Published by: World Tibet Network News, Wednesday January 31, 1996

Source: PTI news agency, New Delhi, in English 1255 gmt 28 Jan 96

Text of report by the Indian news agency PTI

Beijing, 28th January: China has denied media reports that a bomb exploded at the Lhasa home of Sengchen Lobsang Gyaltsen, the monastery leader who led the support for the boy chosen by China as reincarnation of the Panchen Lama.

Media reports quoting Western tourists said the bomb went off on 18th January night, injuring one person seriously and causing damage to the building.

The apparent attempt to assassinate the head of the Tashilhunpo Monastery, said to be disliked by many Tibetan lamas, failed because he was in Beijing, the reports said.

Lobsang was the first Tibetan lama to criticize the Dalai Lama and support the Chinese side during the reincarnation crisis.

The reports said officials in Lhasa did not have any knowledge of any explosion. A spokesman for the Bureau of Religious Affairs in Beijing denied that any such event had occurred.

The new Panchen lama is said to be residing in Beijing obviously for security reasons. Recently the six-year-old Panchen lama was presented a car. He also called on the Chinese president, Mr Jiang Zemin.