By Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, April 24: Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Bylakuppe Tibetan settlement in South India, the spiritual and cultural seat of the Panchen Lama in exile, has issued a poignant statement urging the general public to demand accountability for the enforced disappearance of the 11th Panchen Lama Gedun Choekyi Nyima. This appeal coincides with the approaching 35th birthday of the Panchen Lama on April 25.
The disappearance of the 11th Panchen Lama remains a paramount concern for the Tibetan administration in exile, officially known as the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), as well as various Tibetan advocacy groups and non-governmental organisations in exile, which have persistently campaigned for transparency regarding his health and current whereabouts.
The 11th Panchen Lama, Gendun Choekyi Nyima, revered as one of the eminent spiritual figures in Tibetan Buddhism, was officially recognised by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in 1995 when he was just six years old. However, shortly after his recognition, on May 17, 1995, the Chinese Communist Party forcefully abducted him and his family into state custody. The Chinese government then appointed its own Panchen Lama, Gyaltsen Norbu, who has been touted as the CCP’s “puppet” and widely rejected by the Tibetans both inside and outside Tibet as the “fake Panchen”.
“This 25th April of 2024 marks the 35th birthday of the 11th Panchen Lama who has been held in Chinese captivity for almost three decades now. The enforced disappearance of the 11th Panchen Lama is a serious human rights issue that violates the basic dignity and rights of Tibetan people and the freedom to practice their religious and cultural identity,” read Tashi Lhunpo Monastery’s statement.
In a heartfelt appeal, the monastery expressed, “In the last three decades, the whereabouts of the missing 11th Panchen Lama have been unknown and the Communist Party of China continues to meddle and withhold information in matters of the Panchen Lama.”
“We request you to use this opportunity to create greater awareness among your community by writing to your local senator or government official to express solidarity with the Panchen Lama issue and also convey their birthday greetings! This will not only create greater awareness about the serious humanitarian issue of the Missing Panchen Lama but also put pressure on China through the media to resolve the issue in a meaningful and truthful manner.”
In April 2022, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian in 2020 said that Gedhun Choekyi Nyima “received free compulsory education when he was a child, passed the college entrance examination and now has a job.” Zhao added that Gedhun and his family did not wish to be disturbed in their “current normal lives.” No further statement or evidence has since been provided by the Chinese government with regards to the 11th Panchen Lama.
