Lhasa [Tibet]: Even as 2022 marked the 27th anniversary since Tibet’s 11th Panchen Lama was forcibly abducted by the Chinese government along with his entire family China has not only kept his whereabouts a secret to date but has also not revealed the slightest details regarding him being alive or not.
Lama’s abduction by China stands as one of the longest-standing cases of enforced disappearance in the world today, reported Tibet Press.
On May 14, 1995, Gedun Choekyi Nyima was recognised by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama as the 11th Panchen Lama. Three days after that, he was abducted and since then has never been found.
As if this was not enough, the Chinese Communist Party even took the liberty to appoint of a Panchen Lama of their own and forcibly made the Tibetans in Tibet accept him or at least put up an act of the world to show that they do.
A Tibetan delegation testified before the Canadian House of Commons on Foreign Affairs and International Development where they raised concerns over the ongoing rights abuses in Tibet.
The Tibetan delegation testified on the case of the disappeared 11th Panchen Lama and other issues concerning the Tibetan people.
Speaking about the attacks on the Tibetan language, Tibetan exile leader Penpa Tsering started by saying that the Tibetan language and religion come from India.
“When Hu Jintao took over as the president he introduced dual language. But that was okay. You have to learn other languages.
But when Xi Jinping came to power its now one nation, one language, and one culture. With this policy, the Chinese communist party is striking at the very root of our identity,” he said.
“We know that this is a political decision by the Chinese government because this also concerns the reincarnation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama because there is reciprocal recognition of the incarnations between Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas.
I personally feel that China made a big tactical mistake by not recognising Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the young boy who was recognised by His Holiness. If China had done that, they would have the child under their control,” the Tibetan leader further said.
Penpa Tsering also dismissed the Chinese government’s re-writing of narratives that insist on Tibet being a part of China, Phayul reported.
“Under President Xi, things look dire that even hope for negotiations in the immediate future seems remote,” he said, requesting the committee to pass a motion on the resumption of Sino-Tibet dialogue with unanimous consent.
Penpa, who is the Sikyong (President) of the Central Tibetan Administration, was in Washington, DC last month on his first trip to the US capital since his election last year.
He, who was elected Sikyong on April 11, 2021, serves as the democratic leader of the Tibetan diaspora.
He is the second Sikyong elected since the Dalai Lama retired from politics and devolved political power in 2011 and previously served as the Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile and Representative at the Office of Tibet in Washington, DC.
During his visit to the US from April 24 to 30, Penpa held talks with the US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The meeting also witnessed the participation of Richard Gere, chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), and Namgyal Choedup, representative of exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.
