Taipei [Taiwan], April 10 (ANI): Human Rights Watch The HRW urged on Wednesday Vietnam The local government has been urged to probe the death of a high-ranking official. Tibet an lama, Humkar Dorje Rinpoche In Ho Chi Minh City on March 29, 2025, under questionable conditions, according to a statement from HRW.
Based on the announcement, Humkar Dorje, aged 56, passed away after months of worry from those involved. Tibet A community discussing his location and welfare. His followers in India, where numerous Tibet Those living in exile claim that Vietnam ese and Chinese authorities had arrest ed him in Vietnam after he fled Tibet His monastery, which is overseen officially, stated rather that he passed away due to an illness during a retreat.
" Humkar Dorje Rinpoche 's death in Vietnam is particularly worrying considering the Chinese government's intense suppression Tibet and its history of apprehending its citizens Vietnam As stated by Maya Wang, Associate Director of China Programs, Human Rights Watch .
"The Vietnam The relevant authorities should thoroughly and fairly examine these allegations and implement suitable measures, including sharing the autopsy results with Humkar Dorje's family,” Wang stated additionally.
Humkar Dorje served as the leader of the Lung Ngon monastery located in Gabde county within the Golok region. Tibet a self-governing prefecture within Qinghai province. He attracted numerous followers both within China and overseas, including in Vietnam He was an influential figure in education, establishing, with formal approval and supervision, a vocational institution along with over ten additional schools in the area. There, he supported the educational journey of many local youngsters.
Humkar Dorje's disappearance and death occurred amid a Chinese government crackdown on prominent Tibet an educators and the schools that they run, which promote Tibet an language and culture, in eastern Tibet an areas including Golok.
Humkar Dorje had been missing since at least November 2024, according to Tibet an exile media. When people in Gabde county expressed concern about him in December, local authorities reportedly banned all discussion of the issue in public. The silence ended on April 1 when officials in Gabde county showed representatives of the monastery a death certificate issued by a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.
On April 3, senior monks at Lung Ngon monastery issued a public statement stating that Humkar Dorje had "exhibited signs of ill health", had "departed alone to an unknown place" at an unspecified date for a religious retreat, and had "suddenly died of illness" in Vietnam on March 29, without giving further details.
On April 5, his followers in India contradicted these claims and said that the high lama had been in Vietnam Following a Chinese law enforcement questioning session, Tibet towards the end of last year. They mentioned Vietnam These police, reportedly working together with agents from China's Ministry of State Security, had arrested him on March 25. He passed away four days after his detention.
The monastery's declaration is lacking information and might have been composed under pressure of some sort. Human Rights Watch said, given the Chinese authorities ' strict oversight over the administration of' Tibet an monasteries.
Tibet Tibetan monks frequently enter seclusion for long durations; however, it seems extremely improbable that high-ranking monks at their temple wouldn’t know about the monk’s whereabouts, hide this information for many months, or remain oblivious regarding his international travel. Furthermore, should the monk have entered meditation isolation or fallen ill, government officials would find no reason to prohibit conversations around his condition.
followers of Humkar Dorje in India mentioned that he left his monastery in late September following inquiries from government representatives and local security forces in Gabde. A news article from an official Chinese source indicates that a high-ranking county-level officer visited Lung Ngon Monastery on October 15 for “an inspection of temple administration.” Notably unusual, this report does not refer to Humkar Dorje explicitly by name.
It seemed that Humkar Dorje had maintained a favorable relationship with the authorities for quite some time. He completed his studies in 2001 at China's nationally recognized institution for Tibet an Buddhist lamas and held a prestigious position in the county-level People's Congress, where he was a deputy head of the congressional standing committee. He was also president of Gabde County's branch of the China Buddhism Association, making him the most senior religious figure in the county.
In July 2024, he conducted a major public religious ceremony at Lung Ngon monastery, which would have required official permission. Official media reports in August showed him as one of the leaders of a government-run delegation visiting another local monastery. In September, official media showed a national-level official and members of a provincial delegation sharing a meal with Humkar Dorje at his monastery, stating that "the various works carried out by Longen [Lung Ngon] Temple in recent years have been fully affirmed by departments at all levels of the province, prefecture and county."
Official reports of Humkar Dorje's appearances ended by late September, which coincided with the time when his followers in India said he had fled to Vietnam .
Chinese authorities have long engaged in transnational repression--human rights abuses committed beyond a country's borders to curtail dissent, including against Tibet Individuals residing overseas who criticize the Chinese government or engage in activities considered a threat to the government.
Unverified information from fellow devotees of Humkar Dorje indicated that certain members of the Lung Ngon Monastery who were present stated that Vietnam He might have been apprehended simultaneously, and could potentially be transferred as well. Vietnam These authorities have sent individuals to China despite the extreme danger of torture and other forms of abuse.
The Vietnam ese government is obligated to respect the international law principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits countries from returning anyone to a place where they would face a real risk of persecution.
The Chinese government is known to have arrest ed and repatriated at least two political dissidents from Vietnam with the cooperation of the Vietnam ese authorities: Dong Guangping in 2022 and Wang Bingzhang in 2002.
Consistent with the Minnesota Protocol on the Investigation of Potentially Unlawful Death, the Vietnam ese government should conduct an impartial investigation into the circumstances of Humkar Dorje's death, including the role of its security services and any involvement of Chinese security personnel or officials. This inquiry should include an autopsy to establish the causes of death, which should be provided to the family along with the body being returned to them. The Minnesota Protocol provides that "[in] cases of potentially unlawful death, families have the right, at a minimum, to information about the circumstances, location and condition of the remains and, insofar as it has been determined, the cause and manner of death."
"Foreign governments should press the Vietnam ese government for answers on Humkar Dorje Rinpoche 's death," Wang said. "They should hold Vietnam ese officials accountable for complicity in China's abusive practices in Vietnam and implement measures to ensure they do not happen again." (ANI)
