NEWS UPDATE JULY 2004
China pushing its own Panchen Lama choice
LHASA, TIBET, China, April 10 (UPI) -- Chinese authorities are pressuring Tibetan monks to accept their choice of Panchen Lama, the second highest religious figure in Tibetan Buddhism.
Officials from the Religious Affairs Department have been conducting twice-weekly indoctrination sessions at the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, aimed at suppressing the Panchen Lama chosen in 1995 by the Dalai Lama and forcing monks to recognize Beijing's choice for the role, Radio Free Asia reported.
Chinese officials in Tibet said they were unaware of any such efforts in the monastery.
But a Tibetan source said that government officials ran study sessions in person from 3:00-5:00 p.m. at the monastery twice a week. "The Chinese government is asking the monks to recognize their candidate as the real reincarnation of the Panchen Lama," he said. The Chinese-selected Panchen Lama, Gyaincain Norbu, is rarely seen in public and is closely guarded by the Chinese government. The Dalai Lama-appointed Panchen Lama, Gendun Choekyi Nyima, has been under virtual house arrest since 1995 when he was six years old.
The Panchen Lama is important to Tibetan Buddhists because he typically leads
the search for the reincarnated Dalai Lama.