The young man enthroned by Beijing as the second-highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism is visiting major religious sites in Tibet, Xinhua news agency reported yesterday, part of efforts to expand his influence in the restive Tibetan region.
Xinhua said thousands of Tibetan Buddhists gathered on Monday to see 20-year-old Gyaltsen Norbu, Beijing’s choice for Panchen Lama, in Lhoka Prefecture — a Tibetan region on China’s disputed southern border with India.
It was his first visit to Lhoka since being appointed Panchen Lama as a six-year-old boy in 1995, Xinhua reported.
The top Tibetan Buddhist leader is the Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in India. His choice for Panchen Lama, announced in 1995, was rejected by Beijing and has not been heard from since.
Gyaltsen Norbu, though not generally recognized as Panchen Lama by many Tibetans, is emerging as Beijing’s choice to supplant the Dalai Lama as the public face of Tibetan Buddhism and has taken on an increasingly political role in recent years. He has made appearances with Communist Party leaders praising Chinese rule over Tibet and was recently appointed to the main government advisory body.
He arrived on Friday in Lhasa and visited monasteries in and around the city over the weekend. On Sunday, he made his first official visit to the 900-year-old Reting Monastery a few hours north of Lhasa, Xinhua said.
On Monday, he held prayer services in Lhoka, known in Chinese as Shannan, and blessed thousands of devotees, it said.
“I am very happy because it has been my dream to come to Shannan and hold a prayer service here,” the Panchen Lama was quoted as saying to local government officials.
Rioting that broke out in Lhasa on March 14, 2008, left 22 people dead and led to the most sustained Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule in decades. Beijing says the demonstrations were part of a violent campaign organized by the Dalai Lama and his supporters.
to throw off Chinese rule in Tibet and sabotage the Beijing Olympics in August 2008.
The Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet 50 years ago amid an uprising against Chinese rule, has denied the charge and says he seeks only significant autonomy for Tibet under continued Chinese rule.
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