Hello everyone! It is nice to meet you! My name is Gedhun Choekyi Nyima. I was born on April 25th, 1989 in Lhari, Tibet.
I was only 6 years old when parents and I were kidnapped from our home in Tibet by the Chinese government. I am now the world's youngest political prisoner and have been missing for over 10 years.
For those of you who don't know who I am, I'll tell you a little more about myself.
"Panchen Lama" is a religious title like "Vice-President" or "Prime Minister" that Tibetans give to the second greatest leader of Tibet. Panchen means "Great Scholar" and Lama is a word Tibetans use for a religious teacher. We believe that the Panchen Lama is the protector of all the world's living beings.
Tibet used to be its own country but China invaded it in 1949. After the Chinese took over, Tibetans in Tibet were no longer free or happy. China kidnapped my family and myself from our home in Tibet and are they holding us under house arrest somewhere in China.
Why does China have me imprisoned?
China had so many soldiers and so many guns that they didn't care how the Tibetans felt or what they said. They were very angry because the Tibetans said they wanted their country back so they started to put Tibetans in jail where many of them were beaten and killed.
The Dalai Lama, the leader of Tibet, escaped to India before the Chinese soldiers could find him and hurt him. But the Chinese soldiers found me, the 10th Panchen Lama and wouldn't let me go.
After 1959, life was very sad for Tibetans in Tibet. Many people died because they were tortured in prison and put in labour camps.
Today, Tibetans in Tibet are still forced to live by the rules of the Chinese government. China does not like anyone who says their laws should be changed. This is why so many Tibetans ran away as refugees from Tibet to live in other places like Canada, the United States and India.
Why did China want to steal me in the first place?
According to Tibetan Buddhism, I am what you would call a "rinpoche". A rinpoche is the title for an incarnate lama, meaning "Precious One" in Tibetan.
According to tradition, The Dalai Lama and The Panchen Lama are the highest ranking lamas in Tibetan Buddhism. When one of us dies, the other will be the the one to confirm the next lama's identity when he/she is found. So what does this have to do with China?
Simple: After China kidnapped me (the real Panchen Lama as identified by the Dalai lama), they picked a different boy themselves even though the government of China does not believe in religion. His name is Gyachain Norbu. He is not the real Panchen Lama, but mearly a pawn controlled by the Chinese government. The Chinese believe that when the Dalai Lama dies, they will be to have the imposter Panchen Lama select the next Dalai Lama (who would probably be identified as a Chinese boy). As you can see, this is a very sad situation.
This is why I need to be rescued! Please save me!
