the well-wishers lining his path to the podium. He was accompanied by Tibetan Prime Minister Dr. Lobsang Sangay, His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, and parliamentarians and elected officials of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). Celebrations observing His Holiness’s birthday took place in all the Tibetan settlements around India, and indeed around the world. Buddhist centers as far away as Switzerland and Australia opened their doors to thousands of eager guests. In Nepal, Tibetans held prayer Continued on page 7