The streets of Delhi echoed with cries for justice as the Tibetan Youth Congress rallied outside the Chinese Embassy on April 11, 2025, condemning the mysterious death of Tulku Hungkar Dorje. The spiritual leader, arrested in Vietnam on March 25 after evading Chinese authorities, died days later, sparking allegations of transnational repression.
BY PC Bureau
The Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) staged a protest outside the Chinese Embassy in Delhi on April 11, demanding justice for the suspicious death of Tibetan religious leader Tulku Hungkar Dorje, who passed away under mysterious circumstances on March 28, 2025, while in custody in Vietnam. The protestors, chanting slogans like “Justice for Dorje” and “Freedom for Tibet,” condemned Chinese authorities for their role in Dorje’s untimely demise. Delhi police detained several protestors during the demonstration, though they were later released.
Tulku Hungkar Dorje, a prominent spiritual leader born in 1969 in Tibet’s Amdo province, was recognized as the reincarnation of Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje. He was celebrated for his extensive contributions to Tibetan culture, education, and welfare. Dorje founded the tuition-free Hungkar Dorje Vocational Technical High School, serving over 1,000 students, the Hungkar Compassion Medical Clinic for underserved communities, and the Excellent Discourse Key Library to preserve Tibetan literary works. As an author of over 20 books and an advocate for Tibetan language, Buddhist traditions, and environmental protection, he was a fierce defender of Tibetan identity, which made him a target of Chinese authorities.
Tibetan Youth Congress activists protested outside the Chinese Embassy, urging international pressure on Chinese and Vietnamese authorities for a transparent probe into Tulku Hungkar Dorje’s detention and death. Demanding his body be returned to his monastery and family. pic.twitter.com/ku0sjbzgwS
— TYC (@TYCentrex) April 11, 2025
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According to the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), Dorje faced increasing persecution in Tibet. In August 2024, he was interrogated by Chinese officials in Qinghai Province for composing long-life prayers for the Dalai Lama and resisting government policies in his educational work. Forced to host the Chinese-appointed Panchen Lama, Gyaltsen Norbu, at his Lungnon Monastery, Dorje’s non-compliance further escalated tensions. By late September 2024, he fled to Vietnam to escape harassment, living in hiding until his arrest on March 25, 2025, in Saigon. Vietnamese police, allegedly in coordination with Chinese agents, detained him, and he died three days later under unclear circumstances, raising suspicions of foul play.
The CTA, in a press conference on April 8, 2025, at Dharamshala’s Lhakpa Tsering Hall, condemned the Chinese and Vietnamese authorities for Dorje’s death, calling it a case of transnational repression. CTA spokesperson Tenzin Lekshay and Ju Tenkjong, Director of the Amnye Machen Institute, demanded transparency and the immediate return of Dorje’s body to Lungnon Monastery for a traditional Tibetan funeral. The CTA statement highlighted that on April 1, 2025, Lungnon Monastery’s Administrative Office was shown a death certificate but barred from retaining or photographing it. On April 5, five monks traveled to Vietnam to retrieve Dorje’s body, reportedly held at Vinmec Central Park International Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, but were excluded from key discussions at the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam, leaving uncertainty about whether they accessed the body.
Tibetan Youth Congress activists protested outside the Chinese Embassy, urging international pressure on Chinese and Vietnamese authorities for a transparent probe into Tulku Hungkar Dorje’s detention and death. Demanding his body be returned to his monastery and family. pic.twitter.com/ku0sjbzgwS
— TYC (@TYCentrex) April 11, 2025
The TYC, a leading voice in the Tibetan exile community with 89 chapters across 14 countries, issued a stateme
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nt on April 9 holding Chinese authorities accountable for Dorje’s death. The group has been vocal about Chinese cultural impositions in Tibet, recently organizing a theatre performance titled A Fearless Voice on April 4, 2025, to depict the struggles of Tibetans under Chinese rule. TYC General Secretary Sonam Tsering emphasized the performance’s role in raising global awareness, while artist Tenzin Lhakphel called theatre a vital tool for activism.
The CTA and TYC have urged the international community to condemn Dorje’s death and investigate the circumstances surrounding it, pointing to it as part of a broader pattern of China’s suppression of Tibetan cultural and religious figures. The protests in Delhi and the CTA’s demands reflect growing outrage within the Tibetan diaspora over Dorje’s death and the ongoing human rights violations in Tibet.
