A boy chosen as the Panchen Lama disappeared in 1995. China says he's now a college grad with a job

A boy chosen as the Panchen Lama disappeared in 1995. China says he's now a college grad with a job

By James Griffiths, CNN

Updated 7:14 AM ET, Wed May 20, 2020

https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/20/asia/china-tibet-panchen-lama-dalai-lama-intl-hnk/index.html

"SNIP......

Hong Kong (CNN)Twenty-five years ago, a six-year-old boy was recognized as the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, the second-highest ranking figure in Tibetan Buddhism. He promptly disappeared.

Gedhun Choekyi Nyima has never been heard from since, but on Tuesday, China said he was a college graduate with a job, and that neither he nor his family wished to be disturbed in their "current normal lives."

The brief comments, made by Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian during a regular press briefing, offer a rare window into the apparent life of the now 31-year-old.

Gedhun Choekyi Nyima was identified by the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, as the 11th Panchen Lama in 1995, six years after the death of his predecessor. But Beijing rejected him and quickly put forward its own candidate, Gyancain Norbu, who the Chinese government claims is the "real" Panchen Lama.

......SNIP"