Jadrel Jampa Trinley Rinpoche, the former Abbot of Tashi Lhunpo monastery and the leader of the search party for the 11th Panchen Lama is feared dead.The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has cited a “close associate” of Jadrel Rinpoche (also written as Chadrel Rinpoche) in Tibet as source of the report.The CTA has quoted an audio message by the unnamed Tibetan official at the Bhoejong Nangten Thuntsok (Tibetan Buddhism Association) as saying that “Jadrel Rinpoche is dead”.“Some say that Jadrel Rinpoche was poisoned to death,” the report further quoted the audio message as saying.

Jadrel Rinpoche was appointed head of the Search Party Committee to identify the XIth Panchen Lama by Beijing but was later arrested on May 17, 1995 after Chinese officials discovered that he had communicated his finding to the Dalai Lama and sought his advice.

Days before Jadrel Rinpoche’s arrest, on May 14, 1995, His Holiness the Dalai Lama had announced Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as the XIth Panchen Lama.