Indians rally for the release of the Panchen Lama
Friday, 27 April 2007, 10:50 a.m
Dharamshala:Members of Kateshwara’s Indian Tibet Support Group held a peaceful rally in Delhi, from Ram Lila Maidan to Jantar Mantar, to mark the 18th birthday of Gedun Choekyi Nyima, the boy His Holiness the Dalai Lama recognised as the 11th Panchen Lama in May 1995.
As the rally held under the banner of Youth Liberation Front for Tibet (YLFT) proceeded from Ram Lila Maidan to Tolstoy Marg to Jantar Mantar, members of Tibet support groups based in Delhi also joined the march.
The President of YLFT, Narendra Chaudhary, demanded that the boy held in Chinese custody, along with his family, should be released, and that China must begin earnest negotiations with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
In a memorandum signed by Dr. Mahesh Yadav; president of the YLFT, and the Friends of Tibet, the groups put forward four key demands:
1. Provide information about the whereabouts of the 11th Panchen Lama, Gendun Choekyi Nyima.
2. Immediate release of the young Panchen Lama, along with his parents, and to allow him to conduct his religious studies as per Buddhist tradition.
3. Release Chadrel Rinpoche and Jampa Chung from imprisonment, and restore them to their previous positions.
4. Stop violation of human rights in Tibet.
Later in the evening, the Tibetan parliamentarians and Tibet supporters staged a candle light vigil for the well being of the Panchen Lama missing since May 1995.