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NEW DELHI: Taktser Rinpoche, the Dalai Lama's eldest brother who advocated independence for Tibet, has died in the United States at the age of 86, a spokesman for the Tibetan spiritual leader said on Saturday.
Rinpoche – whose given name was Thupten Jigme Norbu – died late Friday at his Indiana home after being unwell for several years, R. Chhoekyapa, secretary to the Dalai Lama, told AFP.
"He passed away last night and we informed His Holiness (the Dalai Lama) this morning," Chhoekyapa said by telephone from Dharamshala, where the exiled Tibetan leaders are.
"We are all very saddened by the passing and we have sent our condolences," Chhoekyapa said.
News of Rinpoche's death came less than a week after the 73-year-old Dalai Lama was released from a Mumbai hospital, where he was treated for a brief abdominal illness that stirred alarm about his health among his followers.
The Dalai Lama champions a "middle path" policy that espouses "meaningful autonomy" for Tibet, rather than the full independence that some other activists are seeking.
Rinpoche, the Dalai Lama's brother, "wanted nothing but full independence for Tibet. In that, he differed from his brother," Chhoekyapa said.
"But that did not affect his relations with his brother – we are in a free country and everyone can have their views," he said.
The Dalai Lama fled into exile in India in 1959 following a failed uprising in Tibet against Chinese rule.
Rinpoche is survived by his wife Kunyang Norbu, and three sons, the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet said in a statement.
- AFP/so
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