(TibetanReview.net, Apr19’25) – China on Apr 18 night secretly and under tight security moved the body of Tulku Hungkar Dorje, who died suddenly and inexplicably under the custody of its police in Vietnam late last month, to a crematorium for its hasty disposal, said the Tibetan service of rfa.org Apr 19. Exile Tibetans have expressed outrage over this development and demanded an independent autopsy to determine the exact cause of the death of the highly respected abbot of Lung-ngon Monastery in Ga-de County of Golok Prefecture, Qinghai province.
The report said the body was taken in the middle of the night from the Vinmec Central Park International Hospital to the nearby crematorium of the local Sakya monastery in Ho Chi Minh City under tight security, including with the use of surveillance cameras, accompanied by Chinese officials and local Vietnamese personnel.
The five monks of Lung-ngon Monastery, who have been seeking to take the abbot’s body back to his monastery, were confined to their hotel rooms, Ju Tenkyong, director of the Amnye Machen Institute, a Dharamsala-based Tibetan centre for advanced studies, has said. He has been closely monitoring developments in the case.
Ju Tenkyong has continued that more than 30 Chinese police and other Chinese personnel as well as over 40 Vietnamese police and officials were involved in moving the abbot’s body to the crematorium. Mobile phones of everyone working in the cremation work were sated to have been confiscated, while an urgent order has reportedly been issued to complete the cremation by Apr 20 midday.
So, far the visiting monks from Lung-ngon Monastery have been allowed only a two-to-three-minute hasty viewing of only the face of Tulku Hungkar Dorje – and no other parts of his body – in the hospital.
The Central Tibetan Administration as well as Tibet groups in the outside world have submitted representations and held protest rallies to demand transparency from the governments of China and Vietnam on the exact cause of the death of Tulku Hungkar Dorje. They have demanded that no cremation work be carried out before an independent autopsy is carried out on the body.
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Meanwhile the Tibetan Parliament in Exile (TPiE) at Dharamshala, India, has issued a statement on Apr 18, saying Tulku Hungkar Dorje was “reportedly subjected to interrogation and politically motivated accusations by Chinese authorities in Tibet in Aug 2024. These included alleged failure to organise a reception for Gyaltsen Norbu, the Chinese-appointed Panchen Lama, as well as charges related to composing long-life prayers for His Holiness the great 14th Dalai Lama and not enforcing Chinese state education policies in schools established under his guidance.”
The statement noted that he was a highly respected and revered spiritual leader with disciples across the globe, and widely recognised for his unwavering commitment to the principles of compassion, peace, and non-violence.
Tulku Hungkar Dorje fled to Vietnam but was caught some eight months later from his hotel room in Ho Chi Minh City on Mar 25, reportedly in a joint operation by Chinese agents and Vietnamese police. He was stated to have died on Mar 29 on being transferred into the custody of a visiting Chinese police team.
China is suspected to have used digital transnational repression tools to track down the abbot in Vietnam.
The TPiE statement demanded a thorough and independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the detention and death of Tulku Hungkar Dorje and a truthful disclose of the findings.
It also called for immediate return of the abbot’s body to his monastery and family to ensure the proper performance of final rites in accordance with Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
Tibetans have also issued international appeals. Dr Lobsang Yangtso, International Tibet Network, has said, “We are now in a race against time. Sources confirm that Chinese officials are actively preparing for Tulku Hungkar Dorje’s cremation in Vietnam, with strict conditions: no photos, no videos, and no public. We are urging governments to act immediately–diplomatic statements are not enough. Pressure must be applied now to stop the cremation, preserve the body, and demand an independent investigation before it’s too late.”
Tenzin Pasang, Students for a Free Tibet-India, has added, “Around the world, Tibetans are fearing the worst: that Tulku Hungkar Dorje was abducted, tortured, and killed by Chinese agents for his efforts to preserve Tibetan culture, language, and religion.”