(TibetanReview.net, Apr14’25) – Following a major controversy amid large-scale publicity, monks visiting an international hospital in Vietnam some days ago were only briefly shown just the face of the deceased head of their monastery – which is located in Gade (Chinese: Gande) County of Golok (Guoluo) prefecture, Qinghai province – and made to come out empty-handed, reported the Tibetan-language Tibettime.net Apr 14.
Five visiting monks from Lung-ngon Monastery, accompanied by Chinese embassy officials, were shown in groups of three the face, but no other parts of the body of the abbot, Tulku Hungkar Dorje, for just two-three minutes each in the Vinmec Central Park International Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.
However, his body was not handed over either to the monastery or his family. They also do not have any further information or means for making contacts on the matter.
Besides, tight restrictions have reportedly been imposed on offering of religious services or making of gatherings at the monastery.
Tulku Hungkar Dorje reportedly disappeared some eight months ago as he was facing severe harassment for his stupendous works in the preservation of Tibetan language and culture and for his perceived snubbing of the Chinese government installed 11th Panchen Lama during the latter’s visit to his monastery last year.
Chinese intelligence service, joined by Vietnamese police, reportedly caught him from a hotel room in Vietnam late last month. He reportedly died on the day they handed him over to a visiting police squad from his local area.
His case and unexplained death attracted large-scale publicity and the international rights group Human Rights Watch issued a statement on Apr 9, urging the Vietnamese government to investigate the death as it has happened on its soil under suspicious circumstances.
Also, US Congressman Jim McGovern issued a statement on his X (formerly Twitter) account, saying he was “troubled to learn of the mysterious death of Tibetan religious leader Tulku Hungkar Dorjee in Vietnam.”
Noting that he had been harassed by authorities in China “for running his monastery and schools,” McGovern urged Vietnam to “do a full and transparent independent investigation.”