The Panchen Lama Tibet's Stolen Child.

In May 1995, at the age of six, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima was recognised by the Dalai Lama as the 11th Panchen Lama. He and his family were then abducted by the Chinese, and have never been seen since.

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Perhaps more than any other political prisoner, Gedhun Nyima's incarceration highlights the nature of the political game that Beijing is playing. Having never been involved in any kind of dissident activity, and abducted purely on the basis of his potential future importance in the Tibetan political arena, this illustrates the cold, calculating logic of the Communist Chinese Government, to whom human rights are of not the slightest concern.

He is now 18. No-one really knows what he looks like, as no outsider has seen him since the age of a small child. His whereabouts are still unknown. You can help by sending an enquiry about his health and present situation to:

Beijing:

The Panchen Lama
c/o Mr Li Zhaoxing
Waijiaobu (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
225 Chaoyangmenneidajie
Beijingshi 100701
People's Republic of China
Telegram: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Beijing, China

London Embassy:

The Panchen Lama
c/o Mr Zha Peixin
The Chinese Embassy
49-51 Portland Place
London W1N 3AH

If this seems to you a futile operation, then check-out the results of the Ngawang Sangdrol campaign. Public pressure matters to politicians!

For more information, and other campaign ideas, visit the UK-wide campaign site, www.freetibet.org  and click on the "Panchen Lama" link.

The Freetibet.org website will also carry a birthday greeting which can be downloaded and emailed to the Chinese Embassy.

Panchen Lama Birthday Event

The day was bright and sunny with quite a carnival atmosphere in the open area of St Nicholas Square.

Campaigners for animal rights set up their stall early, followed by an influx of SNP and Labour party workers, plus two local MPs, all wearing their large colourful rosettes, the Labour contingent giving out masses of red balloons throughout the morning. At lunch time a lone bagpiper provided entertainment, followed by other music and dancers producing a vibrant atmosphere during the rest of the day.

Our own stall was decorated with colourful prayer flags, and had a large display about the Panchen Lama. We had leaflets and information available, plus a petition to the Chinese Ambassador asking for the unconditional release of the Panchen Lama. The petition was signed by 135 people, including Anne Begg and Frank Doran the current/prospective MPs for Aberdeen South and Central respectively. We collected £75 in unsolicited donations, distributed much information and hopefully generated some future commitment to the cause.