Tibetan Geeks

Thubten "Sam" Samdup now lives in London, after many years in Canada, and has long been involved with Tibet support, including founding the Kalon Tripa 2011 project, Drelwa Online Communication project, International Tibet Support Network and the Canada Tibet Committee. He has also contributed greatly to World Tibet Network News, the Dalai Lama Foundation – Canada and Tibet Innovations among others!

In May 2007 Sam received a Lifetime Achievement Award from supporters at the Fifth International Conference of Tibet Support Groups in Brussels, Belgium.

He has been involved in using the internet for Tibet support, from its very beginning in India and Dharamsala:

• The Kalon Tripa 2011 project was established to make it easier for Tibetans around the world to propose and support nominees for the Kalon Tripa (Tibetan Prime Minister) election, which will take place in 2011.
• In 2007 he established the Drelwa Online Communication project, whose purpose is to communicate directly with citizens of the People's Republic of China through internet technologies such as email and messaging.
• Created several different lists for TSGs and Tibetan Associations in the West.
• Founded the first Tibetan electronic news World Tibet Network News, (WTN), in 1992.
• Created the first and only worldwide Tibet Support Group email list, TSG-L.
• Helped introduce an email system in Dharamsala in the early '90s.
• Sought and acquired the domain name tibet.net, which is the main domain today for the website of the Tibet Government-in-exile (TGiE).