World
Lobsang Sangay President of Tibetan government in exile visits White House
Dhaka, December 11: History was made when Lobsang Sangay, the head of the exiled Tibetan government, recently visited the White House as an invited guest.
This is the first time in sixty years that a Tibetan leader has met at the headquarters of the US administration. This has been reported by various media outlets, although the US government has not yet officially announced anything.
Sangay has been in contact with the United States since he was appointed head of Tibet's government-in-exile in 2011.
In the last 10 years, he has met with US officials in various parts of the world to discuss the solution to Tibet's problems. But this time he was called directly to the White House.
According to media reports, Sangay went to the White House on November 21. A few days earlier, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had also accused China of indiscriminately torturing Tibetans.
Significant event
According to US media reports, Robert Destro, a diplomat assigned to oversee the Tibet issue, invited Lobsang Sangay, the head of the exiled Tibetan government, to the White House.
In response, the head of the exiled Tibetan government went to the White House to meet with Robert Destro. The Tibetan government-in-exile, or the Central Tibetan Administration, described the incident as historic. But the incident will surely anger China. China has previously reprimanded the United States and several other countries for maintaining contact with the exiled Tibetan government.
According to the website of the Central Tibetan Administration, which is based out of Dharamsala in India, Sangay has met with US government officials at least 12 times elsewhere in the last ten years before entering the White House. The website hopes that this meeting will take a more promising form in the near future.
Great honor to meet with the Special Coordinator on Tibetan Issues @DRL_AS. This is the first time a Sikyong (President) of the Central Tibetan Administration was formally invited inside the State Department. pic.twitter.com/6iYoAFJ3Ym
— Lobsang Sangay (@Drlobsangsangay) October 15, 2020
Explaining the significance of the interview, the CTA said, "For the past six decades, CTA leaders have been barred from entering the US Department of Homeland Security and the White House, arguing that the US government does not recognize the Tibetan government in exile. This meeting is equivalent to recognising the CTA and its boss."
Sangay himself said of the visit, "This meeting reinforces the idea that the US Department of the Interior will treat the Central Tibetan Administration like any other government. It is another victory for Tibetans and their allies."
