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British monk killed in China British monk killed in China
(about 5 hours later)
A Tibetan monk who founded the first Buddhist monastery in the UK is reported to have been killed in China. A Tibetan monk who founded the first Buddhist monastery in the UK has been killed in China.
Dr Choje Akong Rinpoche, a British citizen, was "assassinated" along with two other people in Chengdu on Tuesday, according to a statement by his brother on the Samye Ling Monastery website. Dr Choje Akong Rinpoche, a British citizen who fled Tibet in 1959, was stabbed to death along with his nephew and driver in a dispute over money in the south-west city of Chengdu, local police said.
The monastery was set up in Eskdalemuir, Dumfries and Galloway, in 1967 and about 60 people, including monks and volunteers, are understood to live there. Rinpoche's brother said the three men had been "assassinated". Chengdu police said the suspects, all of whom are Tibetan, have been arrested and confessed to the killings.
A statement posted by Lama Yeshe Rinpoche said: "To all dear friends of Samye Ling and Choje Akong Rinpoche, I am very, very sorry to inform you all that tragically, my brother Choje Akong Rinpoche, my nephew and one monk who was travelling with then, were all assassinated in Chengdu today. Rinpoche set up the Samye Ling Tibetan centre in Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland in 1967, home to more than 60 monks and volunteers. It was not only the first Buddhist monastery in the UK but the first Tibetan Buddhist centre to be established in the west.
"Rinpoche's body has been taken to hospital where a postmortem will be carried out. That is all the news I have so far. If I receive further news I will let you know." He also wrote three books and, in 2011, was one of six refugees chosen to attend a tea with the home secretary, Theresa May, to mark the 60th anniversary of the UN refugee convention because of their inspiring and meaningful contributions to Britain.
The Dalai Lama has been told of the death and was offering prayers, the statement said. At the ceremony, Rinpoche recalled how he was welcomed by the UK government and the British people when he arrived as a refugee in 1963 and presented May with a long white scarf endorsed with messages of friendship.
The BBC reported Chengdu police as saying three people had been arrested and made confessions. The Foreign Office said it was aware of the death and ready to provide consular assistance. In recent years, he worked for charities abroad, including at founding schools and hospitals in Tibet.
Dr Rinpoche attended the 60th anniversary of the signing of the UN refugee convention with the home secretary, Theresa May, in London in 2011. At the ceremony he told how he was welcomed by the British government and its people when he came as a refugee in 1963 and presented Mrs May with a long white scarf endorsed with messages of friendship. His brother, Lama Yeshe Rinpoche, said in a statement posted on the Samye Ling Monastery website: "To all dear friends of Samye Ling and Choje Akong Tulku Rinpoche. I am very, very sorry to inform you all that tragically, my brother Choje Akong Rinpoche, my nephew and one monk who was travelling with then, were all assassinated in Trengdu today. Rinpoche's body has been taken to hospital where a post mortem will be carried out. That is all the news I have so far. If I receive further news I will let you know."
He said the Dalai Lama had been informed of his death and was saying prayers for him. He urged others to "do whatever prayers you can".
The Tibetan Buddhist leader, the Karmapa Lama, said he was shocked by the death of Rinpoche, having been friends with him since he was seven. "I would like to offer my condolences to his family members, everyone at Samye Ling monastery, the Rokpa Foundation, and all the persons involved in his projects in Tibet as well as to all of the students whose lives he touched," he said.
"I hope that all of his visions and aspirations may continue to be fulfilled."
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