Published by: World Tibet Network News, 96/03/30

BEIJING, March 29 (Reuter) - China issued a new paean of praise on Friday for its chosen reincarnation of Tibet's second-holiest lama, saying the six-year-old boy had convinced monks of his authenticity and moved believers to tears.

The report, published by the official Xinhua news agency, was the latest in a series aimed at bolstering support for the boy selected by Beijing last December as the reincarnated soul of the 10th Panchen Lama.

China's selection is contested by Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who infuriated Beijing by announcing the selection of a different six-year-old "soul boy" last May.

Xinhua quoted a monk from the Panchen Lama's monastery in Tibet as saying the appointment of China's chosen 11th Panchen Lama -- six years after the death of his predecessor -- had boosted numbers of pilgrims to the monastery and was accepted by all.

"When he blesses a person by touching his or her head, waves, prays or kowtows, we all feel as if the late 10th Panchen Lama is alive again," the agency quoted Tashilunpo monastery deputy director and lama Gaqen Cering as saying.

"Many old people were so excited at the sight of the Panchen Lama that tears streamed down their cheeks," he said.

The boy's movements bore a striking resemblance to those of the former Panchen Lama, he said.

China's selection of Gyaincain Norbu to succeed the 10th Panchen Lama, who died in Beijing in 1989 aged 50, has created a potential schism among Tibet's devout Buddhists.

A report by two Western human rights groups this week accused China of detaining the Dalai Lama's candidate and his family and of cracking down on monks who refused to accept Beijing's choice.

Xinhua quoted Gaqen Cering as saying all Tibetan believers trusted the official selection.

"No one, not even the Dalai Lama, can impose a Panchen Lama on us," the agency quoted him as saying.