Fake Panchen Lama Skips Nepal Visit Amid Controversy, Future Remains Uncertain
By Tenzin Chokyi
DHARAMSHALA, 18 Dec: The Chinese-backed Panchen Lama, Gyaltsen Norbu, did not arrive on the chartered flight carrying 220 Chinese Buddhist monks and practitioners that landed in Lumbini, Nepal, on 14th December, despite the tip-off that he might be travelling in disguise among these passengers, according to a report by The Kathmandu Post.
Notwithstanding earlier reports made public through a communication leak, Gyaltsen Norbu missed the Nanhai Buddhist Roundtable conference, which was held from 14-15 December in Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, after his anticipated attendance sparked furore from Tibetan activists and rights groups and was aggravated by tension in certain diplomatic circles in Kathmandu.
Despite this development, Nepalese Prime Minister Oli inaugurated the Nanhai Buddhist Roundtable conference and described Buddhism as a “luminous thread” in the relationship between Nepal and China.
Officials expressed confusion about the significance of the conference. “We do not know why the prime minister addressed such an event that does not hold much significance,” a senior official at the prime minister’s office said in the report.
Nepal has officially denied permission to the Chinese-backed Panchen Lama, citing its “neutrality on religious matters,” and denied any prior knowledge of the matter following the communication leak about Gyaltsen Norbu’s planned visit to Nepal.
However, an earlier report cited government officials saying there was a move to bring the Chinese-appointed Panchen Lama to Nepal. Meanwhile, a pre-approved flight bound for Lumbini from Beijing was cancelled on the same day as the communication leak.
Observers have described the move as China’s strategy to legitimise the Chinese-appointed Lama beyond its borders to undermine the standing of the Dalai Lama, counter global support for the exiled Tibetan community, and propagate the Chinese version of Buddhism in Nepal.
This move directly follows Prime Minister Oli’s four-day visit to China, where he signed the Belt and Road Initiative Framework Agreement.
During the trip, Oli also reiterated that Tibetan affairs are China’s internal affairs and that Nepal will never allow any separatist activities against China on its soil.
In 2019, China attempted to sign an extradition treaty with Nepal, which remained unsuccessful. Researchers and activists alike have expressed fear that if it transpires, it will jeopardize the future of several thousand Tibetan refugees living in Nepal.
While the Chinese-appointed Lama was denied entry to Nepal this time, Rishi Gupta, assistant director at Asia Society Policy Institute, has warned that “this decision is far from a permanent safeguard.”
“Should leaders like Oli return to power with a strong majority, the likelihood of China exerting its influence to advance its agenda in Nepal would dramatically increase, paving the way for deeper cultural and political incursions. The risk of Nepal becoming a staging ground for Beijing’s Sinicisation efforts remains alarmingly real,” Gupta warned in an opinion piece published by The Print.
