From The Times Online (link):
China today allowed the teenage boy it has chosen as the Panchen Lama to make his first public speech, delivering a carefully calibrated message about patriotism and harmony.
Gyaltsen Norbu, 16, was selected by the Chinese Government in 1995 to be the second most senior figure in Tibetan Buddhism.
Another boy of the same age, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, identified by the exiled Dalai Lama and his followers as the true reincarnation of the previous Panchen Lama, was rejected by Chinese officials and has not been seen since.
See also:
-“Beijing’s lama snubbed by Buddhists” from the Age
-“Analysis: promoting China’s Panchen” from The Times
-“Human Rights Watch Calls for UN Access to Detained Panchen Lama” from Savetibet.org
-“Panchen Lama calls for self-cultivation for world’s harmony” from Xinhua
-“Finding their religion” from the Guardian.
–A slideshow of the World Buddhist Forum, the first international religious conference hosted in China since the Communists took power in 1949.
-The official site for the World Buddhist Forum
