Hostage of Beijing

IN MAY 1995, SIX- YEAR-OLD Gendun Chokyi Nyima was officially recognized by the present Dalai Lama as the eleventh incarnation of the Panchen Lama, Tibet's second most important spiritual leader. A few days later, he and his family were removed from their village by the Chinese authorities, and disappeared from public view. Shortly after this kidnapping Beijing produced its own Panchen Lama, another boy from the same village. Both these children are effectively 'Hostages of Beijing'. According to Tibetan tradition, the Panchen Lama plays a key role in identifying the next incarnation of the Dalai Lama. Will Gendun Chokyi Nyima, the world's youngest political prisoner, be allowed to fulfil this pivotal role? Or, in a move calculated to to give them control over the spiritual and temporal leadership of Tibet, will the Chinese use their puppet Panchen Lama to nominate the next Dalai Lama? Drawing on a deep understanding of Tibetan affairs and many years' contact with leaders in exile, Gilles van Grasdorff gives fresh and illuminating insights into the recent history of Tibet and its ambiguous relationship with China. In doing so, he helps us to understand why the stability of the region and the future of the Tibetan people is inextricably linked with the future of these two young boys.