Dharamsala: Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, offered his heartfelt condolences on the deeply saddening demise of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who was shot at a campaign event earlier today.

In a condolence letter written to the late PM’s wife, the Speaker wrote, “It is with great distress that we learned the unpleasant news of the heinous attack on your beloved husband’s life and subsequently the news of his passing away in the hospital. We are shocked beyond words.

Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the longest-serving prime minister of Japan was not only a towering leader of Japan, but he was also a man with great values and wisdom and a close friend of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people. Mr. Shinzo Abe, as the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, was instrumental in establishing the All Party Japanese Parliamentary Support Group of Tibet, which is the world’s largest Parliamentary Support Group with parliamentarians from different political parties.

With his sad demise, we have lost a great friend of Tibet and one of the towering leaders of the world. In this hour of grief, the Tibetan Parliament and the Tibetans are with you. We send our prayers during this difficult time.”