FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 11,
2011
Contact:
John Estrella 202 530 4900 estrellaj@rfa.org
Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 mahajanr@rfa.org
Radio
Free Asia Hosts Tibetan Exile Prime Minister Live Debate
Forum
Comes as Dalai Lama Announces Wish to Hand over Political Reins to Next PM
WASHINGTON,
DC – On the heels of the Dalai Lama’s announcement of his intention
to hand over political leadership of the Tibetan government in exile to the
next prime minister, Radio Free Asia’s (RFA) Tibetan service will host a
live debate with the three final candidates vying to be elected the head (or
“Kalon Tripa”) of the Central Tibetan Administration on Sunday,
March 13.
The
debate will be broadcast live via shortwave radio, satellite television, and
webcast from 7 to 10 a.m. EDT (Sunday, March 13). This is part of RFA Tibetan’s series of seven
town hall-style events being held in Tibetan exile settlements in India and featuring
parliamentary candidates ahead of the March 20 general exile government
elections.
At
RFA’s March 13 forum, one of the three Kalon Tripa candidates –
Lobsang Sangay, Kasur Tenzin Namgyal Tethong, and Tashi Wangdu – will be
in Washington, with the others at two debate sites with live audiences in
India: in Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan government in exile, and at
India’s largest Tibetan refugee settlement in the southern town of
Bylakuppe.
Candidates
will answer questions from RFA’s on-site moderators, as well as those
from audience members in attendance, in addition to prerecorded ones from
Tibetans worldwide including those living inside the Tibetan area in
China.
“Through
this debate, Radio Free Asia provides a means for the Tibetan exile community
worldwide to participate in a unique, democratic process that will affect the
future of Tibetan affairs,” said Libby Liu, President of RFA.
The
debate culminates RFA Tibetan’s extensive, ongoing coverage of the March
20 elections to replace Samdhong Rinpoche, the current, outgoing Kalon Tripa.
This includes:
· Hosting one-hour
programs that focus on Kalon Tripa candidates, members of the Tibetan exile
parliament, and candidates vying to replace them, and the exile government
political process, every week since May 2010;
· Regularly
featuring interviews with Kalon Tripa candidates;
· Conducting the first
live debate on the day of the official announcement of primary elections to
choose the final Kalon Tripa candidates;
· Providing
listeners with thorough coverage of the Oct. 3 primary elections at all
the major stations in India, Nepal, Australia, Europe, and North America;
· Interviewing
almost all of the candidates for the Central Tibetan Administration;
· Holding seven
town hall debates in Tibetan refugee settlements in Dharamsala and
Bylakuppe; and
· Covering all
Tibetan exile candidates’ debates organized by NGOs and media in North
America, Europe, and India.
The Web address for the site on which the debate can be
watched is http://www.rfa.org/tibetan/.
# # #
Radio
Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing
online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to
listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s
broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression,
including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas
through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an
annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors.
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Rohit Mahajan
Media Relations Manager
Radio Free Asia
Email: mahajanr@rfa.org
Desk: (202) 530-4976
Cell: (202) 489-8021
www.rfa.org