Global Tibet groups today announced that they would hold protests worldwide and called for a full and transparent investigation into the death of Tulku Hungkar Dorje, Tibetan lama, who died under suspicious circumstances in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in late March this year.
The Tibetan groups, in a press note issued here, said that Tulku Hungkar Dorje, 56, had reportedly sought refuge in Vietnam after facing harassment from the Chinese authorities in Tibet due to his leadership in preserving Tibetan language and identity. He was arrested in Ho Chi Minh City on March 25 in an operation allegedly involving both Vietnamese police and Chinese agents. He died just days later reportedly in custody.
The Vietnamese authorities claimed that Dorje died of a heart attack, but his family received no documentation and was not allowed access to the body. The complete absence of transparency triggered widespread concern among Tibetans and human rights groups globally, the Tibetan groups said.
The International Tibet Network has expressed deep concern over the timing of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s scheduled state visit to Vietnam on April 14 and 15. This visit raises fears that any potential investigation into Tulku Hungkar Dorje’s death could be compromised or overshadowed by political considerations and bilateral relations between Vietnam and China, it said.
Golog Tsering, cousin of Tulku Hungkar Dorje, said, “Tibetans in Tibet live under constant fear, the same fear that Rinpoche had faced in his lifetime preserving Tibetan language and culture. He was one of the few who gave us hope and strength with quiet courage. When I heard of his death, it felt like a piece of us had been taken. I am asking the world to stand by our family and to stand by justice. The timing of Xi Jinping’s visit makes us fear the worst. We need Rinpoche’s body to be returned so that he can be honoured in accordance with our tradition.”
Tenzin Yangzom from the International Tibet Network said, “The death of Tulku Hungkar Dorje in Vietnam under such questionable circumstances is not just a tragedy but a moral and political outrage. A respected Tibetan Lama was targeted in his homeland, he sought safety abroad, only to die under mysterious circumstances. That should alarm the world. As Xi Jinping prepares for a visit, we will not allow silence or diplomacy to bury the truth. Tibetans will not remain silent. We demand justice for Rinpoche, for his family, and for the Tibetan people.”
Topjor Tsultrim of the Students for a Free Tibet said, “In Tulku Hungkar Dorje’s death, we hear the echoes of the murder of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche in 2015, who died in the custody of the Chinese government.”
