Panchen Lama campaign |
In May 1995, six-year-old Gendun Choekyi Nyima was recognised by the Dalai Lama as the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama, one of the highest ranking spiritual leaders in Tibet. Three days later he and his family disappeared, never to be seen or heard from again.
The whereabouts and welfare of Gendun Choekyi Nyima are still unknown nearly 13 years after he was abducted by the Chinese authorities. China defied numerous calls on the case, including one from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to "allow an independent expert to visit and confirm the well-being of Gendun Choekyi Nyima whilst respecting his right to privacy, and that of his parents".
Despite additional calls from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, and the UK through the EU-China and the UK-China Human Rights Dialogues, China maintains that "the so-called Panchen Lama was a normal child, leading a healthy and happy life."
The full story:
The 10th Panchen Lama
The previous Panchen Lama (Lobsang Trinley Lhundrup Choekyi Gyaltsen) was sometimes regarded as a controversial figure, but he spoke out against Chinese rule on many occasions and wrote a report chronicling Tibet's famines in the 1960s. As a result of his views the 10th Panchen Lama spent more than eight years in jail. He died in suspicious circumstances in 1989. He is remembered with great affection by the Tibetan people.
The abduction
In 1989, following the death of the 10th Panchen Lama, the abbot of Tashilhunpo Monastery, Chadrel Rinpoche, was given the task by Beijing to head the search for the Panchen Lama's reincarnation. Chadrel Rinpoche sent a list of possible candidates to Dharamsala and on 15 May 1995 the Dalai Lama announced that six year old Gendun Choekyi Nyima had been recognised as the 11th Panchen Lama. The Chinese Government, intending to choose its own candidate, denounced the Dalai Lama's recognition as "illegal and invalid". On 17 May 1995 the Chinese authorities abducted Gendun and his family. At the time Gendun was probably the world's youngest political prisoner.
Numerous arrests followed Gendun's abduction, including Chadrel Rinpoche and his assistant Jampa Chung, who served six year and four year sentences respectively for "selling state secrets" and "colluding with separatist forces abroad". Chadrel Rinpoche was released at the beginning of 2002, though it is believed he remains under house arrest in Lhasa. Jampa Chung should have been released in 2000 though unconfirmed reports in 2003 suggested that he may have remained in some form of custody.
The replacement
Six months after Gendun's abduction China announced that it had selected Gyaltsen Norbu, a Tibetan boy whose parents were both Communist Party members to become the 11th Panchen Lama. Norbu, known by many Tibetans as the “Panchen Zuma” or false Panchen, was raised and educated in Beijing. His visits to Tibet are carefully stage-managed and heavily policed. A visit by Norbu to a monastery in Gyantse featured in the first episode of BBC4’s series ‘A Year In Tibet’. The failure of the programme makers to explain the abduction of Gendun Choekyi Nyima prompted official complaints from Free Tibet and many others.
Official statement
In May 1996 China admitted that Gendun and his family were being held at a secret location. In response to a formal question from the United Nations Committee for the Rights of the Child, China's ambassador to the UN claimed that, "(Gendun) has been put under the protection of the government at the request of his parents." He did not say where Gendun was being held. Xinhua reported, "the boy was at risk of being kidnapped by separatists and his security has been threatened."
Current status
The Chinese Government still refuses to reveal Gendun's whereabouts or accede to the numerous requests from the United Nations and Western governments to allow impartial international observers access to check on his living conditions and well-being.
This obstructive tactic is intended not only to discourage the international campaign but also, China hopes, allow time for their own Panchen Lama to become established and accepted. However, reports from Tibet indicate that Gyaltsen Norbu is not revered by Tibetans as the true Panchen Lama and that monks and nuns only pay homage to him under direction from the authorities.
Political consequences
The abduction and replacement of the Panchen Lama is part of China's efforts to 'stabilise' Tibet by controlling its religion and breaking the influence of the Dalai Lama. China is well aware of the influence the Panchen Lama can have on Tibetan society. The regard amongst Tibetans for the 10th Panchen Lama increased when he dared to write a report challenging the Chinese authorities for precipitating the famine in Tibet in the 1960s. He served eight years in prison as a result. He also promoted religious freedom in Tibet until he died suspiciously in 1989.
As well as being the second most important figure in the Gelukpa school of Tibetan Buddhism, the Panchen Lama also traditionally recognises the Dalai Lama's reincarnation. There will be far-reaching consequences for Tibet if the recognition of the next Dalai Lama was to come under Chinese Government influence. To this end the Dalai Lama has stated that if he dies in exile his reincarnation will be born in exile and not in Tibet.
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