05-Sept-97

by gil butler

voice of america

shigatse, tibet china regards the exiled dalai lama, head of the tibetan buddhist religion, as a pariah (outcast) who wants to make tibet independent. one of the lasting fights between beijing and the dalai lama is over tibet's second-ranking religious figure, the panchen lama. v-o-a's gil butler has been to the panchen lama's monastery at shigatse, tibet, and has a report.

in 1995, the dalai lama named a young boy as the reincarnation of the 10th panchen lama, who died in 1989. china approved another boy as the new panchen lama, and subsequently installed him in a ceremony at this big monastery in shigatse.

the dalai lama's choice has not been seen publicly, and he and his family are believed to be under tight control in beijing.

the official panchen lama, now nine years old, is also in beijing studying buddhist doctrine and scripture. the monks at tashilunpo monastery say there is no set time for the 11th panchen lama to take up residence there.

a senior monk, basa, acknowledges that there were resignations at the tashilunpo over the panchen lama controversy. it also resulted in a change in leadership. the monk blames the dalai lama for the problem.

at the time dalai lama chose another, the 11th, panchen lama. but that action doesn't follow our country's policy, and also, the religious regulations.

just outside the gate of tashilunpo is the democratic management committee a chinese-government-appointed unit that runs the daily business of the monastery. a uniformed chinese policeman lounges in the doorway, as reporters arrive for a visit to the panchen lama's monastery.

a chinese government political education committee took up residence at the monastery last year, but according to lama basa, they are now gone. political education committees were installed in most monasteries to try to weed out support for the dalai lama and to promote loyalty to the government in beijing. according to reports, some of the political committees are still at work.

throughout the monastery, which is quite well appointed compared with others, there are photographs of the 10th panchen lama and the child who is the officially selected 11th panchen.

the body of the 10th panchen lama is interred in a large, gold-plated tomb, and is the object of veneration by the monks. there are no pictures visible of the dalai lama.