Since this past may, several monks from the Tashilhunpo monastery in Shigatse, have been arrested and detained for opposing Beijing's choice of the 11th reincarnation of the Panchen Lama. One such monk, the former abbot of Tashilhunpo monastery, who was in charge of the Dalai Lama's search for the future Panchen Lama, is Chadrel Rinpoche.

Chadrel Rinpoche was arrested for refusing to condemn the Dalai Lama's choice of the successor of the 10th Panchen Lama. Amnesty International sources state that since his arrest on May 17, 1995, Chadrel Rinpoche has suffered from poor health. A Chinese official told Western journalists in Beijing that he had been ill since the National People's Congress in May, and is in hospital. The official would not disclose the details of his illness or his whereabouts. His existence remains a mystery.

Following his arrest in May 1995, the TAR authorities are reported to have appointed a new abbot at the Tashilhunpo monastery. No word has been given to the monks still remaining, as to where their former abbot is. All dissent within the monastery has been suppressed, while TAR authorities attempt to force monks to publicly denounce Chadrel Rinpoche.

Amnesty International reports that on July 11, 1995, TAR officials went to a meeting at Tashilhunpo during which a long report was read to the monks condemning Chadrel Rinpoche for his connections with the Dalai Lama. The meeting was disrupted by over a hundred monks, at which time three police trucks arrived carrying about 60 armed police. The police were said to have been told by the Executive Deputy Secretary of the TAR, not to carry out arrests while officials were present. However, after further protests on the following day, and without the presence of TAR officials, the monastery was sealed off by the police.

The fate of the Tashilhunpo monks remains uncertain. Their names are lost among the thousands who go missing all over Tibet. Don't let another Tibetan go unnoticed or missing. Please help find and release Chadrel Rinpoche.