Golden Award to Mr་Dongchung Ngodup by Dhomey Cholkha of Switzerland

Rikon: On Saturday 18th May 2019, Dhomey་Cholkha་of Switzerland organized the Third Golden Award presentation in Rikon, Switzerland. The Award was conferred to Mr་Dongchung་Ngodup, who was also the chief guest of the Ceremony.

Ms. Tenzin Choedon, the President of Swiss Dhomey་cholkha, in her inaugural address informed that this Golden Award distribution was started by the 8thBoardmembers of Swiss Dhomey Cholkha in 2013 at the suggestion from some educated་་and elder dedicated members of Dhomey་Cholkha. This golden Award is presented to an individual to express gratitude to his lifetime dedication and commitment to the service of Tibetan people. Its aim is to give respect to the people who selflessly dedicated his or her lifetime for Tibetan cause. It should also remain in history and will inspire the upcoming younger generation of Tibet.

The first Golden Award was presented to Kasur་GyaloDhondup, one of the elder brothers of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the second to Kasur་Samdhong Rinpoche. Other dignitaries present on this auspicious ceremony were Khen Rinpoche, Ven.Thupten་Legmen and Monks, Political prisoner Golog་Jigme, Europe Chitue་Samdho་Jampa, Former Chitues and representatives of Tibetan Communities in Switzerland. Around 200 People attended the ceremony.

Golog Jigme, a well known་political prisoner or human rights activist, read a brief report on the life history of Dongchung་Ngodup and appreciated his 40years of dedicated service and thanked him for the successful services in the Central Tibetan Administration.

Mr. Ngodup Dongchung joined the civil service of Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) on 15 June 1977 and he was appointed as a senior clerk in the Department of Security on 1 September 1978. He was promoted to Deputy Secretary in 1987. On 1 July 1991, he was promoted to Additional secretary. From 1993 -2006, he served as the Secretary of Department of Security. He served as Kalon for the Department of Security in the 13thKashag from September 2006 - August 2011. He was re-elected as Kalon in the 14thKashag and held the portfolio of the Security Department. However, he retired as the Kalon of Department of Security on 6 April 2016. He took charge on 15 July 2016, as Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama at New Delhi.

Mr. Ngodup was touched by the Golden Award and humbly expressed that he doesn’t expect to receive such honor as whatever he did till now was his duty་to his country as a Tibetan. The achievement that we have today is the result of 60 years of collective efforts and contributions of all of us in exile and that we all should not forget our forefather’s efforts and determinations. He sincerely thanked Swiss Dhomey་Cholkha for honoring him with this award. He said he always felt lucky to have the opportunity to work under His Holiness the Dalai Lama and whatever he is now is because of his blessing and support of his colleagues. That’s why he wanted to accept this Golden Award on behalf of all his colleagues and staff members who he worked with in the past and now.

After the speeches of dignitaries, Dhomey Cultural group held a cultural program and the entire three-province (Cholkha) of Tibet performed traditional Tibetan dances and songs with full spirit and enthusiasm.