On
May 14th, 1995, His Holiness the Dalai Lama announced the
selection of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as the eleventh reincarnation
of the Panchen Lama. Shortly after that announcement, the
new Panchen Lama and his parents were kidnapped by the Chinese
Communist Government. Since that time, no one has seen or
heard from the Panchen Lama, though junior Chinese government
officials state that he is attending school in Beijing. Repeated
requests by thousands of Tibet supporters, governments, and
human rights organizations to seek independent verification
of this boy's well being have been ignored by the Chinese
government. In his place as Panchen Lama, the Chinese Communist
Party has selected the son of one of its Tibetan party members
to serve as its puppet. To respond to these grotesque actions
committed by the Chinese Communist Party, BAFoT has formed
the Panchen Lama Committee. The goals of this committee are:
- to
obtain as soon as possible the release of the Panchen Lama
and his family;
-
to demand immediate access to the Panchen Lama by an independent
organization, such as the International Red Cross, in order
to ascertain the state of his health and well-being;
-
to insure that the Panchen Lama receives the proper traditional
education befitting the high spiritual office of the Panchen
Lama;
-
to establish access to the Panchen lama for his spiritual
followers throughout the world. In order to accomplish these
goals, the Panchen Lama Committee will organize and engage
in: demonstrations, boycotts, public communication, letter
writing campaigns and other forms of protest. The Panchen
Lama Committee is also committed to work for religious freedom
in Tibet and to exert as much pressure as possible upon
the Chinese Communist Party to stop its merciless repression
of Tibetan Buddhism.
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