The Chairman of the Tibetan Cabinet (Kalon Tripa), Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, visited the World Bank in Washington, D.C., on July 11, 2002, to attend a lunch reception on his behalf hosted by Indian Executive Director, Mr. B.P. Singh.
The World Bank’s U.S. Executive Director and representatives of several European and African countries also attended the reception.
The situation of the Tibetan people, the democratic process that is taking place in the Tibetan Diaspora and ways to economically empower the Tibetan people were all topics discussed during the reception.
Earlier in the day, the Kalon Tripa visited Radio Free Asia (RFA) and met RFA President Richard Richter and the staff of the Tibetan service. The Kalon Tripa gave an interview to the Tibetan service.
In the afternoon, he held discussions with Paula Dobriansky, the U.S. Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, and Lorne Craner, Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights.
He briefed the American officials on the current thinking of the Tibetan leadership as well as the situation inside Tibet. The U.S. officials briefed the Tibetan leader about efforts they are making to promote dialogue on Tibet and improve the human rights situation in Tibet.
In the evening Samdhong Rinpoche addressed the Tibetan community in the Washington, D.C., area about the programs and policies of the new government in Dharamsala. He also answered questions about the stand of the Tibetan leadership on the political solution to Tibet, the present status of the Tibet-China contact and the issue of nonviolence, public demonstrations and the relevance of the one country two systems to the Tibetan situation.
Samdhong Rinpoche left for Minneapolis on the morning of July 12 to address the 3rd conference of heads of Tibetan Associations in North America on July 13. He returns to India on July 14, 2002.