Phayul
April 29, 2009

Dharamsala, April 29 -- The Tibetan Women’s
Association in Switzerland and the Tibetan Youth
Association in Europe jointly held an event on
the occasion of the 20th birthday of Gedhun
Choekyi Nymia, the 11th Panchen Lama and drew
attention to his fate and the current situation in Tibet in an unusual way.

On the busiest street in Zurich, a stand was
turned into a birthday tent using party
decorations. Instead of using the usual balloons,
garlands and presents with the slogan „Happy
Birthday“, the banners here read “No Happy Birthday,”No Happy Birthday”.

The Panchen Lama still is not free and there are
no concrete statements from the Chinese
government about his well being and health, said
a press release issued by the two organizations.

The slogan and the unusual decoration for a
political stand attracted the curiosity of many
passers-by attracting many to sign the Tibet
Petition that was launched on 10th March 2009 in
all major German-speaking cities www.tibet-petition.com ).

People could also write birthday cards to the
Panchen Lama. At the end of the event, the cards
were put into a box, made into a parcel and
handed over to a staff member of the Chinese consulate.