(TibetanReview.net, Apr09’25) – It has now been revealed that the recently reported death of a locally highly popular Buddhist leader in Chinese ruled Tibet was a victim of transnational repression which occurred in Vietnam. He was stated to have been targeted for his phenomenal work in preserving Tibetan identity and for his perceived snubbing of Beijing-installed 11th Panchen Lama.
The sudden, unexplained death of Tulku Hungkar Dorje, 55, the 10th abbot of Lungnon Monastery in Gade (Chinese: Gande) County of Golog (Guoluo) Prefecture, Qinghai Province, took place in the custody of Chinese officials in Vietnam, said the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in a press release Apr 8.
The religious teacher’s popularity as a philanthropist and educator was stated to have drawn hostile reactions from Chinese officials. Their harassment led him to move to Vietnam, to remain in hiding there since late Sep 2024.
He was arrested from his hotel room in Saigon on Mar 25 in a coordinated operation of local Vietnamese police and Chinese secret agents. And he died on Mar 28 on being transferred into the custody of the Chinese police, suggested the press release.
The body of Tulku Hungkar Dorje – also called Hungkar Rinpoche – was said to have been kept in the Vinmec Central Park International Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, with no report on whether efforts to retrieve it has been successful.
The release said that on Apr 1, the Chinese government-run Administrative Office of Lungnon Monastery summoned relevant monastery individuals to be shown a purported death certificate of Tulku Hungkar Dorje, without being allowed to keep it or take a photo of it. And it is not clear what was seen mentioned in it as the cause of the death.
Later on Apr 5, five monks from the monastery, accompanied by Chinese government officials and delegates, travelled to Vietnam to retrieve his body. There was a meeting in the Chinese embassy there from which the monks were excluded, the release said, with no information on what transpired at it and what happened next.
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Tulku Hungkar Dorje was stated to be highly popular for his dedication to preserving Tibetan identity through education, healthcare, and cultural initiatives.
The release said: “He established the tuition-free Hungkar Dorje Vocational Technical High School serving over 1,000 students, founded the Hungkar Compassion Medical Clinic to provide healthcare to underserved communities, and created the Excellent Discourse Key Library to safeguard literary treasures. His philanthropic work extended to providing financial support, food, clothing, and medicine to thousands of elderlies, poor, and sick Tibetans. As an educator and author of more than twenty books, he consistently emphasized the critical importance of preserving the Tibetan language, Buddhist traditions, and cultural practices during his teachings across multiple countries.
“His contributions to environmental protection, social welfare, and moral education demonstrated his holistic approach to preserving not just Tibetan spiritual traditions but the complete cultural ecosystem necessary for Tibetan identity to thrive in the modern world, efforts that unfortunately made him a target of political persecution prior to his controversial death 12 days ago.”
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The Chinese Communist Party-state was stated to be especially incensed when it forced him to host the visiting Beijing-enthroned Panchen Lama Gyaincain Norbu at his monastery and felt that he did not do it in a wholehearted manner.
Following it, in Aug 2024, high-ranking provincial officials interrogated him and also took his fingerprints, while also accusing him of having composed long-life prayers for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He was also accused of failing to implement Chinese government policies in his educational works in Golog.
Calling his death a troubling escalation in China’s systematic targeting of influential Tibetan figures who promote Tibetan culture, language, and identity, the CTA called for transparency from Chinese and Vietnam authorities regarding the circumstances of the Tulku’s detention and deat. And it demanded immediate handover of his body to his monastery.
The CTA said Tulku Hungkar Dorje’s case raises serious concerns about cross-border security cooperation, transnational repression, and human rights violations that demand immediate and thorough investigation, as well as accountability from both Vietnamese and Chinese authorities.