THUBTEN SAMPHEL

Thubten Samphel

Mr. Thubten Samphel was born in 1956 in Lhasa to a humble family who worked for Yabshe Taktse family. At the age of six he escaped Tibet to India with his elder brother. Following his arrival, he was admitted to Tibetan Children’s Village school. After six months, he was sent to Dr. Graham’s Homes in Kalimpong with three girls. He studied B.A and M.A in History from St. Stephen College, Delhi University. During his master’s program, Mr. Samphel worked as an apprentice under Secretary Tenzin Geyche Tethong in the office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama for one year. In 1980, he joined the service of the Central Tibetan Administration. He was among the first group of Tibetan Fulbright Scholars to study in the United States in 1988 and earned a degree in Journalism from Columbia University, New York.

During his stay in the US he received a one month internship opportunity in Congressman Charlie Rose office. He was probably the first Tibetan to work as an apprentice in the US Congress.

After his return from the US, he continued his service in the Central Tibetan Administration in different capacities. he worked in the Department of Information and International Relations as the editor of the Tibetan Bulletin for many years and later became the information secretary of the Department of Information and International Relations from 1999 to 2012. During that time, he also served as the spokesperson of the Central Tibetan Administration

In 1991 he was delegated to work in the office of Tibet in New York. During his five-year (1991-1995) stint under the representative Rinchen Dharlo, he worked as the sole editor of News Tibet.

In 2012, he was appointed as the director of the newly established Tibet Policy Institute, a think tank of the Central Tibetan Administration. After serving six years, he retires from the service of the Central Tibetan Administration on 02 November 2018.

He has written extensively on Tibet in Indian and international newspapers and journals.

He is the author of ‘Falling Through the Roof’, a work of fiction and co-author of the Dalai Lamas of Tibet.

Source: CTA’s Most Learned and Unassuming Man Retires: A Brief Conversation with Director Thubten Samphel by Tenzin Tseten with some changes.