Dharamshala: Kyabje Zeekyab Tulku Jetsun Tenzin Thupten Rabgyal, Abbot of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama; Kyabje Lochen Rinpoche, Tsechokling Tulku Tenzing Gelek, Sikkim; and Regzin Dorjay, Acting President of the Ladakh Buddhist Association, jointly held a press conference to call for the immediate release of His Serenity the 11th Panchen Rinpoche who was recognised by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the occasion of His Serenity the 11th Panchen Rinpoche’s birthday.
At the press meeting, Zeekyab Rinpoche read a joint appeal undersigned by himself, along with Kyabje Lochen Rinpoche of the Key Monastery in Spiti, Tsechokling Rinpoche, and Regzin Dorjay. The petition reads, “It is with great concern that we, representing four monasteries and associations from the Himalayan region and the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, make this joint appeal with following five points to the Foreign Governments, the United Nations, and the International Community:
- We urge the foreign governments, the United Nations and the international community to pass a motion urging them to direct their ambassadors in China to meet with the 11th Panchen Lama and ascertain his whereabouts and wellbeing.
- We urge the foreign governments, the United Nations and the international community to honor the 11th Panchen Lama with an award recognizing him as a victim of enforced disappearance for almost 29 years, and as someone who has been denied with his human rights, religious freedom, rights of a child and other fundamental rights of movement, residency and action.
- In order to enable his early release and as a way to draw attention to his situation, we appeal the foreign governments, the United Nations and the international community to observe the birthday of the 11th Panchen Lama.
- We also urge the foreign governments, the United Nations and the international community to actively call for the release of Chadrel Rinpoche, a lama of Tashi Lhunpo monastery who was the head of the search committee for the 11th Panchen Lama, as well as the very many Tibetan political prisoners. On account of the dire situation inside Tibet, more than 150 Tibetans have been resorting to acts of self-immolation, the latest being a 25-year-old Tibetan singer Tsewang Norbu and an 81-year-old Taphun in 2022. The self-immolators have sacrificed their most cherished life in order to draw the attention of the United Nations and the international community to the critical situation in Tibet. Therefore, we urge the foreign governments, the United Nations and the international community to respond positively to their plea.
- The aspiration of the Tibetans in Tibet is for His Holiness the Dalai Lama to be able to return to Tibet at the earliest. Therefore, we strongly appeal to the foreign governments, the United Nations and the international community to consider taking concrete initiatives to support His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration to enable the resolution of the Tibet-China conflict through the mutually beneficial Middle Way Approach.
The foreign governments, their citizens, the United Nations, and the international community have been consistently supporting the Tibetan people. So, we take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude. This five-point joint appeal that we have presented today are in one way also connected to the holistic wellbeing of the several million believers and followers, and therefore, is connected to democratic rights of these many individuals.
We have firm hope that the foreign governments, the United Nations and the international community will consider the reality of the Tibetan situation, particularly on the issue of the Panchen Lama’s enforced disappearance case, and consider our appeals positively.”
Addressing the press meeting, Regzin Dorjay, Acting President of the Ladakh Buddhist Association, shared his comments on His Serenity the 11 Panchen Lama’s plight and expressed dismay over the long disappearance of the latter after being recognised by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
He urged the Indian government to initiate dialogue with China concerning the whereabouts of the Panchen Lama and appealed to the United Nations to intervene in the situation. He added, “As a Buddhist leader, I highly doubt the Panchen Lama’s current status, as no one has seen him since his disappearance. We must exert pressure on the Chinese government as this violates our human rights. It’s a significant loss to the Buddhist community and sends a troubling message that the Panchen Lama remains missing after so many years”.
Following the address, the speakers answered questions from the media personnel from Tibetan and Indian news outlets assembled at the joint press meeting.