Okay, so this isn't new at all.... It's about 12 years old. But I was not aware of this, and I wonder how many others are, so:
In 1989, the
Panchen Lama mysteriously died after a speech criticizing the Chinese regime. A few years later, the
next reincarnation was found by the Dalai Lama. This child was then taken by the Chinese government, and never seen ever again. In turn, the Peoples Republic of China claims the Panchen Lama is actually someone
they get to select...
Unfortunately for the PRC, their stunt-double Panchen Lama hasn't been cooperating with sufficient criticism of the Dalai Lama. But good try, China!
In the meantime, the real kid is out there somewhere, either dead or languishing as "
the youngest political prisoner in the world." He turns 18 this month.