L. Pema Lhundup

L. Pema Lhundup was born in Tibet on May 25, 1958 in Lhalung, a Dowa Zong district in South Tibet. His parents migrated to Bhutan in the same year and they lived there until 1963. Hearing that Tibetan schools had been opened in India and also tired by the heavy taxes being imposed on the Tibetans by the Bhutanese government during those times, his parents shifted to Darjeeling and the family lived there until Pema finished school. Then again they shifted to Naini tal, a hill station in Uttar Pradesh. At present, Pema and his wife and children live in Naini tal.

During his early days in Naini tal, Pema was actively involved with the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) and he was one of the founding fathers of the Regional TYC in Naini tal. Since its founding in 1980, Pema was its General Secretary, Vice President and President. During the initial stages of its formation, Pema had been able to get permanent shops for the Tibetan People living in Naini tal and then he started a Primary school for the Tibetan children who were being sent to an Indian school. He was in charge of the school and when the school came under the Department of Education (Tibetan Government In-Exile), he was made the Teacher in charge until 1995. In 1995, Pema was elected to the Central Executive Committee of the TYC as its Joint Secretary and later during the 1998, tenth General Body Meeting, he was reelected and became its General Secretary. During his Presidency of the Naini tal Chapter of the TYC, Pema led a 350 Kilometers Tibet Walk from Naini tal to New Delhi in 1988. The following year, he again led a Cycle Rally for Tibet from Naini tal to Delhi.

In 1998, when the TYC organised an ³Unto Death Hunger Strike in New Delhi,² Pema was one of the main organizors and remained with the hunger strikers until its declaration of a temporary halt on May 15, 1998. Last year in Geneva, Pema was one of the three hunger strikers. Despite his poor health, he made an oral statement on the Rights of the Child on April 15, at the 55th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Commission. Even after the hunger strike was over, he again made a statement before the members of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child on May18, 1999.

Pema is strongly opposed to any settlement of the Tibet issue through granting Tibet autonomy. He believes that in the long run this solution will not solve the Tibet problem. If the Chinese authorities are allowed to control the defense and foreign affairs of Tibet, Tibetans will never enjoy genuine happiness. China cannot be trusted to think of what is best for Tibetans or Tibet. Therefore, Pema remains firm in his desire for an independent Tibet. He thinks that every Tibet supporter should understand the real situation inside Tibet and the attitude of the Chinese authorities and support the fight for an independent Tibet.

Read an interview with Pema Lhundrup.

International Tibet Independence Movement
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