02 May 2006
UN group discuss Panchen Lama
The Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, part of the UN Commission on Human Rights, reports that it has discussed the case of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the boy recognized by the Dalai Lama as the 11th reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, during a meeting held at the United Nations in Geneva. In a statement released by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights about its meeting, the Working Group said: "The Working Group especially deplores disappearances of children. At this meeting, it received new cases of disappeared children from Colombia and reviewed outstanding cases of children's disappearances in Honduras and Nepal. It also discussed communications received on the case of the Panchen Lama of Tibet, China. The Working Group noted that this session coincided with the 17th birthday of the Panchen Lama who disappeared when he was only 6 years old". "We are very satisfied that the Working Group continues to remain concerned with the fate of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima", said Mr. Kelsang Gyaltsen, Envoy of the Dalai Lama to the European Union, who also heads the Tibet Bureau for UN Affairs in Geneva.