The Shakabpa family is happy to hear that our late Father and Grandfather, Tsepon Wangchuk Deden Shakabpa’s original Tibetan passport has been recovered and is now safely in the possession of the Private Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. We are grateful to Friends of Tibet (India), Tenzin Tsundue-la and all other persons who assisted in recovering this important historical document which provides further clear evidence of Tibet’s independence. Tsepon W.D. Shakabpa’s passport is an important part of Tibetan history and its recovery is significant for all Tibetans. This document was published for the world to see in Tsepon W.D. Shakabpa’s hardcover book, TIBET: A POLITICAL HISTORY, in 1967 by Yale University Press, and later in paperback by Potala Publications in 1984.
Along with the passport, numerous other important personal items, documents, and rare scriptures belonging to Tsepon W.D. Shakabpa were misappropriated from the Shakabpa House in Kalimpong (India) sometime after the late Tsepon W.D. Shakabpa passed away on February 23, 1989. These valuable documents, scriptures and artifacts were improperly sold to private dealers and individuals without the knowledge, consent, or authorization of the elder principals of our family. If you have information about the location of any of these properties that belonged to the late Tsepon W.D. Shakabpa, please contact his grandson, Wangchuk D. Shakabpa II, at bhodgyal@hotmail.com. All such communications will be kept confidential.
Our thanks again to all individuals who helped recover this important historical record.
