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On April 26, China’s Foreign Ministry was asked to comment on a U.S. State Department statement urging China to disclose the whereabouts of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima.On May 14, 1995, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, then six years old, was designated as the 11th Panchen Lama by the 14th Dalai Lama, Tibet's highest spiritual leader and former head of state of Tibet’s government-in-exile.Tibetan youth holds up a portrait of Panchen Lama Gedhun Choekyi Nyima in Berne, Switzerland, April 25, 2006. (Stefan Wermuth/Reuters)The Panchen Lama is Tibetan Buddhism’s second-most important figure.Three days later, the Chinese government, hoping to select its own Panchen Lama, kidnapped Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his family. Their whereabouts have never been disclosed.On April 25, which was Gedhun Choekyi Nyima’s 33rd birthday, the State Department condemned the Chinese government for continuing to deny members of the Tibetan community access to the Dalai Lama-designated Panchen Lama" and urged Beijing to free him.The State Department said the U.S. supports "Tibetans’ right to select
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