Dharamsala, 22 April – According to exclusive information from Tibet, a reliable source has indicated that Chadrel Rinpoche is under house arrest in an isolated resort (Chinese: dujian cun) south of Dib military camp (Tib Translit: Sgrib dmag khang) in Lhasa. Despite his alleged release in January 2002, upon completion of his six-year term, no one has actually received news of his whereabouts. Therefore, on account of the dearth of information regarding his release, he was deemed “disappeared” by human rights monitoring agencies. This new information contradicts official Chinese sources, which maintain that he was freed in accordance with the court’s ruling.
In February 2002, Palden, Vice Head of the Department of Public Security of “Tibet Autonomous Region” and Dorjee, Vice Head of the Department of Police of Shigatse Prefecture reportedly came to Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, seat of the Panchen Lamas. These men asked for the personal scriptures and rosary belonging to Chadrel Rinpoche without disclosing the reasons behind their request.
Chadrel Rinpoche is the former abbot of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery. Following the mysterious death of the Xth Panchen Lama in May 1989, the Chinese government appointed Chadrel Rinpoche as the Chairman of the Search Party Committee for the XI Panchen Lama reincarnation. Based on a list of 30 possible candidates for the Panchen Lama, the Dalai Lama, after performing divinations to determine the identity of the reincarnation, officially declared Gedhun Choekyi Nyima the XI Panchen Lama on 14 May 1995. Two days after this pronouncement, Gendhun Choekyi Nyima, then six years old, disappeared and has not been seen since. Chadrel Rinpoche disappeared three days later on 17 May 1995. The Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Chen Jian stated at the time that Chadrel Rinpoche was not in custody but was “ill and hospitalised”. During the course of these events, the Chinese government appointed another child as the Panchen Lama in December 1995.
The first official acknowledgment of the detention of Chadrel Rinpoche came two years later in May 1997 through Xinhua, the official news agency of the Chinese government. It stated that the Shigatse Intermediate People’s Court sentenced him to six years’ imprisonment on 21 April 1997. Another conflicting report stated that he was sentenced to “six years’ imprisonment for ‘conspiring to split the country’ and ‘disclosing state secrets’ which would expire on 9 January 2000.” At the time, unofficial reports stated that Chadrel Rinpoche was detained in Trochu County (Ch: Heishui) and later transferred to Chuandong No. 3 Prison, Tazhu County, Sichuan Province.
During a human rights dialogue in February 2001, the UK government was told that Chadrel Rinpoche had been sentenced in 1996 and was due for release only in January 2002. This was in flagrant contradiction to an official information given to the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office stating that Chadrel Rinpoche was sentenced in 1997. The shrouded mystery and conflicting reports surrounding the prison term and his indefinite whereabouts indicate the political sensitivity of the case.
For more details on this case and the Panchen Lama, please visit our website www.tchrd.org
Contact persons: Tenzin Norgay/Tenzin Chokey
E-mail: dsala@tchrd.org Phone:911892 223363/225874
