Dharamsala, Oct 5 (IANS) After Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama cancelled his Europe trip on the advice of doctors, the ‘prime minister’ of the Tibetan government-in-exile is set to visit Switzerland later this week. Samdhong Rinpoche has been invited to deliver a keynote address at the inaugural day of the two-day Europe Tibet Congress in Basel Oct 11.

“Our prime minister Samdhong Rinpoche will leave his official residence in this hill town of Himachal Pradesh Wednesday for official visits to Switzerland and North America,” Thubten Samphel, a spokesperson for the government-in-exile, told IANS.

“During the congress, it’s an opportunity for us (Tibetans) to discuss political responsibilities and challenges,” he said.

Later, the Rinpoche will attend a three-day international conference on Mahatma Gandhi at California State Polytechnic University beginning Oct 17.

During his visit to Santa Barbara, the Rinpoche will speak on the “Future of Tibet” at the University of California Oct 20, the spokesperson added.

There are over 100,000 Tibetan refugees living in India after fleeing from Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese occupation.

Their government-in-exile is not recognised by any country.