The group of Tibetan exiles who cycled from Washington DC to the UN HQ to raise awareness about Tibet’s missing child Panchen Lama, arrived safely in New York on his 16th Birthday (April 25). The cyclists received a warm welcome upon their arrival from Tibet supporters and members of the Tibetan community. There, they delivered a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan asking him to pressure the Chinese government to release Gendun Choekyi Nyima, recognized as the Panchen Lama by the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people.
The cyclists, including former nomads and monks who now live in exile and Americans, undertook their five-day journey to the UN headquarters in New York to raise awareness of the plight of the 11th Panchen Lama, who was abducted by Chinese authorities a decade ago.