Tibetans Demand Answers as Panchen Lama’s Disappearance Hits 30 Years

The Tibetan government-in-exile has launched a month-long awareness campaign marking the 36th birthday of the 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, who was abducted by Chinese authorities in 1995 at the age of six. The initiative, running from April 25 to May 17, aims to highlight his enforced disappearance and urge the international community to demand verifiable information from China.  

The Central Tibetan Administration kicked off the campaign with a lecture titled Legacy of the 10th Panchen Lama and the Circumstances Surrounding the Enforced Disappearance of the 11th Panchen Lama. The event, held at the Tibet Museum’s auditorium in Dharamshala, featured discussions on the significance of the Panchen Lama’s role in preserving Tibetan cultural identity.  

Throughout the month, weekly activities will include expert talks, documentary screenings, and an elocution contest at Tibetan schools in Dharamshala. Organizers stress that the disappearance of the Panchen Lama remains one of the most pressing human rights concerns in Tibet, with calls for China to disclose his whereabouts growing louder.  

Tibetan activists continue to reject China’s appointed Panchen Lama, Gyaincain Norbu, insisting that Gedhun Choekyi Nyima is the rightful spiritual leader. The campaign underscores the worsening restrictions on religious freedom in Tibet and the need for global intervention to protect Tibetan traditions.  

Sources: Tribune India, ThePrint, MSN News, Central Tibetan Administration