The Dalai Lama's older brother Gyalo Tondup, former head of the Tibetan government in exile in India, died last night at the age of 97.
Tondup died at his home in Kalimpong, a town in the foothills of the Himalayas in the state of West Bengal, media reported today.
Local media credited Tondup with lobbying international actors and praised his role in facilitating US support for the Tibetan struggle.
The Dalai Lama recently led prayers at a temple in the town of Bylakuppa in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, where he stays during the winter months. He prayed for Tondup's "swift rebirth," in accordance with Buddhist beliefs, and said his "efforts in the fight for Tibet have been immense."
Tondup, one of six siblings of the Tibetan spiritual leader and the only brother not ready to become a priest, moved to India in 1952 and helped develop contacts with the Indian government and gain US support for Tibet.
According to Radio Free Asia, Tondup was primarily responsible for liaison with the Indian government, including Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, when the Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule. Tondup initiated Tibetan negotiations with Chinese leaders in 1979, departing from his earlier approach of an armed struggle against Chinese control of Tibet.
In a 2003 interview, Tondup said that neither India nor the US would be able to resolve the Tibetan issue and that progress could only come through direct talks with Beijing.
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