By IANS,
Dharamsala : Tibetan refugees here will celebrate the 19th birthday of the Panchen Lama April 25, a spokesman of the Tibetan government-in-exile said here Wednesday.
“There will be an early morning prayer congregation in Dharamsala to be led by monks and then they will perform Sangsol (incense offering),” the official said.
“Later, Tibetan Prime Minister Samdhong Rinpoche will address the function at the main temple. In the evening, Tibetans will gather at the same venue to hold a candle light procession,” said the official of the Tibetan government-in-exile not recognised by any country.
A documentary on the lives of successive Panchen Lamas and their relation with successive Dalai Lamas will also be screened.
“Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the six-year-old boy identified by the Dalai Lama as the 11th Panchen Lama, disappeared 17 May 1995. The Chinese government later admitted to holding the boy and his family ‘in protective custody’,” the official said.
“Despite repeated appeals to gain access to the boy monk, no international agency or human rights organisation has been granted contact with the young Panchen Lama and his whereabouts remain unknown,” he said.