WASHINGTON: China has been requested by the United States to free the 11th Panchen Lama of Tibetan Buddhism, made prisoner by the Chinese authorities at the age of six.
In 1995, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, a young Tibetan child, was appointed the 11th Panchen Lama, Tibet's second largest spiritual authority after the Dalai Lama. Nyima was gone a few days later, becoming the youngest prisoner of politics in the world.
The Chinese authorities are freeing the Panchen Lama and setting him home and letting the world know where he is, "said Ambassador Sam Brownback on a Thursday conference call.
"It is getting becoming more important as China continues to say that they do not have the opportunity to name the next Dalai Lama," Brownback said in response to a request.
In the meantime it reiterated in the statement its demand for the State Department to file the vacancy of the Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues for the United States Committee on International Religious Freedom(USCIRF).
The Tibetan Policy Act for 2002 stipulates the selection of the Special Coordinator for Tibetan Affairs, but after January 20, 2017 this is vacant.
Previous Special Coordinators were crucial to raise the profile of Tibetan issues of religious freedom and mobilize policy support to address the problem.
"The Communist Party of China is pursuing the elimination of Tibetan Buddhism 's distinctive heritage," said USCIRF Commissioner Gary Bauer.
"To address the significant challenge to freedom of religion we have to use all necessary policy resources, such as the appointment of a Specific Advisor for Tibetan Affairs," he said.
You also know about this
You also know about this