Name
Sithar
Current status
Head of the 7th Bureau, UFWD
Born
19653
Relevance to Tibet
The United Front Work Department’s 7th Bureau handles Tibetan Affairs; frequently meets TGiE Representatives.
Overview
Pronunciation: Suh-tar Zhu Weiqun
Born: 1953, Dege, eastern Tibet (Sichuan)
Education: Graduated from a teacher’s college. Has a masters in philosophy.
Career: Considerable diplomatic experience in Europe, where he rejected overtures from TGiE to defect in the 1980s. Joined the United Front Work Department (UFWD) in 1984. Highest-ranking Tibetan in the government. His position is intended as a signal that Tibetans control their own affairs. Vice Chairman, Chinese Association for Development and Preservation of Tibetan Culture.
Prospects: A rising political star, but Tibetans can only rise so far.
Relevance to Tibet: Head of the Bureau in the Party’s United Front Work Department that handles Tibetan Affairs.
Standing in the Party and Career Highlights:
This is a “mini” profile. See information in the Overview Box above right.
The most detailed article about Sithar is by Reuters India. See http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-33191620080423.
Background:
The UFWD’s 7th bureau was established 2005 to handle Tibetan affairs: according to Singtao Daily its mission is “to cooperate with relevant parties in struggling against secessionism by enemies, both local and foreign, such as the Dalai Lama clique, and to liaise with overseas Tibetans.”
Note: the Head of the United Front Work Department in the Tibet Autonomous Region, appointed in October 2010, is Qi Zhawa (a Sinicisation of the Tibetan name Dralha). Qi Zhawa/Dralha had previously spent almost his entire career in Dechen Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province.
Contact Information:
- Address: 35 Fuyou Street Xicheng District, Beijing 100800.
- Website: http://www.zytzb.cn/09/
- Phone:
- Fax: