US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called on China to immediately make public the Panchen Lama’s whereabouts and uphold its international commitments to promote religious freedom, saying he is one of the most important figures in the Tibetan Buddhism with spiritual authority second only to the Dalai Lama.
His remarks came on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the disappearance of the 11th Panchen Lama.
The Department of State has made the promotion and protection of religious freedom a priority, especially in China, where people of all faiths face severe repression and discrimination, Pompeo said.
“As part of that mission on May 17, we marked the 25th anniversary of the disappearance of the 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, who has not appeared in public since the PRC (People’s Republic of China) government abducted him in 1995 at age six,” he said in a statement.
“The Panchen Lama is one of the most important figures in Tibetan Buddhism with spiritual authority second only to the Dalai Lama. But China’s persecution of the Panchen Lama is not unusual,” Pompeo said.
He called on the Chinese government to immediately make public the Panchen Lama’s whereabouts and to uphold its own constitution and international commitments to promote religious freedom for all persons.
The United States, he said, remains deeply concerned about PRC’s ongoing campaign to eliminate the religious, linguistic and cultural identity of Tibetans, including through the ongoing destruction of communities of worship and learning, such as the Larung Gar and Yachen Gar Buddhist Institutes.