Fake Panchen Lama to visit Nepal After Official Denial?

By Tenzin Chokyi

DHARAMSALA, 12 Dec: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal, in its diplomatic note, denied permission to the Beijing-appointed Panchen Lama, Gyaltsen Norbu, to visit Lumbini due to its policy of maintaining neutrality in religious matters, according to a report by The Kathmandu Post today.

“We have not allowed the Dalai Lama to come to Nepal; by the same token, we also can’t allow a similar China-backed religious figure to visit Nepal,” said a senior security official, according to the report.

The ministry sent the diplomatic note to the Chinese embassy after reports were leaked about Gyaltsen Norbu’s planned visit to Nepal from 14 to 17 December to join the 9th South China Sea Buddhism Roundtable Conference, scheduled from 12 to 17 December in Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha.

The news follows Nepal Prime Minister Prasad Sharma Oli’s official visit to Beijing with a 39-member delegation from 2-5 December, the first since he took office in July this year.

The communication leak surfaced as soon as Prime Minister Oli landed in China on 2 December. When he met Premier Le Qiang of the State Council, it was revealed that an Air China chartered flight was coming from Chengdu to Kathmandu in mid-December carrying VIP Buddhist monks, according to four people aware of this development who spoke to the Kathmandu Post.

It caused tension in certain diplomatic circles in Kathmandu, and pressure began to pile up on the Kathmandu government from both inside and outside the country, says the report.

Nepal’s Home Minister Lekhak informed Foreign Minister Deuba that the China-backed Panchen Lama was visiting Nepal, reportedly with permission from Prime Minister Oli. However, it later turned out that Oli was not aware of this matter when the foreign minister spoke to him about it.

Foreign Minister Deuba reportedly said that the Kathmandu government would not allow him to come. “He is not coming,” she told the Post, adding, “When we sought clarification from the Chinese Embassy, it also denied that he was coming.”

Officials from the Home and Tourism ministries, after studying the list of every passenger traveling on chartered flights from Chengdu to Lumbini via Air China, couldn’t locate the name of the Panchen Lama. “We could not spot his name anywhere, but he might have multiple passports with multiple names and identities,” one home ministry official involved in the verification process told the Post. “There are several ways to disguise identity, and so we were cautious as well as alert.”

However, security sources told the Post that they had information that “the Panchen Lama was likely to visit Lumbini in disguise by hiding among the 227 Chinese monks and officials who are arriving in Lumbini on a chartered Airbus A330 flight later this week.” They expressed concerns about potential diplomatic and geopolitical tensions if this unfolds.

The chartered flight was authorized by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal on 18 November as requested by the Chinese side.

The report presents a conflicting picture of the matter, but what is clear and concerning is the CCP’s deepening control and infiltration into the Tibetan Buddhist world.

In an appeal letter from a coalition of global Tibet-related organizations addressed to the Nepal Prime Minister, it states: “Allowing Gyaltsen Norbu to visit Nepal, when he lacks recognition or standing among Tibetan Buddhists, would violate the wishes of Buddhists around the world.” It further stated that the appointment was a purely strategic move and would signal the Nepalese government’s compliance not only with China’s efforts to legitimize Gyaltsen Norbu as a Tibetan Buddhist leader but also with China’s soft power strategy to co-opt the religious and cultural identity of the Tibetan people to solidify political control over Tibet.

In addition, it called on Oli “to repeal any agreement that Gyaltsen Norbu can enter Nepal and ensure that any future visits by Beijing-appointed Tibetan religious figures are refused.”

Tibetan Youth Congress president Tashi Dhargyal urged the Nepal government to reject the China-appointed Panchen Lama’s visit to Nepal and said any visit “will be viewed as a dangerous signal that the government of Nepal is willing to tolerate Chinese interference in religious affairs for geopolitical gain.”

China appointed Gyaltsen Norbu as the 11th Panchen Lama in 1995 in opposition to the Dalai Lama-recognised Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima. He is not recognised by the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people.

Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, at the age of six, along with his family, was abducted by the Chinese authorities on 17 May 1995, within three days of his recognition by the Dalai Lama. He has been missing for 29 years now.