US tells China to reveal inforomation on Panchen Lama

Washington, May 19

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called on China to immediately make public the Panchen Lama’s whereabouts and uphold its international commitments to promote religious freedom, saying he is one of the most important figures in the Tibetan Buddhism with spiritual authority second only to the Dalai Lama.

His remarks came on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the disappearance of the 11th Panchen Lama. The Department of State has made the promotion and protection of religious freedom a priority, especially in China, where people of all faiths face severe repression and discrimination, Pompeo said. “As part of that mission on May 17, we marked the 25th anniversary of the disappearance of the 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, who has not appeared in public since the People’s Republic of China government abducted him in 1995 at age six,” he said. —AP

Boy is now a college graduate, says China

China said on Tuesday that a boy who disappeared 25 years ago after being picked by the Dalai Lama as Tibetan Buddhism’s second-highest figure is now a college graduate with a stable job. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Gedhun Choekyi Nyima “received free education, passed the college exam and now has a job.” Zhao said the now 31-year-old man and his family didn’t wish to be disturbed.