Panchen to Lhasa?

When Death came to Tibet's potent Grand Dalai Lama, his exiled rival the Panchen Lama promptly began casting about China for funds to stage a Tibetan coup (TIME, Jan. 22). Of late Nanking has buzzed with rumors that Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek might lend His Holiness a few fast bombing planes for an air raid on Tibet's forbidden capital of Lhasa. Last week in Peiping the Panchen Lama chartered a special train, loaded it with food, cash, military supplies arid his elaborate religious gear and chuffed off toward Inner Mongolia, whence he would have to proceed some 2,000 miles by caravan to Lhasa.

"I recently flew from Nanking to Peiping," said His Holiness. "After that experience I would rather spend many months going overland to Lhasa than attempt to go by air." On his one & only flight, according to the airplane's crew, His Holiness the Panchen Lama was "grievously and continuously air sick." Skeptics doubted last week whether the Panchen Lama was seriously starting for Tibet, expected him to settle down in Inner Mongolia with the funds he has collected.

During his stay in China the devout were shocked to learn that His Holiness is no ascetic. Though Tibetan Lamas consider it virtuous to go hungry and a sin to eat flesh or fish, the Panchen Lama feasted regularly in Nanking on chicken, beef, mutton and those expensive Chinese delicacies, sharks' fins and hot sea slugs.

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