Tsering Dhundup
DHARAMSHALA, May 1: Two senior members of the European Parliament have written to the Chinese and Vietnamese ambassadors to the EU demanding a transparent and independent investigation into the suspicious death of revered Tibetan Buddhist leader Tulku Hungkar Dorje, whose body was hastily cremated in Vietnam without the consent of his family.
According to Office of Tibet, MEP Mounir Satouri, Chair of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights, and MEP Engin Eroglu, Chair of the Delegation for Relations with the People’s Republic of China, issued a joint letter to the Chinese Ambassador, while Satouri sent a separate letter to the Vietnamese Ambassador. Both letters expressed grave concern and alarm over the unexplained circumstances surrounding Tulku Hungkar Dorje’s death and the secrecy surrounding his cremation in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
The Tibetan leader, aged 56, was the 10th abbot of Lung-ngon Monastery in Golog, Amdo Province and was widely respected for his efforts to preserve Tibetan culture, religion, and Language. He had been inaccessible since July 2024, following increasing harassment from Chinese authorities for his cultural activism and refusal to conform to state-imposed religious directives, particularly his reception of the Chinese-appointed Panchen Lama, Gyaincain Norbu during a visit to Golog.
According to reports, Chinese officials notified Lung-ngon Monastery of his death on March 29 in Vietnam. However, Tibetan sources have disputed the official narrative. A delegation including monks from his monastery and Chinese government officials arrived in Vietnam in early April to retrieve his body. The monks were denied access to see the body and were asked to sign a statement confirming his death, a request they refused.
The swift cremation of Tulku Hungkar Dorje’s body, without family consent, has sparked outrage and anguish across Tibetan communities worldwide.
In response to the EU lawmakers demand for investigation, Representative Rigzin Genkhang of the Office of Tibet in Brussels expressed appreciation for the European Parliament Chairs’ stand, emphasising the importance of sustained international attention, “Tulku Hungkar Dorje was a deeply respected spiritual figure whose suspicious death and unexplained cremation in Vietnam have caused profound distress. We thank the Chairs for their timely intervention and urge that a transparent, independent investigation be carried out to uncover the truth and prevent such incidents from recurring.”
Tulku Hungkar Dorje’s suspicious passing highlights a growing pattern of Tibetan spiritual and educational leaders being targeted by Chinese authorities. In recent years, China has closed down several Tibetan schools and monasteries while ramping up ideological campaigns, including the “Send Dharma to the Monasteries” initiative, which critics say aims to enforce loyalty to the Communist Party and erode Tibetan religious autonomy.
