Buddhist leaders urge international community to investigate whereabouts of 11th Panchen Lama

Senior Buddhist monks and leaders on Friday demanded a probe to find out the whereabouts of the 11th Panchen Lama, a press statement by the Central Tibetan Administration said.
The monks and leaders including Kyabje Zeekyab Tulku Jetsun Tenzin Thupten Rabgyal, Abbot (leader) of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Karnataka, Kyabje Lochen Rinpoche, Tsechokling Tulku Tenzing Gelek, Sikkim; and Regzin Dorjay, the acting president of the Ladakh Buddhist Association held a joint press conference at Dharamshala and demanded to know about the Panchen Lama.
During the conference, Buddhist leaders demanded the immediate release of the 11th Panchen Rinpoche. Additionally, a joint petition was also read by Zeekyab Rinpoche representing several monasteries from the Himalayan region, urging foreign governments, the United Nations, and the International Community to pass a motion directing their ambassadors in China to meet with the 11th Panchen Lama and ascertain his whereabouts and wellbeing.
Moreover, the conference also demanded that international governments recognize Lama as a victim of enforced disappearance. As he has been unknown for almost 29 years, and has been denied his human rights, religious freedom, rights of a child, other fundamental rights of movement, residency, and action.
The statement by the CTA also demanded that the international community 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, and several other Tibetan political prisoners.
The CTA press statement mentioned that ” 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 to draw the attention of the United Nations and the international community to the critical situation in Tibet”.
The statement also mentioned that Tibetans from their homeland desire for the Dalai Lama to be able to return to Tibet at the earliest. Hence they appealed that, the international community 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.
Further, Regzin Dorjay, Acting President of the Ladakh Buddhist Association also urged the Indian government to initiate dialogue with China concerning the whereabouts of the Panchen Lama and UN 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”.