TYC's statement on the XVIIIth Birth Anniversary of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the XIth Panchen Lama of Tibet
Today, 25th April 2007, marks the 18th Birth Anniversary of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama, recognized by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on May 14 1995. On May 17 1995, just days after he was recognized as a true reincarnation of Xth Panchen Lama, Chinese authorities abducted him and his family and till date his whereabouts and well beings are not known to the world. Unfortunately, today He was the world’s youngest political prisoner of conscience.
Furthermore, in an attempt to undermine and control the Tibetan people, their religion, and their nation, the atheistic Chinese government appointed a different boy and proclaimed him to be the XIth Panchen Lama in November 1995 and thereby forcing the Tibetans to accept the boy as a real Panchen Lama. But the Tibetans however, do not accept the boy as the legitimate Panchen Lama and maintained faith and loyalty to Dalai Lama and his selection, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima.
Despite innumerable and repeated appeals made by the world bodies, concerned governments, and human rights groups to China, to disclose the whereabouts of Panchen Lama and to allow to visit him in order to confirm his welfare and well-being, but the Chinese government has refused to provide any verifiable information on Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, nor have they allowed any independent observers to visit Him and His parents. Moreover, Chinese have continued their policy of stampeding the international rules, conventions, UN charter and other instrument.
The Government of People’s Republic of China, being permanent members of the United Nations, having signed and ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), but Chinese have not shown slightest respect for the signatures they put in different covenants. In fact, China today is the bulldozer of the international order. And therefore, China today is a danger to the peace and stability in this world.
On 30 March 2007, Human rights group US Amnesty International in its first official meeting with the Chinese embassy in Washington, raised the issue of detained child Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the XIth Panchen Lama. But Chinese maintain that he is a „normal schoolboy” living in China, but has refused to permit anyone from the international community to visit him in order to confirm his welfare and well-being. And also on a recent visit to China, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Louise Arbour has delivered to Chinese authorities a list of 10 political detainees of concern to the UN Human Rights Commission and list included the name of the missing XIth Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima.
On this occasion of the 18th birth anniversary of world’s youngest political prisoner, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama, Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) urges China to release him immediately without any precondition. We urge China to facilitate him the necessary religious education at Tashi Lhunpo Monastery. We also urge the international community to maintain pressure on the PRC government to allow the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to meet the Panchen Lama and also to step up their campaigns for the immediate release of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his family.
Issued by: Tibetan Youth Congress, Central Executive Committee, Dharamshala.