Letter from Representative Mr. Ngodup Dorjee to announce his formal retirement as the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama for Central and Eastern Europe:

I write this letter to announce my formal retirement as the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama for Central and Eastern Europe, effective as of March 2, 2019.

It has been an honor and a true blessing to have served as a Representative of His Holiness for 7 years and a public servant of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) for more than 38 years. With the blessings of His Holiness and Buddhist guardian deities, and the guidance from senior CTA officials and Gaden Phodrang, I believe I was able to fulfill my roles and responsibilities to the best of my abilities.

The following are some of the key positions that I took as a civil servant under the CTA:

2014-2019 Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Geneva Tibet Office, Switzerland, Central and Eastern Europe.

2012-2014 Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Brussels Tibet Office, Belgium, for Western Europe

2007-2012 Secretary, Department of Home, CTA, Dharamsala, India

2005-2007 Additional Secretary, Head of Agriculture and Co-operative Division, Department of Home, Dharamsala, India

2000-2005 Chief Representative, South Zone Co-ordinator, Bangalore, India

1996-2000 Settlement Officer, Doeguling Tibetan Settlement, Mundgod, Karnataka

1993-1996 Tibetan Welfare Officer, Gangtok, Sikkim, India

1991-1993 Manager, Tibetan Women’s Handicraft Center, Rajpur, India

1984-1991 Secretary, Co-operative Society, Changthang Tibetan Settlement, Ladakh

1983-1984 Office Secretary, Tibetan Settlement Office, Changthang, Ladakh

1982-1983 Joined CTA, appointed Manager, Sonamling Carpet Center, Leh Ladakh

1980-1982 Store Keeper cum Procurer, Sonamling Tibetan Co-operative Society, Choglamsar, Leh Ladakh

Regardless of where I was posted, I was always so fortunate to have received the support and trust from my colleagues and the local Tibetan communities. I also want thank my wife Tsering Kundol and our children for their unconditional love and support throughout this journey.

Interim handing over done internally to Kalden Tsomo, Under Secretary. Tashi Phuntsok, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Brussels officiated the process.

Mr. Chhimey Rigzen la, former Secretary of Department of Home with a long track record of service in CTA, has been appointed the new Representative but due to incomplete documentation in India, the interim handing over was done internally to Kalden Tsomo in witnessed by Tashi Phuntsok, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama , Brussels on February 28, 2019.

I request everyone to extend the same level of cooperation and support to Representative Rigzen la.

While I look forward to my retirement, I will continue to remain committed towards working for the cause of Tibet.

May His Holiness live long. May peace and freedom prevail in Tibet.

Thank you to everyone once again.

Sincerely,

Sogtod Ngodup Dorjee

Outgoing Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Geneva