TWT #134 –

On May 14th, 1995, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima was declared by the Dalai Lama as the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, the second highest-ranking religious role in Tibetan Buddhism, and was kidnapped by the Chinese government days later, never to be seen again.

This was another act within the decades-long operation of the Chinese communist government to subvert and control the Tibetan people.

In 1989, when the 10th Panchen Lama passed away, Tibet was already under the watchful eye of China, so naturally Big Red was jumping at the chance of installing their own, approved, Panchan to further control the people.

The Chinese government put together a search committee headed by a man named Chadrel Rinpoche to find an acceptable Panchan. However, the Dalai Lama stuck with Tibetan tradition in finding the reincarnated Panchan, and on May 14th declared Gedhun Choekyi Nyima of his own accord.

Gedhun Choekyi Nyima in 1995, before his capture

Once Gendun Choekyi Nyima was chosen by the Dalai Lama, the Chinese government could not let him fulfill this role and thus whisked him away, never to be seen again. Many requests to see Nyima over the years have been declined by China. In 2007, in response to a request by the UN Human Rights Council to have a doctor visit the boy and confirm he was healthy (aka alive), the Chinese gave the most vague description of a boy possible:

“Gedhun Choekyi Nyima is a perfectly ordinary Tibetan boy, in an excellent state of health, leading a normal, happy life and receiving a good education and cultural upbringing. He is currently in upper secondary school, he measures 165 cm in height and is easy-going by nature. He studies hard and his school results are very good. He likes Chinese traditional culture and has recently taken up calligraphy. His parents are both State employees, and his brothers and sisters are either already working or at university. The allegation that he disappeared together with his parents and that his whereabouts remain unknown is simply not true.” China Fails to Respond to UN Rights Expert’s Question on Panchen Lama

Immediately after getting rid of Nyima, the government declared they found the REAL Panchan and gave the title to Gyaincain Norbu. However, Tibetans themselves still do not recognize Norbu as the true Panchan, as Alexander Norman writes:

“Today, the Panchen Lamas are famous for having two claimants…: one recognised by the present Dalai Lama and taken into house arrest by the Chinese, the other recognised by China but by no one else.”

Though Nyima has not been seen since his disappearance in 1995, the Dalai Llama himself attested in 2018 that he knew the child was safe and receiving a normal education.

(Nyima wasn’t the only victim here, Chadrel Rinpoche, head of the committee to find a Panchan, was arrested and charged with treason for screwing this subversion up.)

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