China’s Panchen’ Makes Rare Visit to Tibet’s Capital Lhasa

Tibet’s Panchen Lama, a senior Buddhist monk hand-picked by Beijing to replace a candidate more widely recognized by Tibetans as authentic, paid a rare and largely unnoticed recent visit to Tibet’s regional capital Lhasa, where he was received by government officials, reports in Chinese state media said. Gyaltsen Norbu, called Gyaincain in Chinese, arrived in Lhasa on July 31 and was greeted by Chinese authorities, students, and civil servants, and later went to pray on Aug. 3 in Lhasa’s Jokhang temple, media sources said.

Few in Lhasa appear to have been aware of the Panchen Lama’s visit, though, a city resident told RFA’s Tibetan Service this week. Access to the Jokhang and Lhasa’s central Barkhor old town area are usually tightly restricted, RFA’s source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“But a few days ago even more police were deployed there than usual. Gyaltsen Norbu was probably visiting then,” the source said, adding, “Not many Tibetans know about the China-appointed Panchen Lama, and only those who don’t know his background will care much about him.”

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