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Beijing's Panchen Lama makes rare appearance

The boy chosen by Beijing as the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, Tibetan Buddhism's second-highest figure, called for devotion to China during a rare public appearance, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Gyaltsen Norbu was visiting temples in Yunnan Province, which has more than 128,000 ethnic Tibetans, and performed benediction rituals for more than 40,000 followers, Xinhua said.

He "urged local Buddhists to show passion to the nation and the religion, and safeguard the country and benefit the people," Xinhua said on Wednesday.

It didn't say when the visit took place.

Norbu also met local Tibetan Buddhist representatives and government officials and expressed "satisfaction over the implementation of the religious policies initiated by the Communist Party of China," Xinhua said.

Beijing installed Norbu, 16, as the 11th Panchen Lama in 1995, rejecting a boy chosen by the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Buddhist leader who fled to India in 1959 following an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet.

The communist leadership controls all forms of worship, especially in Tibet, where Buddhism is an integral part of the restive Himalayan region's distinctive identity.

Many Tibetans say their territory was independent when communist troops arrived in 1950 and the Dalai Lama has campaigned for autonomy to protect its culture. Beijing says Tibet has been part of China for centuries and accuses the Dalai Lama of agitating for independence.

Human rights groups say the Chinese government limits numbers of monks in Tibetan monasteries, restricts religious teaching and requires monks to attend political classes and denounce the Dalai Lama.
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