The 25th anniversary this month of the abduction of the Panchen Lama, the second-highest spiritual leader in Tibet after His Holiness the Dalai Lama, by the Chinese authorities, saw leaders from countries around the world calling on China for information on his whereabouts and wellbeing.
Photo: LLUIS GENE/AFP via Getty Images
The Panchen Lama is 31 now and China has recently responded with new, yet-to-be-verified information. As a response to the call from United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that the Panchen Lama had “passed the college entrance examination and now has a job.” Zhao Lijian also claimed that neither the Panchen Lama nor his family wish to be disturbed in their “current normal lives.”
This response still disregards the call for verifiable information on the whereabouts of the Panchen Lama, or for independent access to him. This is also a breach on constitutional grounds as the Chinese Constitution grants the Panchen Lama all the rights of citizens under Articles 33 to 39, including the right to speak for himself.
The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) strongly refutes the indifferent response in a statement, where Sikyong Lobsang Sangay, President of the CTA, challenges, “If [the] Panchen Lama is alive and well, the world wants to see him, Buddhists need to hear from him and Tibetans want to be blessed by him. The Chinese government should stop hiding him and give him his freedom.”
In the past too, China has issued similar updates and statements. Any visit by an independent observer has been repeatedly denied. Prior to this recent announcement, the last information provided by the Chinese government dates back to 2015, when they stated that “the reincarnated child Panchen Lama you mentioned is being educated, living a normal life, growing up healthily and does not wish to be disturbed.” This information was shared by Norbu Dunzhub, a member of the Tibet Autonomous Region’s United Front Work Department. It was communicated that the Panchen Lama received free compulsory education when he was a child.
Independent investigations to determine and confirm the Chinese claims, which have been made since the abduction, have consistently been refused.
Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the boy recognised as the 11th Panchen Lama by His Holiness the Dalai Lama was taken away in 1995, aged six, along with his family. The Tibetan Parliament in northern India, known as the Kashag, along with the general Tibetan community in exile, maintains that he remains the holder of the title. China has named another boy, Gyaltsen Norbu to the position. The Kashag has published a statement that the abduction — and everything that has come after — is both a violation of the religious freedom of the community and a gross violation of human rights and child rights.
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