Ottawa, May 1, 2025 – It is with deep sorrow that the Canada Tibet Committee (CTC) mourns the passing of Kasur Tashi Wangdi , who left us on May 1, 2025, at the age of 78. A statesman of rare integrity, Tashi-la dedicated over five decades of his life to serving the Tibetan people through the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), holding key ministerial portfolios in virtually every major department, including Religion and Culture, Home, Education, Information and International Relations, Security, and Health.
Born on April 15, 1947, Tashi Wangdi’s contributions spanned domestic and international spheres, including as the representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the Indian government in New Delhi and later to the United States from 2005 to 2008.
Tashi Wangdi was a powerful advocate for the Middle Way Approach, articulating the aspirations of the Tibetan people with clarity, humility, and unwavering conviction. His deep commitment to nonviolence, dialogue, and democratic governance remained a guiding light throughout his life.
To the Canada Tibet Committee members, Tashi-la was more than a diplomat or official—he was a friend, a mentor, and a steady voice of wisdom. We remember his gentle demeanour, principled leadership, and sincere friendship. His presence in Canada and advice with our advocacy efforts had a lasting impact on all who worked with him.
As Tibetans and friends of Tibet around the world reflect on his extraordinary life, we honour Tashi Wangdi’s enduring legacy — one rooted in compassion, service, and the unshakable belief in the dignity and rights of the Tibetan people.
Our deepest condolences go to his family, colleagues, and the entire Tibetan community.
“It was my good karma to befriend Kasur Tashila when we first met in 1961 at Wynberg Allen School in Mussoorie, one of the institutions set up by the Raj to educate their babas in the cooler reaches of the Himals. Even then, he was steady, calm and kind. We were also undergrads in the early 70s UK when campuses were rocking to Cream, the Stones and Beatles among others and the ideas of Marx, Marcuse, Mao and whiff of Marijuana and at times Tear Gas. Through all this, Tashila . kept an open mind using the lodestone of his experience and the true north of our cause. Always fair in his dealings with others, honest, diligent and yet no killjoy, he was our natural go to. He served the Tibetan cause with unsurpassed dedication and brought his intellectual, political, diplomatic skills to his service. His last service to the Tibetan cause was to take time to write his experience which should be required reading for all who profess to advocate for Tibet. For Tibetans, his example of treating those who disagreed with him with fairness and dignity would be useful to keep in mind, when faux issues around social media personalities create division, derision and dumb us down.. I will miss his insights and the laughs we shared about old times, I am so privileged to have had his friendship. Ghale Phaygo Old Friend. I salute you.” Samphe Lhalungpa, Chair of the CTC Board.
“Tashi Wangdi was an amazing man who accomplished so much for Tibet and Tibetans over his lifetime on this earthly plane. What a huge loss for the Ottawa Tibetan community and Tibetans worldwide. On a personal note, he was always happy to translate for me and my family when others were speaking Tibetan at official and community gatherings. When I was working on my PhD thesis on the topic of the resettlement experiences of the Tibetan women who arrived in Ottawa with the Tibet Resettlement Project, he was very supportive and always happy to talk about Tibet, its history, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and the Tibetan diaspora. I interviewed him for my dissertation, and his insight was immeasurable. He then read and commented on the final draft of my dissertation. My condolences to his family, and may the transition to his next life be swift. Om Mani Padme Hum.” Dr. Eliza von Baeyer, CTC Board Member