Dharamshala — Central Tibetan Administration and Tibetans mourned the demise of Kasur Chope Paljor Tsering, who devoted more than four decades of dedicated service to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan people, and the Tibetan cause. He has served as the Kalon for Department of Health during the 13th Kashag and served over two decades as the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in various countries.
The former Kalon Chope Paljor Tsering passed away on June 11, 2026 in Australia. Central Tibetan Administration held a prayer service on June 12, 2026, in Dharamshala, to mourn the passing of former Kalon (Kasur) Choepe Paljor Tsering Namru Ringpapo Ntsang.
Kasur Chope was born in 1948 in Namru, in the Northern Tibet. Following the Communist Chinese invasion of Tibet, he fled with his family at around the age of ten. The family eventually settled in Pokhara, Nepal.
In 1966, he served as the translator during the establishment of the Tashi Ling Tibetan settlement in Pokhara. From 1968 to 1970, he studied in the United Kingdom before returning to Tashi Ling to serve as a teacher and, later, school principal. From 1973, he served as Tibetan Settlement Officer of Dhorpatan, northern Nepal.
From 1978 Kasur Chope served at the Office of the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Nepal. He was then transferred to the Department of Education in Dharamshala as its Deputy Secretary on April 26, 1982. Returning to Nepal, he served as the Central Tibetan Administration’s Education Officer for Nepal.
From May 1986, Kasur Chope served as the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Nepal. He went on to serve as Representative for Eastern Europe (1991–1998), for Australasia (1998–2002), and finally for Japan and East Asia (2002–2007). With twenty-one years in the role, he was the longest-serving Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama thus far.
In 2007, he was unanimously elected to the 13th Kashag (Cabinet) by the Tibetan Parliament in Exile and served as Kalon (Minister) for Department of Health until 2011.
In retirement, he continued to work to preserve and promote Tibetan language and culture through the Global Tibet Institute.
He also a book named "The Nature of All Things: The Life Story of a Tibetan in Exile", an autobiography which recounts his childhood in Tibet, life as a refugee and his experiences in serving His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tibetan people and Tibetan cause.
