FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 11 December 2024

Tibetans and Tibet Activists Call On Nepal to Reject China’s Illegitimate Panchen Lama Visit

Tibet activists worldwide have expressed alarm at reports[1] that Gyaltsen Norbu (CH: Gyaincain Norbu), Beijing’s illegitimate Panchen Lama, is due to attend the 9th South China Sea Buddhism Roundtable Conference in Nepal. 139 global Tibet Network [2] member organisations have called on Nepal’s Prime Minister to repeal any agreement that he can visit stating that “allowing Gyaltsen Norbu to visit Nepal when he lacks recognition or standing among Tibetan Buddhists… would violate the wishes of Buddhists around the world.”

By allowing this visit, the Nepalese government will be complying with China’s efforts to not only legitimise Gyaltsen Norbu as a Tibetan Buddhist leader but also support China’s soft power strategy to co-opt the religious and cultural identity of the Tibetan people to solidify political control over Tibet.

The Chinese government appointed Panchen Lama, Gyaltsen Norbu, was named by Beijing in 1995, in complete contradiction to the centuries-old tradition in which the Dalai Lama identifies the Panchen Lama. The official 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima—the recognised reincarnation by the 14th Dalai Lama—has been missing since 1995 [3], when he was just six years old and was forcibly taken by Chinese authorities.

Chinese government officials have repeatedly made it clear that Beijing deploys Buddhism as a tool to achieve its political objectives of supremacy in geopolitical, military, and territorial issues as well as the legitimacy of its occupation of Tibet. [4]

China’s public relations strategy to elevate Gyaltsen Norbu’s status within the Buddhist hierarchy, portraying him as “the highest ranking figure in Tibetan Buddhism” and the “leader of Tibetan Buddhism is central to its longer-term efforts to control over key lineages, including that of the Dalai Lama, and Tibetan Buddhism more widely.

UN human rights experts and expert bodies have raised multiple concerns with China [5] about the disappearance of the official 11th Panchen Lama and Beijing’s reincarnation rules, citing that interference “undermines, in a discriminatory way, the religious traditions and practices of the Tibetan Buddhist’ community.

The coalition called on Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli to immediately repeal any agreement that Gyaltsen Norbu can enter Nepal, ensure that any future visits by Beijing-appointed Tibetan religious figures are refused, and for the Nepalese government to oppose China’s interference in Tibetan Buddhist religious affairs. The global activists further urged Sharma Oli to call for the immediate release of the 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, and his family.

Pema Doma, Students for a Free Tibet: “This visit represents a serious escalation in China’s decades-long effort to co-opt Tibetan Buddhism to legitimize its rule in Tibet. Tibetans in and outside of Tibet categorically reject China’s interference in their sacred spiritual life just as they reject the Fake Panchen Lama and Chinese rule in their land. The international community must stand with Tibetans in calling for the freedom of the real Panchen Lama, Gendun Choekyi Nyima, who has been missing since he was recognized by the Dalai Lama nearly 30 years ago.”

Tenzin Yangzom, International Tibet Network: “China’s interference in Tibetan Buddhism cannot be tolerated and allowing Gyaltsen Norbu, China’s illegitimate Panchen Lama to visit Nepal while the official 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, remains ‘missing’ for nearly 30 years will be seen as a complete violation of the rights of the Tibetan people and the Tibetan Buddhist community at large. Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli must consider the far-reaching, global implications of allowing this visit – implications that do nothing more than support China’s ruthless attack on religious freedom – and refuse him entry to Nepal.

Tenzyn Zöchbauer, Tibet Initiative Deutschland: “Allowing the Chinese fake Panchen Lama, Gyaltsen Norbu, to participate in the 9th South China Sea Buddhism Roundtable Conference in Nepal would be a profound misstep. While the legitimate 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, and his family remain missing without any confirmation of their well-being, it is unconscionable to legitimize the Chinese Communist Party’s violent suppression of traditional Buddhist practices by allowing such participation. The conference risks endorsing China’s severe violations of religious freedom and its manipulation of the Buddhist leadership. Such an endorsement would be a grave mistake, lending credibility to the CCP’s propaganda machine.”

John Jones, Free Tibet: “As the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, and the home of thousands of refugee Tibetan Buddhists, it matters deeply how Nepal responds to Gyaltsen Norbu’s planned visit. If it wishes to honour this responsibility, it should not be taking direction on Buddhism from the avowedly atheist Chinese Communist Party, whose own officials have been clear that they regard the appointment of Tibetan Buddhist lamas as strategic leverage to tighten their control over Tibet. The Government of Nepal should disinvite Gyaltsen Norbu and call for the release of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima. Defying Beijing may be awkward, but insulting the 500 million Buddhists around the world would be damning.”

For further information or comments, contact:
Tenzin Yangzom, International Tibet Network: yangzom@tibetnetwork.org, +1 617-682-6977⁩
John Jones, Free Tibet: john@freetibet.org +44 7591 188383
Pema Doma, Students for a Free Tibet: pema@studentsforafreetibet.org ⁨+1 617-792-3606⁩

NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. ‘China’s Panchen Lama Visit Raises Concerns Over Nepal’s Geopolitical Neutrality,‘ Nepal Aaja, 10 December 2024, https://nepalaaja.com/2024/12/202412108228

2. ‘Nepal: Beijing’s illegitimate Panchen Lama must not be allowed to visit’, Tibet Network Member Group Joint Letter, 11 December 2024, https://tibetnetwork.org/nepal-beijings-illegitimate-panchen-lama-must-not-be-allowed-to-visit/

3. Gedhun Choekyi Nyima is the Panchen Lama, the second-highest authority in Tibetan Buddhism after the Dalai Lama. On 25 April 1995, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima turned six years old. Barely a month later, he became the world’s youngest political prisoner. He has been missing for nearly 35 years. https://freetibet.org/freedom-for-tibet/political-prisoners/panchen-lama/

4. ‘Tibet, the Dalai Lama and the Geopolitics of Reincarnation,’ International Tibet Network, 3 October 2022, https://tibetnetwork.org/geopoliticsoftibetsreincarnation

4. https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=25294