By Phurbu Thinley
Dharamsala, Feb 8: The US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, Maria Otero, is on a week-long visit to South Asia, during which she will visit “Tibetan refugee settlements” in India among other things.
In a press release issued Monday, the US State Department’s spokesman announced that Otero will travel to India, Bhutan and Nepal from 8 – 14 February 2011.
“She will travel to southern India and New Delhi discuss bilateral coordination on global issues, visit Tibetan refugee settlements, explore cooperation to strengthen election organizations in third countries, and consult on regional disaster management,” the announcement said.
According to a post on the official website of Tibet’s government in exile, Otero is paying a visit to the Tibetan settlement in Bylakuppe from today.
The post said this was her first visit to a Tibetan settlement since she was named the US government’s new pointperson on Tibet in October 2009.
Otero, who succeeded Paula Dobriansky, visited Dharamsala in September 2009 when she accompanied Valerie Jarrett, White House Senior Advisor, to meet the exiled Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama and senior officials of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile.
Following her visit to India, Otero will travel to Bhutan from February 11 to 12 to discuss global issues as well as the protracted situation of the Bhutanese refugees in Nepal, the statement said.
During the visit, she will “participate in bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Jigme Thinley and other senior officials. She will also meet with civil society leaders.
According to the announcement, Otero is “the most senior Obama Administration official to visit Bhutan”.
In her final stop, Under Secretary Otero will visit Nepalese capital Kathmandu from February 12 to 14.
During the visit, among many other things, Otero will hold “meetings with senior Nepalese officials and civil society representatives and engage on Tibetan refugee and trafficking in persons issues”.
Besides her special responsibility of Tibet related matters, Otero is also Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs.
The appointment of the Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues is mandated by the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002.
According to a US-based Tibet lobby group the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), the act is an “indication of the United States’ commitment to a negotiated resolution on Tibet that preserves the distinct religious, cultural and linguistic heritage of the Tibetan people.”
