JOINT LETTER: Governments Must Call On Vietnam For An Independent Investigation Into Detention, Death & Cremation of Tibetan Leader

30 April 2025 

To Hon. Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia​; Hon. Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada;  Hon. Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic; Hon. Olaf Scholz, Chancellor of Germany; Hon. Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of the Republic of Italy; His Excellency Shigeru Ishiba, Prime Minister of Japan; Rt Hon. Sir Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Hon. Donald J. Trump, President of the United States of America; His Excellency António Costa, President of the European Council; and Her Excellency Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission

RE: Tulku Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche, revered Tibetan Buddhist leader 

We, a coalition of  146 Tibet groups, are writing to you regarding the arrest, subsequent death and unauthorised cremation of Tulku Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche, a highly revered Tibetan leader and the Abbot of Lung Ngon Monastery in Gade County, Golog, Amdo, Tibet [CH: Gande County, Guoluo Prefecture, Qinghai Province] following reports that he was arrested in Vietnam in a joint operation between Chinese and Vietnamese authorities. We urge you to demand Vietnam undertake an independent, thorough and transparent investigation into his death.  

Sources believe Tulku Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche died following his arrest in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in late March 2025, under suspicious circumstances. The Vietnamese authorities were quick to attribute Tulku Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche’s death to a heart attack, while the Chinese authorities in Tibet fleetingly presented a death certificate to Lung Ngon Monastery, but specifically banned the monastery from retaining any record or making any copies of the document.  His body was subsequently cremated in Vietnam on 20 April at 1 AM local time, without the consent of his family and under heavy security.

According to sources, Tulku Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche fled to Vietnam in 2024 after facing pressure and interrogation by Chinese authorities in connection with his refusal to provide a sufficiently warm reception for the Chinese government-appointed Panchen Lama, and his commitment to preserving Tibetan religion, culture, and language through independent schools. 

These circumstances raise urgent and serious concerns of enforced disappearance, torture, and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and extrajudicial execution, with broader implications for escalating transnational repression and deepening human rights violations perpetrated by the Chinese government, with the alleged complicity of other governments. The unauthorised cremation can be seen as a further deliberate obstruction of justice and destruction of evidence.

Despite the welcome and mounting pressure from your governments concerning Tibet and Tibetans, China’s response has been consistent: deny, deflect, and reject.  We therefore call on you to openly address the attack on Tibetans and Tibet with a robust joint statement of concern and urge you to

1. Call on the Government of Vietnam to carry out an independent, thorough, and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the detention and death of Tulku Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche, who died in late March 2025 in Vietnam. The investigation must meet international standards for accountability, particularly regarding deaths in state custody. If such an investigation is not forthcoming, call for an UN inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Tulku Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche’s detention and death. 
2. Ensure Tulku Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche’s bereaved family and next of kin are kept fully informed in a timely and appropriate manner about all the proceedings, progress and findings of the investigation.
3. Condemn the Chinese government for the escalated crackdown and intensified security measures at Tulku Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche’s monastery in Tibet and ensure monks and staff at Lung Ngon monastery are not subjected to any form of reprisal or intimidation. 

Together your governments are uniquely positioned to exercise strong and direct influence on Vietnam and China’s leadership and we call on you to take this key multilateral opportunity to address the existential threats to Tibetans’ lives, identity and culture.

This is a matter of urgency, and we are available to offer any further information. Thank you for your attention. 

Your sincerely,

Mandie Mckeown International Tibet Network.	Sherap Therchin Canada Tibet Committee	Lhadon Tethong Tibet Action Institute	Tencho Gyatso International Campaign for Tibet
Tenzyn Zöchbauer Tibet Initiative Deutschland	Pema Doma  Students for a Free Tibet	Claudio Cardelli Associazione Italia-Tibet	Tsering Dorjee SFT- Japan
Dr Zoe Bedford Australia Tibet Council	Tenzin Rabga Free Tibet	Tenzin Yangchen SFT France	Anders Højmark Andersen Tibet Support Committee Denmark

 

Annex: Questions to Raise with the Vietnamese authorities regarding the Death of Tulku Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche

1. Confirmation of the exact date, time, and location of Tulku Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche’s arrest, detention and subsequent death?
2. In which detention facility or facilities was Tulku Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche held following his arrest?
3. Clarification of which category of Vietnamese authorities carried out the arrest of Tulku Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche, e.g., whether it was the police, military or state security services, and under whose authority or directive was this action taken? Was any aspect of his arrest and detention undertaken in collaboration with the Chinese authorities?
4. Was Tulku Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche officially charged with any offence? If so, what were the charges?
5. Was Tulku Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche provided access to legal counsel during his detention? 
6. Was Tulku Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche detained exclusively under Vietnamese custody from the time of arrest until his reported death?
   1. Were the Chinese authorities involved in any capacity in the planning, ordering, and execution of any operations connected with the case? 
7. Was a formal autopsy conducted? If so, have the results been made available to his family and representatives?
   1. Can an official death certificate be provided to the family, and under what authority was it issued?
8. What steps are the Vietnamese authorities taking to ensure a transparent and independent investigation into this incident?

 

On behalf of

Aide aux Refugies Tibetains Alaskans for Tibet Amigos de Tibet, Colombia Amigos de Tibet, La Unión Chile Amigos del Tibet, El Salvador Amigos del Tibet, Santiago de Chile Anterrashtriya Bharat – Tibbet Sahyog Samiti Asociación Cultural Peruano Tibetana Asociación Cultural Tibetano Costarricense Association Cognizance Tibet, North Carolina Association Drôme Ardèche-Tibet Balijara Foundation – Maharashtra Bay Area Friends of Tibet Bharat Tibbat Sahyog Manch Bharat Tibbat Samanvay Sangh Bharat Tibet Sangh – India Bharat Tibet Sangh – Jammu Bharrat Tibbat Samvad Manch, India Boston Tibet Network Briancon05 Urgence Tibet CADAL Casa del Tibet – Spain Casa Tibet México Centro Cultural Columbo Tibetano Centro De Cultura Tibetana, Brazil Centro para la Apertura y el Desarrollo de América Latina Circle of Friends (Philippines) Comite de Apoyo al Tibet (CAT) Committee of 100 for Tibet Core Group for Tibetan Cause, India Czechs Support Tibet Dream for Children, Japan EcoTibet Ireland Finnish Tibet Committee Foundation for Universal Responsibility of H. H. the Dalai Lama France-Tibet Free Indo-Pacific Alliance Free Tibet Fukuoka Friends of Tibet Costa Rica Friends of Tibet in Bulgaria Friends of Tibet in Finland Friends of Tibet New Zealand Ganasamannay Kolkata Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities Grupo de Apoio ao Tibete, Portugal Himalayan Committee for Action on Tibet – Kinnaur Human Rights Network for Tibet & Taiwan India Tibet Friendship Society India Tibet Friendship Society India Tibet Friendship Society – Bihar India Tibet Friendship Society – Dashthrathpuni India Tibet Friendship Society – Delhi India Tibet Friendship Society – Muzaffarpur International Tibet Independence Movement Israeli Friends of the Tibetan People Jal Kalyan Seva Samiti, Rajasthan Japan Association of Monks for Tibet (Super Sangha) Latvia for Tibet Le Club Français, Paraguay Les Amis du Tibet Luxembourg Liberté au Tibet (Colmar, France) Lions Des Neiges Mont Blanc, France LUNGTA – Actief voor Tibet Maison des Himalayas Maison du Tibet – Tibet Info National Campaign for Free Tibet Support, India National Democratic Party of Tibet Objectif Tibet

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