Statement To Commemorate the
12th Birthday Of the 11th Panchen Lama
APRIL 25, 2001
Six years ago in 1995, Gedun Choekyi Nyima — the 10th Panchen Lama — was taken from his home at the age of six, along with his parents, by the Chinese authorities. It is the year 2001 and his whereabouts are still not known. The Panchen Lama remains to be the youngest political prisoner in the world — an innocent boy taken away from his people. We Tibetans, living both inside Tibet and in exile, continue to pray for his safety and today also remember the Panchen Lama's 12th birthday.
During this past year, though there has been some hope given to the Tibetan people with the flight from China of the 17th Karmapa, there has not been any significant progress regarding any knowledge about the 11th Panchen Lama — the second-highest religious figure in the Tibetan Buddhist hierarchy. Despite our efforts to pressure China, and the efforts of the many friends of Tibet throughout the world, China continues to deny the world any concrete information about this young victim.
Throughout this past year, TWA, along with many other Tibetan organizations, have consistently written to the President of China, Jiang Zemin, and to the United Nations Human Rights Commission to request information and action regarding the Panchen Lama. In September 2000, Ragdi, a deputy secretary of the TAR Party Committee told a Taiwanese reporter that Gedun Choeky Nyima is attending "elementary school" and that he and his family are fine. In October, a Chinese human rights delegation showed representatives of UK government and EU officials photographs alleged to be of Gedun Choekyi Nyima. December 2000 marked the first time for demonstration in Beijing by western pro-Tibetan activists.
The Australian Tibet Council demonstrated in front of the Australian Embassy with banners asking "Where is the missing Panchen Lama"? Still, the Chinese officials denied concrete information. These gestures from the Chinese government tell us nothing about the livelihood of the Panchen Lama. We need to actually see for ourselves that the Panchen Lama and his family are healthy and safe. And we demand that he and his family be released immediately.
The Chinese government claims to have nothing to hide — yet they refuse to tell us anything true about the Panchen Lama. We ask — if you have nothing to hide why not tell us where the Panchen Lama is? How long do Tibetans and the rest of the world have to wait to see justice for Tibet? How long will China cruelly detain this 12 year old innocent boy and his family? Nothing has truly changed since the 10th Panchen Lama was kidnapped 6 years ago in 1995. We, the Tibetan Women's Association appeal to all international bodies to seek immediate release of the youngest political prisoner in the world. All of you who believe in truth, justice, freedom and support of human rights — call on China to release Gedun Choeky Nyima and let him be free.