Tibetans observe 27th anniversary of 11th Panchen Lama's disappearance

Dharamsala, May 17

Tibetan-in-exile in Dharamsala today organised a protest to mark the 27th anniversary of the disappearance of 11th Panchen Lama.

In a statement issued here today, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) said the Tibetans, the Buddhists and Tibet supporters around the world mark May 17 as the 27th anniversary of the Chinese government’s enforced disappearance of Tibet’s 11th Panchen Lama. Along with the Panchen Lama, his entire family as well as Chadrel Rinpoche, head of the search committee to find the reincarnated Panchen Lama, were also abducted and have disappeared.

“Therefore, this event reminds us of the fact that the Panchen Lama’s disappearance remains one of the longest standing cases of enforced disappearance in the world today,” CTA said.

The CTA statement further said that 1995, at the age of six, the Panchen Lama, one of the most revered religious leaders of Tibetan Buddhism, was abducted by the Chinese authorities. Three days before his abduction, on May 14, 1995, the 14th Dalai Lama recognized Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as the 11th Panchen Lama. Since then he has remained unheard of and unseen by the world.

With the Chinese government’s political decision to kidnap a child, the Panchen Lama was also deprived of the proper religious education that he needed to guide the people of faith in the right direction, the statement said.