Thubten "Sam" Samdup
:: Geeks
[WTN-L] World Tibet Network News — May 31, 2007
Lifetime Achievement Award for Thubten Samdup
Neil Steedman
Founder Chairman, TSG-Ireland
During the 5th International Conference of Tibet Support Groups, held in
Brussels on 11th-14th May 2007, two milestones were reached in global
co-ordination of the Tibet movement, writes Neil Steedman of Tibet Support
Group — Ireland.
Firstly, the conference marked the "coming of age" of the International
Tibet Support Network in its ability to produce, through mutual discussion
and agreement, targeted global campaigns with strategic objectives and
specific actions. Secondly, it was the occasion when the founder and
long-time facilitator of the Tibet Support Group - List, Thubten Samdup,
handed over the administration of TSG-L, the Tibet movement's invaluable
communication tool, to the ITSN.
While most, if not all, conference delegates were already aware of Sam's
dedication and commitment to building up TSG-L over many years, it came as a
surprise to many to learn that he was also the behind-the-scenes instigator,
or "founding father", of the ITSN itself.
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, a number of Tibet Supporters would
frequently complain to each other — over TSG-L and at the regional and
international conferences — about the lack of international strategic
thinking and co-ordination within the Tibet movement. Then Sam challenged us
with "Yes, OK, but what are you going to do about it??" and promptly
persuaded us to form an ad hoc committee to create and develop a solution.
Thus was born — one Interim Committee and then global elections for a
Steering Committee later — the International Tibet Support Network.
To mark Sam's seminal contributions to the formation of TSG-L and ITSN, a
letter of appreciation from 21 long-time Tibet Supporters from around the
world, together with a card signed by 35 current and former Steering
Committee and staff of the ITSN, was presented to him during the
conference — and he justifiably received a standing ovation.
Sam was genuinely taken by surprise and told me immediately afterwards: "It
feels like getting a Lifetime Achievement Award!" But if it had been, it
would also have had to take into account Sam's contributions to the
establishment and successes of the World Tibet Network News, the Canada
Tibet Committee, the Dalai Lama Foundation - Canada and Tibet Innovations
(to name but a few).
True to form, however, Sam is not content to rest on his laurels and has
already instigated another important and innovative project that responds to
the current needs of the Tibet movement — the Drel-wa Initiative Project
based in Dharamsala.
Drel-wa is pioneering an outreach model that seeks new ways to communicate
directly with citizens of the People's Republic of China, establishing a
peaceful dialogue meant to inform and communicate the Tibetans' historical
and cultural reality through unbiased and accurate information, supplying
data and facts not currently available to the Chinese due to media
censorship.
The Tibet movement will surely give as much support to, and receive as much
benefit from, Drel-wa as it has to Sam's other innovations.
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