Gedhun Choekyi Nyima disappeared along with his family just three days after he was named as the 11th reincarnation of the Panchen Lama on 14 May 1995. It is strongly believed he was abducted by agencies of the Chinese government, to become the world's youngest political prisoner aged just six years old.
The Panchen Lama in 2009
This year marks not only the Panchen Lama's 20th birthday on 25 April, but 14 years since his disappearance. The Chinese government continue to deny responsibility for the Panchen Lama's abduction, insisting he is free from incarceration and leading a normal life. However in May 1996 the Chinese authorities admitted to the UN Committee for the Rights of the Child that Gedhun and his family were being held in a secret location. Despite repeated requests from international governments, rights groups and the UN the Chinese government have yet to provide any evidence whatsoever that Gedhun is safe. Tibet Society has serious concerns for the well-being of the Panchen Lama and calls upon the Chinese government to release Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his family from any form of detention and allow full access to UN representatives to assess his and his family's well-being.
Action you can take...
We're asking supporters to write to Secretary of State David Miliband MP to take up the case of the Panchen Lama with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi, Minister of Foreign Affairs. You can add to the ever-growing international call for justice for the Panchen Lama and keep pressure on the Chinese leadership to act. It's always most effective to write in your own words, but we've included points to include in your letter below as a guide.
Write to:
Rt Hon David Miliband MP
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH
Salutation: Dear Secretary of State
- The Panchen Lama has been missing for 14 years and is 20 years old this year
- There is international concern about the Panchen Lama's safety and well-being and numerous appeals for proof of Gedhun's security from international NGOs, governments and the UN have been rejected or ignored by the Chinese government.
- Please contact your counterpart Minister of Foreign Affairs Yang Jiechi and urge him to provide independent access to Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his family to assess their safety.
- Urge the Chinese Foreign Minister to release Gedhun Choekyi Nyima from any form of state detention and allow him to undertake his rightful role as the 11th Panchen Lama
Background
When the 10th Panchen Lama died in 1989 the search began to find his reincarnation. The search was led by Chadrel Rinpoche of Tashilunpo Monastery in Tibet, who provided a list of candidates to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. On 14 May 1995 Gedhun Choekyi Nyima was chosen from that list, just three days later he and his family went missing. The Panchen Lama is a hugely important spiritual figure in Tibetan buddhism, second in significance in the Gelukpa school only to the Dalai Lama.
Six months later the Chinese authorities selected Gyaltsen Norbu, a young Tibetan boy to become the 11th Panchen Lama. Norbu's parents were Communist Party members and he was raised and educated in Beijing. Information from inside Tibet suggests that Norbu is not revered by Tibetans as the authentic Panchen Lama, and that buddhist monasteries only receive him under duress from the Chinese authorities.
It is thought that the Chinese government, recognising the political significance of the Panchen Lama, wished to have a replacement of their own choosing to sway Tibetan society and counter the influence of the Dalai Lama. The Panchen Lama is also charged with the task of recognising the Dala Lama's reincarnation, and it is felt that the Chinese leadership will use Gyaltsen Norbu to select a candidate who they will exercise considerable control over. This would have serious implications for Tibet's political future. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has stated that he will be reincarnated in exile, out of the reach of the Chinese government. It is expected that Beijing will produce their own Dalai Lama, just as they have with the Panchen Lama, and that the child in question will live a life as a political pawn.
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