Missing Panchen Lama living ‘a very good life in Tibet'

Beijing: A boy who disappeared after being named Tibetan Buddhism's second-highest figure by the Dalai Lama is living with his family somewhere in Tibet, the Himalayan region's Chinese-appointed governor said yesterday.

Speaking to reporters in Beijing, Padma Choling gave no other details about the boy, Gendun Choekyi Nyima, saying only that his siblings were studying at a university or working in regular jobs.

"As far as I know, his family and he are now living a very good life in Tibet," Padma Choling said at a news conference on the sidelines of China's annual legislative session.

"He and his family are reluctant to be disturbed, they want to live an ordinary life."

Gendun Choekyi Nyima, 20, was named the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama in 1995 by the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism's highest figure whom Beijing reviles. He and his family, who are from a remote part of Chinese-controlled Tibet, have not been heard from since.

Instead, Chinese officials selected another boy, Gyaltsen Norbu, as the Panchen, but he is not generally recognised as such by many Tibetans.

Padma Choling said the Chinese-appointed Panchen works out of his main temple in the western Tibetan city of Shigatse, and "enjoys popular support from people of all ethnic groups".