More than 5,000 Tibetan Buddhist believers gathered for a memorial service held on three days at a temple in Dharamsala, northern India. The 14th Dalai Lama, who continues to live in exile after fleeing Chinese oppression, will turn 89 years old this July.
In Tibetan Buddhism, there is a traditional system of searching for a reincarnation after a high-ranking monk dies. China insists that China has the authority to choose the Dalai Lama's successor, and is prepared to take the lead in deciding.