Radio Free Asia reports that China recently tried to arrange for its puppet Panchen Lama to tour an area with an ethnic Tibetan� majority population. In particular, he was to visit Labrang Monastery in Sangchu county, Gansu Province. In recent years Labrang has been the site of anti-Beijing demonstrations and harsh government crackdowns.
China had beefed up security in the area to prepare for a July visit by the faux Panchen Lama. But even ethnic Tibetans working for local government had refused to welcome him, even after they were threatened with salary cuts or firing. Plans for the visit have been indefinitely suspended.
For those of you new to this issue -- traditionally, the Panchen Lama is the second highest lama in Tibetan Buddhism. After the death of the 10th� Panchen Lama, His Holiness the Dalai Lama identified a six-year-old boy as the 11th Panchen Lama. But within the week the boy and his family had disappeared, and later that year Beijing named another boy to be the Panchen Lama.
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