What if China kidnapped the Pope or Billy Graham?

Tibet's troubles with China just seem to be swept under the carpet by the American Ministry of Truth.

On April 25, 2006, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, Tibet's 11th Panchen Lama will turn 17 years old and spend yet another birthday as a prisoner of the Chinese government. He has not been seen or heard from in over a decade, since he and his family were abducted by the Chinese government.

In 1995, at age 6, His Holiness the Dalai Lama recognized Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as the 11th reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, Tibet's second most important spiritual leader. Shorty thereafter, the young child and his family were detained by the Chinese authorities. China has denied all requests by world leaders to visit him.

The Chinese government’s motives for keeping Gendhun Choekyi Nyima under house arrest are purely political and a means for further controlling Tibetans' religion and culture. Historically, the Panchen Lama has played a pivotal role in identifying the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, and vice versa. China’s atheist government has installed a different child, Gyaltsen Norbu, as the 11th Panchen Lama. This innocent boy is being used as a Tibetan mouthpiece for the Chinese Communist Party and was recently profiled at the World Buddhist Forum, held in Hangzhou, China.

Gedhun Choekyi Nyima is a child. He has been unjustly held under house arrest for more than a decade. Tibetans will always worship him as the rightful Panchen Lama and will never accept China's chosen replacement, Gyaltsen Norbu. The recent attempt by the Chinese government to promote the status of Gyaltsen Norbu at the World Buddhist Forum in Hangzhou, China only serves to increase the resentment Tibetans feel towards China's occupation of Tibet.

This week, Tibetans and supporters around the world will hold demonstrations, rallies, and vigils calling for the release of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and for his return to his rightful seat in Tashilhunpo Monastery. Please join them by sending a message to the Chinese government, urging them to free Gedhun Choekyi Nyima now.

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