Whole Dude – Whole Expedition

The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills. A Tribute to Tibetan Martyrs

Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: 1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung,Lushai, Mizo Hills. This Memorial Stone was erected in Demagiri in honor of Captain Thomas Herbert Lewin, the Deputy Commissioner of the Chittagong Hill Tracts who built a fort in Demagiri to serve as the Force Headquarters of the British Indian Army First Lushai Expedition of 1871-72.

Excerpt: I am sharing this story about the British Indian Army First Lushai Expedition of 1871-72 to honor the memory of the Tibetan soldiers who arrived in Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai or Mizo Hills in October 1971 and gave their precious lives during the military action in the Chittagong Hill Tracts initiating the Liberation of Bangladesh. On behalf of The Living Tibetan Spirits, I ask that a Memorial Stone be erected in Demagiri, Tlabung, the place which served as the Force Headquarters of The Fifth Army in Bangladesh under the command of Major General Sujan Singh Uban, the Inspector General of Special Frontier Force.

Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: 1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tablung, Lushai, Mizo Hills. Captain Lewin the founder of Demagiri Military Settlement lived in Demagiri for about nine years.
Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: 1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tablung, Lushai, Mizo Hills. Captain Lewin befriended the native people by learning their language and their cultural traditions.

Captain Thomas Herbert Lewin was appointed as the Deputy Commissioner and Political Agent for the Chittagong Hill Tracts in March 1866. He held that post until 1875. In 1874, he was made an honorary Lieutenant Colonel.. He made his first camp at Chandraghona and later in Rangamati. He was the founder of a military camp and settlement at Demagiri ahead of the British Indian Army First Lushai Expedition of 1871-72.

Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: 1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills. A view of Demagiri, Tlabung on the banks of the Khawthlang Tuipui or Karnaphuli River, the border between Mizo Hills and the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

The British Indian Army Lushai Expedition of 1871 to 1872 was a punitive incursion under the command of Generals Brownlow and Bourchier. General Charles Henry Brownlow commanded the Southern Column or the Chittagong Column for the Lushai Expedition and then served as Assistant Military Secretary for India for ten years. General George Bourchier commanded the East Frontier District, and in 1871 to 1872 he commanded the Cachar Column or the North Column in the Lushai Expedition.

In 1871, the British Indian Army military expedition named the Southern Column started from Kasalong in Rangamati and it followed the course of Karnaphuli River to reach Demagiri, Tlabung in Lushai, Mizo Hills. Whereas in 1971, the Special Frontier Force military expedition named the South Column started from Demagiri and initially it was an overland incursion followed by the use of passenger boat service to reach Rangamati and used captured vehicles to advance to Kaptai by road and launched a separate airborne operation to secure the Naval Base at Chittagong Sea Port. The South Column reached Chittagong by road taking advantage of the vehicles left behind by the enemy but camped in Kaptai and around the Kaptai Lake until the conclusion of the Campaign in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: 1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills. A view of the Khawthlang Tuipui or Karnaphuli River near Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills.

The objectives of the British Indian Army First Lushai Expedition were to rescue British subjects who had been captured by the Lushais (Mizos) in raids into Assam—including a six-year-old girl called Mary Winchester—and to convince the hill tribes of the region that they had nothing to gain and everything to lose by placing themselves in a hostile position towards the British Government. Mary Winchester, or Zolûti to Mizos, (1865–1955) was a Scottish girl who was captured and held hostage by the Lushai, Mizo tribes of Lushai Hills, Mizo Hills in 1871, and rescued by the British expedition in 1872.

Captain Thomas Herbert Lewin signed a Peace Treaty with Mizo Chief Rothangpuia of Thangluah clan following which he shifted his headquarters from Rangamati to Demagiri, Tlabung. The Mizos called him Thangliana or the Man of Great Fame. Captain Lewin returned to England due to ill health, was made an honorary Lieutenant Colonel and received a Colonel’s pension. He returned to India in 1875 to take up the post of Deputy Commissioner of Cooch Behar, and later became Deputy Commissioner of Darjeeling, where he remained until his retirement in 1879. In 1885, Thomas Herbert bought Parkhurst, a house in Abinger, near Dorking, Surrey where he lived until his death in 1916. Lewin was the author of several works on India and Indian languages.

The Story of South Column

Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: 1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills. On completion of my Medical Internship at Military Hospital, Ambala Cantonment, Haryana, I joined Establishment 22 (Two-Two) on September 22, 1971.
Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: 1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills. The Story of South Column begins in October 1971.
Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: 1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills. During October 1971, I provided the medical support to Bangla Freedom Fighters training at a Camp on the eastern bank of the Yamuna River near Dakpathar Barrage.

I joined duty at the Military Hospital Wing of Establishment 22 (Two-Two) on September 22, 1971 and at the end of the month I was sent on temporary duty to provide medical support to Bangla Freedom Fighters training on the eastern banks of the Yamuna River between the Shivalik Hills and Dakpathar Barrage across the Yamuna River. This Training Camp was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Prasanta Coomar Purkayastha, The Regiment of Garhwal Rifles. I did not take my service weapon to perform this duty while the men did receive weapon training. I returned to Chakrata during the third week of October 1971 and was not yet aware of any battle plan to take military action in support of the Bangla refugees in India.

On October 19, 1971, while serving in the Military Hospital Wing of Establishment 22 (Two-Two) in Chakrata, I was asked to provide medical support to the Mobile Reserve Force (MRF), Kailana Camp in Chakrata Cantonment. I was not briefed about the nature of my temporary duty and I moved to the MRF Kailana Camp with a steel trunk and a bedding, a heavy load of personal belongings.

Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: 1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills From the Military Hospital Wing, Chakrata Camp, I proceeded on temporary duty to the Mobile Reserve Force, Kailana Camp in Chakrata Cantonment without taking my service weapon, the 9 mm Sub Machine Gun, SMG (Carbine, Machine, Sten)..

As an Officer of the Indian Army, I received training in the use of a 9 mm Sub Machine Gun known as Sten Gun or SMG (Carbine, Machine, Sten) and had always passed in my weapon training tests. It is a devastating close-range weapon. It is a compact, lightweight automatic weapon firing pistol ammunition and it would fire without any lubrication. The personal weapon is held in the Unit Quarter Guard (Armory) and is generally taken out for range practice and weapon training during peacetime and is carried during the performance of active duty deployment either training or actual combat operations. I proceeded for this assignment at MRF, Kailana Camp without taking my personal weapon and ammunition as it was primarily a peacetime assignment. My Movement Order did not specify that I must draw the service weapon and ammunition prior to proceeding on this duty. However, the men were personally briefed to prepare for a wartime duty and I was in the Hospital and did not listen to the motivational speech given by Gyalo Thondup, the brother of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.

Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: 1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills. THE PROBLEM OF ESPIONAGE. ILLEGAL PHOTO IMAGE TAKEN BY CHINESE SPY AT ESTABLISHMENT NO. 22. DAPON/POLITICAL LEADER RATUK NGAWANG HAD POSSESSION OF THIS IMAGE AND SUPPLIED IT TO A JOURNALIST. Gyalo Thondup, 14th Dalai Lama’s brother gave a motivational speech at the Mobile Reserve Force Kailana Camp in Chakrata during the third week of October 1971. Special Secretary Mr. R.N. Kao is flanked by Major General Sujan Singh Uban (Left) and Brigadier T S Oberoi (Right).
Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: 1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills. The Key Players met in Chakrata. Brigadier T S Oberoi (extreme left) seen with Special Secretary Mr. R. N. Kao, and Major General Sujan Singh Uban, the Inspector General of Special Frontier Force, and Tibetan Political Leader at extreme right.
Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: The Fifth Army in Bangladesh. Establishment No. 22 – Operation Eagle: This badge represents a military alliance/pact between India, Tibet, and the United States of America. Its first combat mission was in the Chittagong Hill Tracts which unfolded on Thursday, October 28, 1971 when South Column crossed the international boundary West of Borunasury Border Security Force Company Post. It was named Operation Eagle. It accomplished its mission of securing peace in the region that is now known as Republic of Bangladesh. The Badge is not worn on uniforms during active duty.
Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: 1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills. I proceeded from Mobile Reserve Force Kailana Camp, Chakrata in Uttarakhand to the Aviation Research Centre Airbase in Sarsawa on October 20, 1971 without carrying my service weapon.
Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: 1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills.My journey begins at Mobile Reserve Force Kailana Camp, Chakrata after I was attached to the Mobile Reserve Force on October 19, 1971.
Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: 1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills. The story of South Column begins at Mobile Reserve Force Kailana Camp, Chakrata. Apart from Chakrata, troops had also arrived in Demagiri from other locations.
Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: 1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills. On October 20, 1971, I moved from Kailana Camp, Chakrata to Sarsawa, near Saharanpur travelling by road in a military convoy.
Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: 1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills. On October 20, 1971, I moved from Chakrata to Sarsawa, near Saharanpur by road. A view of the bridge over the Tons River at Kalsi, near Dakpathar.
Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: 1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills. After arriving in Sarsawa on October 20, 1971, I was issued a Movement Order to proceed on duty described as Operation Eagle. I proceeded on this duty with a heavy load of my personal belongings and without my personal service weapon and ammunition. A view of Sarsawa Airfield. On October 21, 1971, for the early morning takeoff, the runway was lit by rows of flaming torches.
Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: 1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills. OPERATION EAGLE IS THE CODE NAME FOR MILITARY ACTION THAT INITIATED THE LIBERATION OF BANGLADESH DURING OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 1971 WITH STRIKES ON THE ENEMY MILITARY POSTS IN CHITTAGONG HILL TRACTS.
Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: 1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills. I took an early morning flight on October 21, 1971 from Sarsawa Air Force Station to Kumbhigram Air Force Station.
Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: 1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills. On October 20, 1971 I was deployed for the military action code-named Operation Eagle at Sarsawa, near Saharanpur. My Movement Order did not provide any details and there was no briefing to keep the battle plan as a secret.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills. The Antonov An-12 is a four-engined turboprop transport aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. The above photo image is used just for the illustrative purpose. We were not permitted to take any photographs in the conduct of the covert military mission code named Operation Eagle.

At Sarsawa Air Force Station, I boarded the Antonov An-12, Soviet designed transport aircraft in the early morning hours of October 21, 1971. The runway was illuminated by rows of flaming torches on either side. The Commandant of Establishment 22 (Two-Two) Brigadier T S Oberoi delayed the departure of the flight until a hot breakfast was served to all the men boarding the aircraft. The men were fully armed and were dressed in combat gear and I was the only exception proceeding on Operation Eagle mission without carrying a service weapon. I was permitted to carry the heavy load of my personal belongings as the nature of the mission was not formally disclosed. While we boarded the aircraft in a single file, Brigadier T S Oberoi warmly shook hands of each person. He wished me all the best and did not inquire about my service weapon as the mission remained a secret and its objectives were not disclosed in Sarsawa. I was just taking part in an unknown military mission and did not even know the destination of this morning flight from Sarsawa Airfield until the aircraft landed in Kumbhigram Airfield near Silchar City in Cachar District, Assam. However, I checked the Movement Order that was issued to me. The Commandant of Establishment 22 has the authority to sanction my move from the Military Hospital Wing to the Mobile Reserve Force Base, Kailana Camp in Chakrata and from there to Sarsawa airfield where we often go for parachuting or para jumping. The Inspector General of Special Frontier Force has the authority to sanction my move from Chakrata to any other location within India. The Inspector General does not have the sanctioning power to ask me to move across the boundaries of India. The Movement Order deploying me for Operation Eagle that I received in Sarsawa did not specify any particular location but the Move was sanctioned by the Cabinet Secretariat, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the executive branch of the Government of India which has the sanctioning power to move me to any location in India as well as across the borders of India. Before boarding the Antonov An-12 transport aircraft in Sarsawa, I knew I may have to move across the borders of India but had no clue about its precise location. I was not briefed and I did not ask any questions as my mission was still under the wraps of operational security. On October 21, 1971, I was blissfully unaware of the existence of a place known as Demagiri in Lushai, Mizo Hills. On that date I am aware of the training imparted to Bangla Freedom Fighters but had no clue about an impending operation that follows the course of the British Indian Army’s First Lushai Expedition of 1871-72.

1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills. On October 21, 1971, I boarded the Antonov An-12 transport aircraft in Sarsawa without knowing the destination of my air flight.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills. On October 21, 1971, I arrived in Kumbhigram Air Force Station, Cachar District, Assam and camped near the runaway to begin the road journey to Lushai, Mizo Hills on October 22, 1971.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills. The 3-ton Lorry shown in this picture is used just for the illustrative purpose.. In 1971, the Indian Army was using TATA Mercedes Benz 3-ton Lorry for the transportation of men and supplies.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills. On October 22, 1971, I moved from Kumbhigram, Cachar District, Assam to Aizawl, Mizo Hills in a military convoy and halted there for the night at the Border Roads Task Force (BRTF), Project Pushpak, Officers Mess.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills. On October 22, 1971, I arrived in Aizawl and spent the night at the Officers Mess of the Border Roads Task Force (BRTF), Project Pushpak.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart. Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills. On October 23, 1971, I moved from Aizawl to Lunglei, Mizoram for another night halt at Border Roads Task Force (BRTF), Project Pushpak Officers Mess in Lunglei. A view of Mizo Hills, Aizawl.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills. On October 24, 1971, I moved from Lunglei to Demagiri, Tlabung.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills. On October 24, 1971, the military convoy moved from Lunglei to arrive in Demagiri.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills. I arrived in Demagiri on October 24, 1971. I walked up to the Khawthlang Tuipui, Karnaphuli River bank and looked for signs of activity across the border. Surprisingly, the area looked uninhabited while in Demagiri the streets were crowded with Bangla refugees.

October 1971, Operation Eagle Deployment at Demagiri, Tlabung

1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills. On Monday, October 25, 1971, I selected Vietnam War Era US Army Infantry Assault M14 Rifle as my service weapon. Operation Eagle. The military action to initiate the Liberation of Bangladesh involved the use of this US Marine Corps Service Rifle.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills. The M14 Rifle was issued to me on Monday, October 25, 1971. On Tuesday, October 26, 1971, I returned the Gun to the Armory at Force Headquarters, Operation Eagle, Demagiri (Tlabung).
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills. On Monday, October 25, 1971, I was offered Hungarian AK-47 Assault Rifle to use as my issued or authorized weapon. I selected the US Army M14 Infantry Assault Rifle recommended by the Company Commanders of South Column.

Friday, October 01, 1971 to Friday, October 15, 1971: I was at a Training Camp with Bangla Freedom Fighters near Dakpathar Barrage across the Yamuna River, Uttarakhand, India.

Tuesday, October 19, 1971: Moved from the Military Hospital Wing, Headquarters Establishment 22, Chakrata to the Mobile Reserve Force, Kailana Camp, Chakrata Cantonment.

Wednesday, October 20, 1971: Moved from Mobile Reserve Force, Kailana Camp, Chakrata to Sarsawa Airfield, near Saharanpur by road in a military convoy.

Thursday, October 21, 1971: Moved from Sarsawa Airfield to Kumbhigram Airfield, Cachar District, Assam in the Antonov An-12 transport aircraft. The air flight was provided by Aviation Research Centre. The Movement Order described the move as Operation Eagle deployment and did not specify the name of any location.

Friday, October 22, 1971: Moved from Kumbhigram Airfield, Assam, to Border Roads Task Force Camp, Project Pushpak, Aizawl, Mizoram by military convoy.

Saturday, October 23, 1971: Moved from Aizawl to Border Roads Task Force Camp, Project Pushpak, Lunglei, Mizoram by military convoy.

Sunday, October 24, 1971: Moved from Lunglei to the Force Headquarters, Operation Eagle Camp in Demagiri, Tlabung, Mizo Hills by road convoy. I viewed the Khawthlang Tuipui, Karnaphuli River. Found several Bangla refugees on the streets of Demagiri.

Monday, October 25, 1971: I was informed that I am posted as the Medical Officer of South Column under the Command of Lieutenant Colonel B K Narayan, the Regiment of Artillery. Attended the first briefing by Colonel Narayan. Briefed about the battle plan to operate on Manpack basis to assault the enemy posts in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. I reviewed the options for my service weapon. I viewed the Hungarian AK-47 Assault Rifle and the US Marine Corps M14 Rifle. On the recommendation of the Company Commanders of South Column, I selected the US Marine Corps M14 Rifle.

Tuesday, October 26, 1971: Attended the second briefing by South Column Commander B K Narayan. Discussed the options for my service weapon. Took permission to return the US Marine Corps M14 Rifle and to serve in the military mission without carrying any service weapon and ammunition. Deposited all the heavy personal belongings in the store of Quartermaster of Force Headquarters Camp in Demagiri. Collected all the field gear, rations, medical supplies required for the conduct of operational tasks on the manpack basis.

1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills. American made High-Explosive Fragmentation Mark II Hand Grenade. OPERATION EAGLE 1971.  Pakistan’s Army uses this type of hand grenades. During Operation Eagle, the India-Pakistan War of 1971, I collected two such hand grenades at the enemy post that we captured. I removed the Detonator to safely handle the grenade. I took them home and presented them to my father as a piece of evidence of my participation in the War. My father was afraid to keep my evidence. The Grenades were buried in Alcot Gardens, Rajahmundry.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills.The General Purpose Machine Gun M60 was designed for use in the Vietnam War was equally useful for our Infantry Operation Eagle in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills. M1 Muzzle loading 81mm Mortar is a heavy piece of Infantry weapon which provides indirect fire support. During Operation Eagle, our men had carried them on their backs and used them to fire upon the enemy patrols whenever they had confronted us.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills. The most common weapon used by American Infantry Battalions in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Operation Eagle was fought on a manpack basis and this short-range, lightweight mortar was very useful.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills AN/PRC-77 Backpack radio set is similar to the AN/PRC-25 radio set. This has the additional ability to scramble voice communications while being transmitted. The US Army used the same radio sets in Vietnam.
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1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills Short-range, manpack, portable, frequency modulated (FM) transceiver that provides two-way voice communication. Radio Set AN/PRC – 25 is used in the Vietnam War and I had used the same in Operation Eagle.
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1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills Operation Eagle: Fifth Army in Bangladesh. We used the Collapsible, Tri-fold, Entrenching Tool used by the US Army in Vietnam.
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1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills Infantry marches on its feet. Boots are the most important equipment apart from Guns. I had used Ankle Canvas Boots used by the US Army in Vietnam, during Operation Eagle and had marched on feet to fight and dislodge the enemy from the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
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1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills. A Soldier needs his gun, boots, and clothing to protect himself. During Operation Eagle 1971, I had used this US Army Nylon Poncho with Hood (Olive) to sleep on the ground and as a coat to protect myself from intense fog and dew prevalent in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills.During Operation Eagle 1971 we were not allowed the use of cameras or photography. I would have looked like this man wearing Olive Green Coat Poncho. I had used US Army Cap-Jungle.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills. The US Army Lightweight, Olive Green, Field Patrol Cap or Cap Jungle was worn by me during the entire duration of the military expedition.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills.U.S. Army uses a variety of Individual Field Medical Kits. The Kits issued to us during Operation Eagle 1971 were Olive Green Canvas pouches worn on the belts by each individual. The medical supplies included Water Purification Tablets for use in water bottles, anti-Malaria pills, Insect Repellent Solution (DBP), Insect Repellant Cream (DMP), Injectable Tubonic Morphine, Oxytetracycline tablets, Multivitamin tablets, Field dressings, bandages and others. The Kits were not stamped but the contents reveal the place of origin.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills.Operation Eagle. We used the same Water Purification Tablets and Water Canteens used by the US Army in Vietnam.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills. Field Rations supplied in Demagiri. Kraft processed Cheddar Cheese in Blue tins.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills. Field Rations supplied in Demagiri. Nestle’s Condensed Milk. Image used for illustrative purpose.

In October 1971, the US Army in Vietnam was using the same items and supplies that I was supplied in Demagiri. After the Sunset, South Column began its tactical move to Borunasury, a Border Security Force Company Post located South of Demagiri. The South Column marched in single file along a narrow walking trail observing absolute silence and without the use of lights. The trail was not maintained and was broken at several places with steep trenches and we had to very slowly negotiate these obstacles maintaining the distance between the person ahead and the person behind. Sometimes, we were forced to stop the march as the advance elements checked the route for any possible threats. We were in an area known for Mizo rebel activity and took precautions to avoid getting ambushed. I still remember the moment when I watched a bunch of snakes crawling under my legs while I rested on the trail using my heavy backpack as my support. I just silently watched the snakes without making any move and they moved quickly without noticing my presence.

Wednesday, October 27, 1971: Camped at Borunasury Border Security Force Company Post preparing for the next tactical move to assault the enemy post at Jalanpara, the Chittagong Hill Tracts located across the international boundary West of Borunasury. Using binoculars, we could watch activity at Jalanpara Camp as the enemy prepared trenches around the Camp.

Thursday, October 28, 1971: Crossed the international boundary West of Borunasury under the cover of darkness wading through the waters of a narrow stream. After marching through the forest for several hours, wading through shallow streams, avoiding all known walking trails and beaten paths, the South Column decided to Camp in the forest near an abandoned Chakma hut. One Company of South Column moved to a location just East of Jalanpara enemy camp to keep the enemy engaged while the assault gets launched from North of Jalanpara enemy camp.

Friday, October 29, 1971: The march resumed in the morning to reach a place North of Jalanpara enemy post to secure the enemy’s supply chain. Wading through the forest streams posed its own problems like leeches and my feet got soaked for so long, the skin simply peeled off. After Sunset, the enemy patrol spotted our movement and fired upon our position. We remained calm taking cover in trench pits and kept the enemy patrol at bay by very restrained response with a very few men returning the fire. The enemy patrol went back and didn’t get the chance to estimate the size of our force.

Saturday night, October 30/early morning hours of Sunday, October 31, 1971: Two Companies of South Column with Company Commanders Major Savendra Singh Negi, the Grenadiers, Major (Honorary) G B Velankar move South along the trail to assault the enemy post at Jalanpara. The enemy resisted the assault fiercely shooting the made in China machine guns and I was able to hear the bouts of coughing noise of the gunfire for several hours. Finally, the enemy was neutralized and the machine gun fire stopped.

Sunday, October 31, 1971: South Column Commander radioed me and spoke to me using my mother tongue Telugu. We knew the composition of the enemy troops and we knew that they would not be able to decipher the words spoken in Telugu. He asked me to come to the enemy post at Jalanpara. I moved there with four men providing me the escort. South Column lost nine Tibetan men in the action due to hostile fire and had 13 battlefield casualties. South Column cremated the bodies of the battlefield dead as per the Tibetan Customs. I was informed that an airlift of the battlefield casualties was not possible as the helicopter flight across the international boundary was not sanctioned. The men were utterly surprised and reacted with anger. I spoke to the men giving them the assurance that I can take care of the situation. I made a decision to evacuate the casualties to Borunasury Border Security Force Company Post in India by using improvised stretchers. South Column assembled a party of about sixty or sixty five men to lift the stretchers and to provide armed escort to the evacuation team. We marched to Borunasury Border Security Force Post on foot and had to halt the march after 4 hours due to night fall. During the night of Sunday, October 31, 1971, I continued to monitor the condition of the battle casualties providing nursing care and support. For this battlefield casualty evacuation, I performed the duties of the Army Medical Corps Medical Officer, Nursing Assistant, as well as Ambulance Assistant. The services of the AMC Nursing Assistants of the South Column could not be spared for this ground evacuation from Jalanpara as we had to be on alert for an enemy counterattack.

1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills. The Mi-4 was a Soviet design medium-lift helicopter designed to carry 1,600 kgs of weight or 16 troops and had a maximum range of 500 km at typical speeds of 140 kmph to 160 kmph.The helicopters could be loaded up to the maximum since the sortie durations were not more than an hour or so in duration and the missions could be flown with less fuel..

Monday, November 01, 1971: The ground evacuation of the battle casualties resumed before dawn and I reached Borunasury Border Security Force Company Post early in the morning and prepared the battle casualties for airlift to the Field Hospital in Lunglei, Mizoram. Flight Lieutenant Jadhav of Aviation Research Centre (ARC) arrived at the helipad in Mi-4 Helicopter. Operation Eagle was provided airlift support by two ARC Mi-4 Helicopters.

On Monday, November 01, 1971, myself and the battle casualty evacuation team marched back to Jalanpara and the foot journey took about eight hours. I had a very surprising encounter with a Chakma youth who stopped me asking for medical assistance.

The Slow and Tedious Military Campaign in the Forests of the Chittagong Hill Tracts

1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills. THE FIFTH ARMY IN BANGLADESH – THE CHITTAGONG HILL TRACTS. I arrived in Demagiri on October 24, 1971 and I attended the first briefing by Lieutenant Colonel B K Narayan on October 25, 1971. THE FIFTH ARMY IN BANGLADESH – THE CHITTAGONG HILL TRACTS. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE INDIAN ARMY AND THE FIFTH ARMY IN BANGLADESH . WE USED THE SAME WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT USED BY THE US ARMY IN VIETNAM.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills. Special Frontier Force-Establishment No. 22-Operation Eagle:. In 1971, Special Frontier Force initiated Liberation of Bangladesh with military action in the Chittagong Hill Tracts with Battle Plan Code-named Operation Eagle. This Operation is not governed by Army Act 1950.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills.
Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: In 1971, Special Frontier Force initiated Liberation of Bangladesh with military action in the Chittagong Hill Tracts with Battle Plan Code-named Operation Eagle. This Operation is not governed by Army Act 1950.

Tuesday, November 02, 1971: At Jalanpara, we expected the enemy to regroup and launch a counterattack the Company Post we captured. It did not happen. We used the beaten track to march towards Barkal which was our next target. As we marched out of Jalanpara in single file, an hour before the Sunset, we had an encounter with an enemy patrol. The advance party of the South Column exchanged fire with the enemy patrol keeping them at bay. The enemy patrol withdrew but left behind a booby trap using hand grenades and a trip wire. Several men marched over the trip wire without noticing it. Soon, the booby trap was discovered, but it was too late. A young Tibetan soldier had hit the trip wire setting off a loud explosion. I immediately rushed forward to see if I could provide some medical care and support. The blast force was too severe and hit him over the abdomen spilling his intestines. He died almost instantaneously. The South Column had decided to cremate him at that site on the forest trail. It taught us a bitter lesson about the use of the beaten tracks.

1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills. Made in China High-Explosive Fragmentation Hand Grenade found during Operation Eagle 1971. Chinese Army uses the same hand grenades. Pakistan receives arms and ammunition from Communist China apart from the massive military aid it receives from the United States of America. In the Indo-Pak War of 1971, we captured enemy posts and recovered arms and ammunition that were made in China.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills.

During the month of November 1971, our march towards Barkal was hampered by the enemy sending heavily armed patrols waiting for us on the tracks we tried to use to reach the Karnaphuli River at Barkal. At the least on two occasions, we had prolonged exchanges of gunfire and we had to use the 81mm Mortar Bombs to checkmate the enemy patrol parties. It took us a while to locate the enemy’s camp in the forest East of Barkal.

Friday, December 10, 1971: The South Column launched a decisive attack on the enemy camp on a hill feature East of Barkal. The assault started early in the morning before the Sunrise to take advantage of the very dense fog. But, it was not much of a surprise. The enemy was fully prepared and the resistance was fierce. The South Column experienced the worst loss of battle dead in this attack. I duly identified all the battle dead and prepared the documentation before the South Column prepared individual graves to bury them on the side of the forest trail near the hill post East of Barkal. The battle wounded were airlifted to the Field Hospital in Lunglei. I met Flight Lieutenant Parvez Rustom Jamsaji, the Mi-4 helicopter pilot for the first time on Friday, December 10, 1971 when he had arrived at that South Column location.

1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills.The Mi-4 was a Soviet design medium-lift helicopter designed to carry 1,600 kgs of weight or 16 troops and had a maximum range of 500 km at typical speeds of 140 kmph to 160 kmph.The helicopters could be loaded up to the maximum since the sortie durations were not more than an hour or so in duration and the missions could be flown with less fuel. On Friday, December 10, 1971, the Mi-4 helicopter was loaded up to the maximum capacity to provide airlift support to the battlefield casualties.

Friday, December 10, 1971: The Battle for Barkal was intense. The enemy withdrew from the hill post taking away the battle wounded and battle dead casualties. The South Column captured an enemy soldier who could not run away because of his ankle injury. I treated this prisoner of war and got him airlifted to the Field Hospital, Lunglei.

Monday, December 13, 1971: The Indian Air Force sent a sortie in support of the advance of the South Column to capture Barkal. The IAF pilots were in contact with the South Column as they targeted the enemy’s fortified bunkers on the hill ridge that overlooks the Karnaphuli River.

Monday, December 13, 1971: The South Column crossed the Karnaphuli River using very small fishing boats left behind my the local fishermen on the east bank of the River. It involved the making of several trips. The enemy and even the civilian population of Barkal had fully withdrawn and I could not find any person in this small village. I visited the enemy’s fortified bunkers on the top of the hill ridge. The bunker roofs were riddled with large gaping holes. Apparently, the enemy withdrew from the post on Sunday, December 12, 1971. I checked the Medical Clinic in Barkal. There were no signs of any casualties from the air raid by the Indian Air Force.

1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills. The South Column crossed the Karnaphuli River on Monday, December 13, 1971 to capture Barkal.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills. The South Column advanced to Rangamati hiring a passenger boat service on Monday, December 13, 1971. The passenger boat came to Barkal from Rangamati.

Monday, December 13, 1971: The South Column advanced to Rangamati after the Sunset. A large crowd of Bangla citizens had gathered to greet us as we disembarked from the passenger boat. The crowd was cheering, wild with excitement and enthusiasm as the enemy withdrew from Rangamati prior to the arrival of the South Column.

Tuesday, December 14, 1971: The South Column advanced to Kaptai by road taking advantage of the vehicles abandoned by the enemy.

Friday, December 17, 1971: The South Column deployed itself in Kaptai and a few locations around the Kaptai Lake. Lieutenant Colonel B K Narayan, the South Column Commander officiated as the Imam of the Friday Morning Prayer Service held at the Kaptai Guest House where we camped. A very large number of Bangla citizens of Kaptai attended this Prayer Service and the large conference hall at the Guest House was fully packed.

Soon after capturing Kaptai, South Column Commander Colonel B K Narayan and myself along with our Bangla guide Mr. Siddique Ahmed went to Chandraghona using a captured enemy car. Mr. Siddique Ahmed worked as an engineer in the Chandraghona (Karnaphuli) Paper Mills before he joined the Bangla Freedom Movement.

1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills. The Bangla Guide assigned to South Column, Mr. Siddique Ahmed worked as engineer at Chandraghona (Karnaphuli) Paper Mills, Chandraghona. We visited the Paper Mills soon after capturing Kaptai.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills. Soon after capturing Kaptai, South Column Commander Colonel B K Narayan, myself, and our Bangla guide Mr. Siddique Ahmed visited Chandraghona. A view of the Karnaphuli River at Chandraghona.

Tuesday, December 14, 1971 to Saturday, January 22, 1972: I camped in Kaptai and could fortunately enjoy the comforts of residing in the Guest House whose staff prepared and served hot meals using our military rations. I could purchase a few personal care items and some casual wear at the local market in Kaptai. I was visiting the Company locations deployed around the Kaptai Lake using the speedboats the enemy abandoned.

1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills. The South Column was camping in Kaptai on Monday, January 10, 1972, the Homecoming Day of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills.
1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills.

The Return Trip From Chittagong to Amritdhara Bhavan, 97-A Rajpur Road, Dehradun

Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: 1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Mizo Hills. On Saturday, January 22, 1972, the South Column departed from Chittagong Sea Port after their successful execution of the military expedition to the Chittagong Hill Tracts launched from Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills.
Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: 1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills. On Saturday, January 22, 1972, the South Column boarded a hired Indian Merchant Vessel to depart from Chittagong Sea Port.
Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: The Expedition to Mizo Hills concluded by our return to Kolkata Port from Chittagong Port after 3-days Sea Voyage.
Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: The Expedition to Mizo Hills concluded with a 3-Day Sea Voyage from Chittagong to Kolkata Sea Port. Military Trucks were waiting on the Dock and took us to Howrah Junction Railway Station for a Military Special Train Journey to Dehradun.
Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: The Expedition to Mizo Hills concluded with a 3-Day Sea Voyage from Chittagong to Kolkata Sea Port. Military Trucks were waiting on the Dock and took us to Howrah Junction Railway Station for a Military Special Train Journey to Dehradun.
Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: My Expedition started at Chakrata and it proceeded to Mizo Hills via Sarsawa Airfield and on the return trip, we took a ship to Kolkata Sea Port and from Howrah Railway Junction we returned to Dehradun in a Military Special Train. I did not immediately return to Chakrata as I was granted the Balanace of Annual Leave of 1971.
Please read the story “Mavericks of Fifth Army” published by Colonel Satish Singh Lalotra who served as Company Commander, D Sector, Special Frontier Force during 1993-95.
Whole Dude – Whole Expedition: 1871 and 1971, One Hundred Years Apart, Southern Column vs South Column. The Military Expeditions to Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills. Just like this Camp Hale Memorial Plaque in Colorado, USA, I am asking for a Memorial Plate to be placed in Demagiri, Tlabung, Lushai, Mizo Hills, India.

Whole Dude – Whole Unrest

Tibetan Consciousness Movement spreads in Occupied Tibet

A Thanka painting inside the Namgyal Institute...
Whole Dude – Whole Unrest. A Thanka painting inside the Namgyal Institute.

Excerpt: Special Frontier Force – The Doctrine of Tibetan Resistance: The Problem of War and Peace in Tibet. Can we order Peace for the sake of War, and not War for the sake of Peace? It may be argued that Peace is Inevitable or it may be stated that War is Inevitable. The problem is the absence of Natural Order, Natural Condition, Natural Power, and Natural Authority in the Land of Tibet and in the lives of Tibetans. I state that Resistance is Inevitable, Resistance will Endure, and Resistance will Prevail if there is no Natural Order in Tibet. Tibet can Resist, Tibet will Resist, and Tibetan Resistance will Prevail until the Natural Order is restored in Tibet.Tibetan Identity is a reflection of Tibetan Consciousness and Tibetan Resistance is the natural reaction to occupation.

Whole Dude – Whole Unrest: This Yak dressed up in Tibetan Costume symbolizes the Tibetan Consciousness Movement. The Consciousness of The Living Tibetan Spirits includes the Land, the People, the denizens of Tibet.

The Living Tibetan Spirits appreciate the following article published by Mr. Bahukutumbi.Raman, the former associate of Mr. R. N. Kao of the Intelligence Bureau, and the Secretary (Research) of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) from 1968 to 1977. During 1971, Mr. R. N. Kao and Mr. B. Raman visited my Organization that was commanded by Major General Sujan Singh Uban, Inspector General Special Frontier Force. Mr. B. Raman also served as Additional Secretary, the Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India.

Whole Dude – Whole Unrest: For the purpose of working out a response to the current tragic situation in Tibet, a Special General Meeting of Tibetans was held at Dharamshala, India.

The Tibetan Spirits live in my consciousness and we recognize the Tibetan Consciousness Movement. The Tibetan Identity will survive in spite of illegal occupation of Tibet. We have set our minds free and freedom is the state of our minds and freedom is the condition of our Spirits.

WHOLE DUDE – WHOLE UNREST: OLD FLAMES NEVER DIE – TIBETAN CONSCIOUSNESS MOVEMENT

http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/papers48/paper4747.html

CHINA: Tibetan-Consciousness Movement spreads

Whole Dude – Whole Unrest: Tibetan Consciousness Movement.

By B. Raman 26/10/2011


The unrest in the Tibetan areas of China —Tibet, Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan— continues in different forms. The unrest was triggered off in March last by unhappiness among the Tibetans of Sichuan over the continued suppression of their political, religious and ethnic rights by the Chinese authorities and over their attempts to punish anyone who proclaimed his or her loyalty to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
2. The unrest in the Tibetan areas of Sichuan has taken the form of a chain of self-immolations by young Tibetan monks of the large Kirti monastery. The Chinese authorities have not been able to stop these acts or attempted acts of self-immolation despite their removing a large number of monks of the monastery to a military detention camp euphemistically called a re-education centre and punishing those present at the time of the self-immolations on charges of abetment to suicide. They have also been forcing senior monks to come out with statements condemning self-immolations as unBuddhist and have launched a campaign against His Holiness for not condemning self-immolations.
3. Despite these suppressive measures, acts or attempted acts of self-immolation continue with nine so far. In the latest incident reported on October 17, 2011, a nun is reported to have committed self-immolation. This is the first instance of a self-immolation by a nun in the history of Tibetan Buddhism. Wamgmo, the 20-year-old nun, was from the Mamo or Dechen Choekorling Nunnery, which has about 350 nuns in Ngaba. Nuns from here had also participated in the March 2008 protest movement,
4. The same day, the Chinese police opened fire on a group of protesting Tibetans, injuring two of them. There were no fatalities. The shooting followed a protest the previous day in the Khekor township of Serthar (in Chinese, Seda) county of the Kardze (in Chinese, Ganzi) prefecture. A group of seven Tibetans protested in front of the local police station and shouted slogans calling for freedom for Tibet, the return of His Holiness from exile and the release from jail of His Holiness the Panchen Lama, chosen by the Dalai Lama in accordance with Tibetan Buddhist traditions. The Chinese have jailed him and the Communist Party of China has nominated its own Panchen Lama who has not been accepted by the Tibetans.
5. The self-immolations in Sichuan have been accompanied by protests and commercial strikes by Tibetans in the towns and villages to which those committing self-immolation belonged. The Tibetan community of Sichuan observed a day of fasting and protest on October 19 to express solidarity with the families of those who committed self-immolation. The acts of self-immolation have not so far spread to other Tibetan areas outside Sichuan.
6. However, a Tibetan-consciousness movement has been spreading right across the Tibetan belt. The objective of the movement is to enhance the consciousness of the Tibetans–particularly the youth— about the distinct nature of the Tibetan culture as distinguished from the Han culture and to impress upon the youth the importance of preserving the Tibetan culture and maintaining their loyalty and devotion to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The monasteries have been in the forefront of this movement.
7. As part of this Tibetan-consciousness movement, Tibetans are being encouraged to dress in typical Tibetan style, speak among themselves only in the Tibetan language, eat only Tibetan food and participate in joint prayer meetings. Reports received from Tibet and other Tibetan areas say that thousands of Tibetans–many of them youth—are participating in the peaceful gatherings organised by this movement. The Chinese authorities have till now refrained from disrupting this movement lest it led to any violence.
8.At the Sershul monastery in the Kardze (in Chinese, Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of the Sichuan province, more than 20,000 Tibetan monks and others gathered from Oct. 6-13 to take part in discussions on Tibetan-consciousness. In an earlier Tibetan-consciousness gathering from Oct. 2-5 at the Dzogchen monastery, also in Kardze, a senior religious leader spoke to more than 10,000 Tibetans on the Tibetan identity. Pledges to struggle for Tibetan freedom through non-violent means were taken
9. Similar gatherings were held in eight other places during September and October, including one gathering of about 1,400 monks in Nangchen in the Yulshul (in Chinese, Yushu) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai province.
10. The absence of acts of self-immolation, protest meetings and commercial strikes in Tibet itself should not be misconstrued to mean that the struggle for Tibetan rights, which led to a mass flare-up in 2008, is showing signs of subsiding. It has taken a different form. The presence of thousands of Tibetans–particularly Tibetan youth— in the Tibetan-consciousness gatherings in Tibet speaks of the continuing pride of the Tibetans in their Tibetan personality, culture and religious faith.
11. The Tibetan struggle for the protection and preservation of their self-identity and their loyalty and devotion to His Holiness remain as strong as ever. What should be encouraging is that a new generation Tibetan activists, different from those who were in the vanguard of the 2008 flare-up, has emerged and is now leading the Tibetan struggle. The new generation believes in a peaceful struggle. It feels that the violence of March 2008 played into the hands of the Chinese and enabled them to use brutal force to suppress the movement.

Whole Dude – Whole Unrest: Tibetan Consciousness Movement

Whole Palace – The Summer Palace of the Supreme Ruler of Tibet

LIVING TIBETAN SPIRITS SHARE GLIMPSES OF NORBULINGKA – SUMMER PALACE OF THE DALAI LAMA, SUPREME RULER OF TIBET

Whole Dude – Whole Palace: Glimpses of Norbulingka, Summer Palace of Supreme Ruler of Tibet
Whole Dude – Whole Palace: Glimpses of Norbulingka, Summer Palace of Supreme Ruler of Tibet

Norbulingka, literally the “Jeweled Garden,” is a palace and its surrounding parks located in a western suburb of Lhasa. It was constructed in the 1740s as a summer palace for the Dalai Lama, Supreme Ruler of Tibet and later served the whole governmental administration. The place boasts typical Tibetan palace architecture, as well as gentle streams, dense and lush forestry, birds and animals. Covering an area of around 36 hectares, it is considered to be the largest man-made garden in Tibet.

Whole Dude – Whole Palace: Glimpses of Norbulingka, Summer Palace of Supreme Ruler of Tibet

Being part of the “Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace,” Norbulingka is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and was added as an extension to this Historic Ensemble in 2001.[China.org.cn]

Whole Dude – Whole Palace: Glimpses of Norbulingka, Summer Palace of Supreme Ruler of Tibet

Whole Palace – The Summer Palace of Supreme Ruler of Tibet- 7

LIVING TIBETAN SPIRITS SHARE GLIMPSES OF NORBULINGKA THE SUMMER PALACE OF SUPREME RULER OF TIBET – 7

Whole Palace: Glimpses of Norbulingka, Summer Palace of the Supreme Ruler of Tibet

Norbulingka, literally the “Jeweled Garden,” is a palace and its surrounding parks located in a western suburb of Lhasa. It was constructed in the 1740s as a summer palace for the Dalai Lama and later served the whole governmental administration. The place boasts typical Tibetan palace architecture, as well as gentle streams, dense and lush forestry, birds and animals. Covering an area of around 36 hectares, it is considered to be the largest man-made garden in Tibet. Being part of the “Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace,” Norbulingka is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and was added as an extension to this Historic Ensemble in 2001.[China.org.cn]

Whole Palace: Glimpses of Norbulingka, Summer Palace of the Supreme Ruler of Tibet

Whole Palace – The Summer Palace of Supreme Ruler of Tibet- 4

LIVING TIBETAN SPIRITS SHARE GLIMPSES OF NORBULINGKA – 4

Whole Palace: Glimpses of Norbulingka, the Summer Palace of the Supreme Ruler of Tibet.

Norbulingka, literally the “Jeweled Garden,” is a palace and its surrounding parks located in a western suburb of Lhasa. It was constructed in the 1740s as a summer palace for the Dalai Lama and later served the whole governmental administration. The place boasts typical Tibetan palace architecture, as well as gentle streams, dense and lush forestry, birds and animals. Covering an area of around 36 hectares, it is considered to be the largest man-made garden in Tibet. Being part of the “Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace,” Norbulingka is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and was added as an extension to this Historic Ensemble in 2001.[China.org.cn]

Whole Palace: Glimpses of Norbulingka, the Summer Palace of the Supreme Ruler of Tibet.

Whole Dude – Whole Evil

Whole Dude – Whole Evil

Excerpt: The article discusses the controversial foreign policies of former US Secretary of State, Henry Alfred Kissinger, who passed away at age 100. He’s criticized for providing aid to China during the Vietnam War which allegedly supported the spread of communism in Asia, and for ignoring human rights violations during China’s Cultural Revolution. The author aligns Kissinger’s strategies with treason, blaming him for postponing the liberation of Tibet from Chinese occupation. Despite these critiques, Kissinger is also credited with ending American involvement in the Vietnam War, opening China to the West, and easing US-Soviet relations. Throughout his life, he was awarded several recognitions, including the Nobel Peace Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Whole Villain – Whole Sin

In my analysis, I often describe Dr Henry Alfred Kissinger as Whole Villain for his foreign policy initiative can be best described as the “Original Sin” for it violates the “In God We Trust” National Motto of the United States.

Whole Villain – Whole Sin

I ask our readers to kindly review his actions before he was appointed as the US Secretary of State. He betrayed the US Constitution, usurped the powers of the duly appointed US Secretary of State when he visited Pakistan and China to arrange for a meeting between the US president Richard M Nixon and China’s Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong.

SPECIAL FRONTIER FORCE VS THE EVIL RED EMPIRE: RED CHINA FOUNDED BY MAO TSE-TUNG IS MORE EVIL THAN HITLER’S NAZI GERMANY. AFTER THE FALL OF SOVIET UNION, RED CHINA HAS BECOME THE MOST EVIL EMPIRE OF THE PRESENT DAY WORLD .

His sin involves ignoring the atrocities of China’s Cultural Revolution. Chairman Mao Zedong is guilty of killing millions of his own people apart from killing his own party members.

Whole Villian – Whole Sin: Doomed Gun of Doom Dooma

I was stationed in Doom Dooma, Tinsukia District, Assam when President Nixon visited Peking during February 1972. I describe myself as the Doom Dooma Doomsayer. I served in the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA, Arunachal Pradesh) and I refused to carry the US Infantry weapon provided for my personal protection.

Whole Villain – Whole Sin

He provided comfort and protection to the Enemy while the US troops were fighting a bitter and bloody war on the ground in Vietnam. He should have been tried for treason for betraying the nation during wartime.

Whole Villain – Whole Sin: Establishment No. 22 – Operation Eagle: This badge represents a military alliance/pact between India, Tibet, and the United States of America. Its first combat mission was in the Chittagong Hill Tracts which unfolded on 03 November 1971. It was named Operation Eagle. It accomplished its mission of securing peace in the region that is now known as Republic of Bangladesh.

All said and done, I speak of the Unfinished Korea-Vietnam War. The true adversary of America is neither Korea nor Vietnam. The real concern is about the spread of Communism to Asia. The first victim of Communist Expansionism is Tibet, the third largest nation of Asia. We have yet to fight a war to evict the occupier of Tibet. Kissinger has postponed this Battle for Democracy, Peace, and Justice in Asia.

US foreign policy stalwart Henry Kissinger dies at 100

Henry Kissinger, the 56th US Secretary of State known to be as one of the most influential foreign policy figures in American history, has passed away at the age of 100.

Without providing a cause of death, his consulting firm Kissinger Associates said that he died on Wednesday at his home in Connecticut, CNN reported.

Born in Germany in 1923, he is survived by his wife of nearly 50 years, Nancy Maginnes Kissinger, two children by his first marriage, David and Elizabeth, and five grandchildren.

Kissinger became a naturalised US citizen in 1943 before serving in World War II.

Before his government service, he served on the faculty at Harvard University, where he ran the International Seminar from 1952 to 1969.

Kissinger began consulting with the State Department and Pentagon on national security matters before serving as National Security Adviser (January 1969–November 1975) and then Secretary of State (September 1973–January 1977) to former President Richard Nixon.

Henry Kissinger was synonymous with US foreign policy in the 1970s.

He received a Nobel Peace Prize for helping arrange the end of American military involvement in the Vietnam War and is credited with secret diplomacy that helped then President Nixon open communist China to the US and the West, highlighted by the latter’s visit to the country in 1972.

But he was also reviled by many over the bombing of Cambodia during the Vietnam War that led to the rise of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime and for his support of a coup against a democratic government in Chile.

In the Middle East, Kissinger performed what came to be known as “shuttle diplomacy” to separate Israeli and Arab forces after the fallout of the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

His “detente” approach to US-Soviet relations, which helped relax tensions and led to several arms control agreements, largely guided American posture until the Reagan era.

Though his era as a high-powered architect of US foreign policy waned with the decline of Nixon amid the Watergate scandal, Kissinger continued to be an independent mover and shaker whose musings on diplomacy always found an ear.

Nixon’s successor, Gerald Ford, retained Kissinger as the Secretary of State.

He ultimately left office in 1977.

After 9/11, the President George W. Bush asked him to chair the investigation into the attacks on New York and Washington, but he was forced to stand down within weeks after refusing to reveal his consultancy’s list of clients and answer questions about conflicts of interest.

He held meetings with President Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney, to advise them over policy in Iraq following the 2003 invasion.

Kissinger had also briefed Donald Trump on foreign affairs after his election in 2017. suggesting, among other things, acceptance of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s occupation of Ukraine’s Crimea.

When he turned 100 in 2023, he had changed his view on Ukraine.

After the February 2022 Russian invasion, Kissinger argued that Ukraine should join NATO after peace was secured.

Throughout his lifetime, Kissinger was the recipient of a number of awards and recognitions.

In 1945, he was awarded a Bronze Star from the US Army for meritorious service.

He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973, the same year a Gallup Poll of Americans listed him as the most admired person in the world.

Kissinger was also awarded the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 1977 and the Medal of Liberty, given one time to 10 foreign-born American leaders, in 1986.

DOOMSAYER OF DOOM DOOMA – BEIJING IS DOOMED: US PRESIDENT DWIGHT EISENHOWER TOOK ACTION TO DEFINE VALUES THAT ESTABLISH MY CONNECTION WITH THE UNITED STATES THROUGH MY AFFILIATION WITH SPECIAL FRONTIER FORCE.

Whole Dude – Whole Promise

Whole Dude – Whole Promise – Walong Will Never Fall Again

Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again

This is my special tribute to Lohit River and I post this blog to remember my life’s journey; a journey from 1962 to 1972. During 1962, I was a student at Giriraj Government Arts College, Nizamabad, Andhra Pradesh (now Telengana), India and I was studying in the First Year of a 3-Year Bachelor of Science Degree Course. During October 1962, when China attacked India across the Himalayan Frontier, Indian people spontaneously reacted condemning the act of Chinese aggression. It gave me a strong motivation to serve the country to defend the Northern Frontier. My dream came true during 1969 when I was granted Short Service Regular Commission to join the Indian Army Medical Corps.

Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again

On completion of my basic military and professional training, I was deputed to Special Frontier Force and I had the proudest moment of my life when I visited the War Memorial in Walong, Lohit District, North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) during 1972. I got married during January 1973, while I was serving in the North East Frontier Agency and Lohit River is my witness to my Life’s Journey and Commitment.

Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: Walong War Memorial
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: Walong War Memorial
SPECIAL FRONTIER FORCE - LOHIT RIVER: Map of Anjaw District, Arunachal Pradseh State, India.
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. SPECIAL FRONTIER FORCE – LOHIT RIVER: Map of Anjaw District, Arunachal Pradesh State, India.

I am pleased to share an article titled ‘China opens new highway near Arunachal Pradesh Border’ written by Ananth Krishnan that was published in the HINDU on November 01, 2013. I had served in that area and the military organization in which I had served discouraged photography and I did not take photos of the natural scenery of that area. I would like to share some photo images published by http://GreenerPasturesInd.Wordpress.com and others, particularly the images of Lohit River that flows down the Anjaw District of Arunachal Pradesh.

The North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) was constituted in 1912-13. To settle the border between India and Tibet, Sir Henry McMahon, Secretary in the Indian Foreign Department represented Great Britain at a conference held in Simla during 1913-14. The Simla Accord or Simla Agreement between India, Tibet, and China resulted in the McMahon Treaty and the McMahon Line established the official border between India and Tibet. India after gaining her independence and after becoming an independent Republic has ratified the McMahon Treaty. People’s Republic of China which came into existence during 1949 had opposed this Treaty and had occupied Tibet during 1950 rejecting the status of Tibet of being an independent nation. The Communist China’s occupation of Tibet has posed a military threat to Peace and Democracy in Southeast Asia and Tibet’s Head of State, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama fled to India during March 1959 as a consequence of China’s repressive, brutal military actions. On August 26, 1959, in this northeast frontier sector, China’s People’s Liberation Army crossed the McMahon Line for the first time to capture an Indian border post. China abandoned this post during 1961 and launched a major offensive war during October 1962 attacking Indian Army positions in the entire North East Frontier Agency. Due to the firm intervention by the US President John F. Kennedy, China declared unilateral ceasefire and withdrew its forces from all the areas it had captured in the North East Frontier Agency. One of the consequences of this 1962 War of China’s Aggression on India was the creation of a military alliance/pact between India, Tibet, and the United States to defend the border and to challenge the military occupation of Tibet. This military pact/alliance has established a military organization called Establishment No. 22 which is later given the name of Special Frontier Force. I had served in Special Frontier Force along with Tibetan soldiers and we were defending North East Frontier Agency during that period of my military service. The North East Frontier Agency became Indian Union Territory and was named Arunachal Pradesh on January 20, 1972. The State of Arunachal Pradesh was formed on February 20, 1987.

Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again

I arrived in Doom Dooma (Dum Duma) during February 1972 after my successful participation in the military action called ‘Operation Eagle’ which initiated the Liberation of Bangladesh on November 03, 1971 with attacks on Pakistan’s military border posts in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. The United States had withdrawn its CIA personnel from our Organization prior to the launch of Operation Eagle. However, our military alliance/pact withstood the test of the times. In 1972, CIA contacted my Unit in North East Frontier Agency and requested us for our assistance to plant monitoring devices to record data from China’s underground nuclear tests in occupied Tibet. China’s occupation of Tibet, it claims for Indian territory and China’s military build up still pose a grave threat to Peace and Freedom in Southeast Asia.

Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: I was based at Dum Duma(Doom Dooma) Airfield during 1972-73.
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again.Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: I was based at Dum Duma (Doom Dooma) Airfield during 1972-73.
Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: Lohit River enters the plains and flows as the Brahmaputra River.
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: Lohit River enters the plains and flows as the Brahmaputra River.
Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: At the southern end of Lohit District, Lohit River enters the plains.
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: At the southern end of Lohit District, Lohit River enters the plains.
Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: The bridge near Parasuram Kund also known as Brahma Kund.
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: The bridge near Parasuram Kund also known as Brahma Kund.
Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: This Border Road along Lohit River did not exist during 1972-73. I had the pleasure of trekking along this route.
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: This Border Road along Lohit River did not exist during 1972-73. I had the pleasure of trekking along this route.
Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: Suspension Bridge across Lohit River.
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: Suspension Bridge across Lohit River.
Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: A Special Tribute to Lohit River.
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: A Special Tribute to Lohit River.
Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: This bridge swings in the air and is commonly called "JHULA" which refers to the swing found in recreational parks and playgrounds.
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: This bridge swings in the air and is commonly called “JHULA” which refers to the swing found in recreational parks and playgrounds.
Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: Walong Valley
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: Walong Valley
Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: Parashuram Kund
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: Parashuram Kund
Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: A view taken at Hayuliang.
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: A view taken at Hayuliang.
Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: Hayuliang-Walong Road.
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: Hayuliang-Walong Road.
Special Frontier Force - Lohit River:
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River:
Special Frontier Force - Lohit River:
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River:
Special Frontier Force - Lohit River:
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River:
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again
Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: Walong, Anjaw District.
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: Walong, Anjaw District.
Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: Trip to Kibithu
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: Trip to Kibithu
Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: Mishmi Hills
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: Mishmi Hills
Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: Hayuliang
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: Hayuliang
Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: The Border Post at Kibithu
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: The Border Post at Kibithu
Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: Lohit River near Indo-Tibet Border
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: Lohit River near India – Tibet Border.
Special Frontier Force - Lohit River:
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River:

Rudra Narasimham Rebbapragada

SERVICE INFORMATION:

R. Rudra Narasimham, B.Sc., M.B.B.S.,
Personal Numbers: MS-8466/MR-03277K, Rank: Major,
Branch: Army Medical Corps/Short Service Regular Commission (1969-1972); Direct Permanent Commission (1973-1984).
Designation:Medical Officer.
Unit:Establishment No.22 (1971-1974)/South Column,Operation Eagle (1971-1972).
Organization: Special Frontier Force.

Published in the HINDU: November 1, 2013 03:14 IST

BEIJING, November 1, 2013

China opens new highway near Arunachal Pradesh border

Ananth Krishnan

Nearly 1 billion Yuan project comes to light after seven failed attempts over the past 50 years

China on Thursday opened a new highway that links what the government has described as Tibet’s “last isolated county” – located near the border with Arunachal Pradesh – with the rest of the country and will now provide all-weather access to the strategically important region.
Chinese state media have hailed the opening of the highway to Medog – which lies close to the disputed eastern section of the border with India – as a technological breakthrough, with the project finally coming to fruition after seven failed attempts over the past fifty years.
China started attempting to build the highway to Medog – a landlocked county in Tibet’s Nyingchi prefecture – in the 1960s, according to State media reports, in the aftermath of
the 1962 war with India.
With Thursday’s opening of the road, every county in Tibet is now linked through the highway network, underlining the widening infrastructure gulf across the disputed border, even as India belatedly pushes forward an upgrading of border roads in more difficult terrain.
The official Xinhua News Agency on Thursday described Medog as “the last roadless county in China”. Before this week, Medog was the only one of China’s 2,100 counties to remain isolated from the highway network, according to State broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV).
What the project will do
State media reports have focused on the development benefits that the project would bring and have sought to play down the strategic dimensions. Local officials said the road’s opening will bring down commodity prices and widen access to healthcare.
The road will also provide access to the border county for nine months of the year. That the government was willing to spend as much as 950 million Yuan – or $ 155 million – on a 117-km highway, with ostensibly few economic returns expected, has underscored the project’s importance to State planners.
Local officials said prior to the opening of the highway, reaching Medog required traversing the treacherous Galung La and Doxong La mountains at an altitude of 4,000 metres. With frequent landslides, the road was often rendered impassable.
Now, the road will be accessible for “8 to 9 months per year, barring major natural disasters”, Ge Yutao, Communist Party head of the transportation department for the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), told Xinhua.
Work on the 117-km road began in 2009, a year after the project was given the green light by the State Council, or Cabinet.
Renewed attention on infrastructure projects
The opening of the road comes at a time when there has been renewed attention on infrastructure projects in border areas in India and China.
Last week, both countries signed a Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Beijing, aimed at expanding confidence-building measures. The agreement calls for setting up channels of communication between military commands, increasing the number of border personnel meetings, and formalizing rules such as no tailing of patrols, to build trust and avoid incidents.
The agreement does not specify or limit either country’s plans to boost infrastructure – an issue that, analysts say, has in the past triggered tensions along the disputed Line of Actual Control (LAC), most notably in April when a Chinese incursion sparked a three-week-long stand-off in Depsang, Ladakh.
Han Hua, a South Asia scholar at Peking University, suggested in a recent interview that the “basic reason” for the incident was “too much construction” along the border. The Chinese side, she acknowledged, did not have to build closer to the disputed LAC because their infrastructure, as well as more favourable terrain enabled quicker mobilisation.
“If we don’t have the overall collaboration of the military, policy-makers and decision-makers on both sides,” she said, “it will be difficult to avoid such incidents.”
‘India’s plans will not be limited’

The BDCA, Indian officials said, will not limit India’s plans to upgrade infrastructure. It recognises the principle of equal and mutual security, which allows either side to pursue its security in its own way. At the same time, officials say the BDCA will still help “regulate activity” along the border by opening up new channels of communication, even as the border continues to remain a matter of dispute.
On Thursday, Chinese Defence Ministry spokesperson Yang Yujun told a regular press conference that military personnel would hold “regular meetings” and “make joint efforts” to maintain peace in border areas, following the signing of the BDCA. The agreement, he said according to a Xinhua report, “summarised good practices and experiences on the management of differences in China-India border areas”.

Keywords: Sino-Indian border, Arunachal-China border, infrastructure, Tibet Autonomous Region

Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: I was based at Doom Dooma or Dum Duma during 1972-73.
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: I was based at Doom Dooma or Dum Duma during 1972-73.
Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: Landscape of Anjaw District
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: Landscape of Anjaw District
Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: "WALONG WILL NEVER FALL AGAIN."
Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: “WALONG WILL NEVER FALL AGAIN.”

For 73-Years, Tibetans are enduring military occupation. Long Live Tibetan Resistance

The Living Tibetan Spirits of Special Frontier Force commemorate the Tibetan Uprising Day

On Friday, March 10, 2023, the Living Tibetan Spirits of Special Frontier Force, Establishment 22, Vikas Regiment commemorate events of Tibetan Uprising on Tuesday, March 10, 1959.

Friday, March 10, 2023. 64th Anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day

Tibet Uprising or Tibet Rebellion on Tuesday, March 10, 1959 makes a profound impact on the course of my life’s journey, forcing me to live in exile without a refugee status, without any asylum protection, and without an entity that can be recognized as a friend.

Tibetan Uprising Day 2023: 64th Anniversary

The Living Tibetan Spirits of Special Frontier Force commemorate the Tibetan Uprising Day

While not a traditional Tibetan Buddhist holiday, MARCH 10th is a very important date in the Tibetan calendar. This year marks the 64th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising. Around the world, Tibetans and their supporters remember and pay tribute to all those who have sacrificed their lives for Tibet’s struggle. An estimated one million Tibetans have perished and 98% of monasteries and nunneries were destroyed under the Communist Chinese invasion.

Lhasa’s three major monasteries—Sera-Jey,  Ganden, and Drepung—were seriously damaged by shelling. Sera and Drepung were nearly damaged beyond repair. According to the TGIE, Members of the Dalai Lama’s bodyguard remaining in Lhasa were disarmed and publicly executed. Same as Tibetans found to be harboring weapons in their homes. Thousands of Tibetan monks were executed or arrested, and monasteries and temples around the city were looted or destroyed.

Women’s Uprising Day: March 12, 1959

The Living Tibetan Spirits of Special Frontier Force commemorate the Tibetan Uprising Day

ON MARCH 12, 1959, thousands of women gathered peacefully outside of the Potala Palace in Lhasa. Now known as Women’s Uprising Day many of the women involved were imprisoned, including the leader of the nonviolent demonstration, Pamo Kusang. 

Some of the women were tortured, died in prison, or were executed such as Gurteng Kunsang, mother of six.

Friday, March 10, 2023. 64th Anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day: FOR SEVENTY THREE YEARS, TIBETANS ARE LIVING UNDER MILITARY OCCUPATION. WHAT IS TIBET’S FUTURE? HOW TO EVICT THE EVIL RED EMPIRE FROM TIBET?

How to find Hope when the Final Destination remains unknown? Can Patience and Perseverance serve the purpose of Hope for Freedom, Peace, and Justice?

Simon Cyrene

Friday, March 10, 2023. 64th Anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day.

EVENTS LEADING TO THE 1959 TIBETAN UPRISING

Clipped from: https://www.thoughtco.com/the-tibetan-uprising-of-1959-195267

China Forces the Dalai Lama into Exile

Thursday, March 10, 2022. 63rd Anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day.

The Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama’s Summer Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, which was destroyed by the Chinese Army during the 1959 Tibetan Uprising but later rebuilt. lapin.lapin on Flickr.com

Chinese artillery shells pummeled the Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama’s summer palace, sending plumes of smoke, fire, and dust into the night sky. The centuries-old building crumbled under the barrage, while the badly outnumbered Tibetan Army fought desperately to repel the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) from Lhasa…

Meanwhile, amidst the snows of the high Himalaya, the teenaged Dalai Lama and his bodyguards endured a cold and treacherous two-week-long journey into India.

Origins of the Tibetan Uprising of 1959

Tibet had an ill-defined relationship with China’s Qing Dynasty (1644-1912); at various times it could have been an ally, an opponent, a tributary state, or a region within Chinese control.

In 1724, during a Mongol invasion of Tibet, the Qing seized the opportunity to incorporate the Tibetan regions of Amdo and Kham into China proper. The central area was renamed Qinghai, while pieces of both regions were broken off and added to other western Chinese provinces. This land grab would fuel Tibetan resentment and unrest into the twentieth century.

When the last Qing Emperor fell in 1912, Tibet asserted its independence from China. The 13th Dalai Lama returned from three years of exile in Darjeeling, India, and resumed control of Tibet from his capital at Lhasa. He ruled until his death in 1933.

China, meanwhile, was under siege from a Japanese invasion of Manchuria, as well as a general breakdown of order across the country.

Between 1916 and 1938, China descended into the “Warlord Era,” as different military leaders fought for control of the headless state. In fact, the once-great empire would not pull itself back together until after World War II, when Mao Zedong and the Communists triumphed over the Nationalists in 1949.

Meanwhile, a new incarnation of the Dalai Lama was discovered in Amdo, part of Chinese “Inner Tibet.” Tenzin Gyatso, the current incarnation, was brought to Lhasa as a two-year-old in 1937 and was enthroned as the leader of Tibet in 1950, at 15.

China Moves in and Tensions Rise

In 1950, Mao’s gaze turned west. He decided to “liberate” Tibet from the Dalai Lama’s rule and bring it into the People’s Republic of China. The PLA crushed Tibet’s tiny armed forces in a matter of weeks; Beijing then imposed the Seventeen Point Agreement, which Tibetan officials were forced to sign (but later renounced).

According to the Seventeen Point Agreement, privately-held land would be socialized and then redistributed, and farmers would work communally. This system would first be imposed on Kham and Amdo (along with other areas of the Sichuan and Qinghai Provinces), before being instituted in Tibet proper.

All the barley and other crops produced on the communal land went to the Chinese government, according to Communist principles, and then some was redistributed to the farmers. So much of the grain was appropriated for use by the PLA that the Tibetans did not have enough to eat.

By June of 1956, the ethnic Tibetan people of Amdo and Kham were up in arms.

As more and more farmers were stripped of their land, tens of thousands organized themselves into armed resistance groups and began to fight back. Chinese army reprisals grew increasingly brutal and included wide-spread abuse of Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns. (China alleged that many of the monastic Tibetans acted as messengers for the guerrilla fighters.)

The Dalai Lama visited India in 1956 and admitted to Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru that he was considering asking for asylum. Nehru advised him to return home, and the Chinese Government promised that communist reforms in Tibet would be postponed and that the number of Chinese officials in Lhasa would be reduced by half. Beijing did not follow through on these pledges.

By 1958, as many as 80,000 people had joined the Tibetan resistance fighters.

Alarmed, the Dalai Lama’s government sent a delegation to Inner Tibet to try and negotiate an end to the fighting. Ironically, the guerrillas convinced the delegates of the righteousness of the fight, and Lhasa’s representatives soon joined in the resistance!

Meanwhile, a flood of refugees and freedom fighters moved into Lhasa, bringing their anger against China with them. Beijing’s representatives in Lhasa kept careful tabs on the growing unrest within Tibet’s capital city.

March 1959 – The Uprising Erupts in Tibet Proper

Important religious leaders had disappeared suddenly in Amdo and Kham, so the people of Lhasa were quite concerned about the safety of the Dalai Lama. The people’s suspicions therefore were raised immediately when the Chinese Army in Lhasa invited His Holiness to watch a drama at the military barracks on March 10, 1959. Those suspicions were reinforced by a none-too-subtle order, issued to the head of the Dalai Lama’s security detail on March 9, that the Dalai Lama should not bring along his bodyguards.

On the appointed day, March 10, some 300,000 protesting Tibetans poured into the streets and formed a massive human cordon around Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama’s Summer Palace, to protect him from the planned Chinese abduction. The protestors stayed for several days, and calls for the Chinese to pull out of Tibet altogether grew louder each day. By March 12, the crowd had begun to barricade the streets of the capital, while both armies moved into strategic positions around the city and began to reinforce them.

Ever the moderate, the Dalai Lama pleaded with his people to go home and sent placatory letters to the Chinese PLA commander in Lhasa. and sent placatory letters to the Chinese PLA commander in Lhasa.

When the PLA moved artillery into range of the Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama agreed to evacuate the building. Tibetan troops prepared a secure escape route out of the besieged capital on March 15. When two artillery shells struck the palace two days later, the young Dalai Lama and his ministers began the arduous 14-day trek over the Himalayas for India.

On March 19, 1959, fighting broke out in earnest in Lhasa. The Tibetan army fought bravely, but they were vastly outnumbered by the PLA. In addition, the Tibetans had antiquated weapons.

The firefight lasted just two days. The Summer Palace, Norbulingka, sustained over 800 artillery shell strikes that killed an unknown number of people inside; the major monasteries were bombed, looted and burned. Priceless Tibetan Buddhist texts and works of art were piled in the streets and burned. All remaining members of the Dalai Lama’s bodyguard corps were lined up and publicly executed, as were any Tibetans discovered with weapons. In all, some 87,000 Tibetans were killed, while another 80,000 arrived in neighboring countries as refugees. An unknown number tried to flee but did not make it.

In fact, by the time of the next regional census, a total of about 300,000 Tibetans were “missing” – killed, secretly jailed, or gone into exile.

Aftermath of the 1959 Tibetan Uprising

Since the 1959 Uprising, the central government of China has been steadily tightening its grip on the Tibet.

Although Beijing has invested in infrastructure improvements for the region, particularly in Lhasa itself, it has also encouraged thousands of ethnic Han Chinese to move to Tibet. In fact, Tibetans have been swamped in their own capital; they now constitute a minority of the population of Lhasa.

Today, the Dalai Lama continues to head the Tibetan government-in-exile from Dharamshala, India. He advocates increased autonomy for Tibet, rather than full independence, but Chinese government generally refuses to negotiate with him.

Periodic unrest still sweeps through Tibet, especially around important dates such as March 10 to 19 – the anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan Uprising.

Your Citation

Szczepanski, Kallie. “The Tibetan Uprising of 1959.” ThoughtCo, Feb. 6, 2017, thoughtco.com/the-tibetan-uprising-of-1959-195267. Szczepanski, Kallie. (2017, February 6). The Tibetan Uprising of 1959. https://www.thoughtco.com/the-tibetan-uprising-of-1959-195267

Friday, March 10, 2023. 64th Anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day .

March 31, 2022. 63rd Anniversary of Life in Exile

Thursday, March 31, 2022. 63rd Milestone of Life’s Journey in Exile. The plight of the Living Tibetan Spirits.

From March 31, 1959 to March 31, 2022, the Living Tibetan Spirits record Sixty-three Years of Life’s Journey in Exile. The Struggle is not over and yet it is time to take a deep breath and say Thank You India and Thank You America.

In the Indian Tradition, the number 60 is very significant for Indians recognize Sixty specific names to mark Years for purposes of timekeeping. The Cyclical Flow of Time continues in sets of Sixty Years.

Simon Cyrene

Special Frontier Force – Establishment 22 – Vikas Regiment

Thursday, March 31, 2022. 63rd Milestone of Life’s Journey in Exile. The plight of the Living Tibetan Spirits.

DALAI LAMA: ‘DON’T KNOW HOW LONG STRUGGLE FOR TIBET WILL LAST’

Clipped from: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/dont-know-how-long-struggle-for-tibet-will-last/articleshow/63563896.cms

Thursday, March 31, 2022. 63rd Milestone of Life’s Journey in Exile. The plight of the Living Tibetan Spirits.

A cultural program being organized as part of the Thank You India function held in McLeod Ganj on Saturday

I do not know for how long the Tibetan struggle will go on. However, the struggle will remain alive till the spirit of Tibetans remains,” the spiritual leader of Tibetans The Dalai Lama said at the “Thank You India” programme being held at McLeod Ganj on Saturday to mark his arrival in India, exactly 60 years ago.

On March 31, 1969, the Dalai Lama was forced to flee Tibet following failed uprising against China. After he took shelter in India, Tibetan community across globe under his leadership launched struggle for free Tibet but till date have not succeeded. During last few years, the demand has changed into one for autonomous Tibet.

While interacted with media persons, the Dalai Lama, when questioned about the possibility of Tibetans returning to their homeland one day, replied that Tibetan issue is an issue of justice. While commenting on the equation between India and China, he said that both were most populated countries of the World and both have ability to destroy each other.

“Any sensible person would want ‘Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai’ to live together. None of them can be disloyal to each other, so other things will go on by the side,” he said. “Confrontation does not yield any result and amicable solution of Tibet problem is the only way out,” the Nobel Peace Laureate said.

“The Chinese are following a socialist form of government, which means everybody should have equal rights. We are not demanding separation from China, but the Tibetan people should have the autonomy to preserve their culture, language, environment and religion,” he added.

Earlier, the Dalai Lama recalled his journey in exile. He said that no time was wasted in these years. “It is a matter of pride that Tibetans have preserved their tradition and culture, wherever they are living across the globe,” he said.

He said that as there was need to preserve Tibetan culture and language, a logical analysis was also the need of hour. “When everybody is praising Tibetans it becomes our responsibility too to check where we were lacking,” he said.

Thursday, March 31, 2022. 63rd Milestone of Life in Exile. The plight of the Living Tibetan Spirits.

I am a Refugee. Who is my Refuge? 63rd Tibetan National Uprising Day

Thursday, March 10, 2022. 63rd Anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day.

On Thursday, March 10, 2022, the Living Tibetan Spirits commemorate events of Tibetan Uprising on Tuesday, March 10, 1959.

Thursday, March 10, 2022. 63rd Anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day

Tibet Uprising or Tibet Rebellion on Tuesday, March 10, 1959 makes a profound impact on the course of my life’s journey, forcing me to live in exile without refugee status, without asylum protection, and without any entity that can be recognized as a friend.

Thursday, March 10, 2022. 63rd Anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day: FOR SEVENTY TWO YEARS, TIBETANS ARE LIVING UNDER MILITARY OCCUPATION. WHAT IS TIBET’S FUTURE? HOW TO EVICT THE EVIL RED EMPIRE FROM TIBET?

How to find Hope when the Final Destination remains unknown? Can Patience and Perseverance serve the purpose of Hope for Freedom, Peace, and Justice?

Simon Cyrene

Thursday, March 10, 2022. 63rd Anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day.

EVENTS LEADING TO THE 1959 TIBETAN UPRISING

Clipped from: https://www.thoughtco.com/the-tibetan-uprising-of-1959-195267

China Forces the Dalai Lama into Exile

Thursday, March 10, 2022. 63rd Anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day.

The Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama’s Summer Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, which was destroyed by the Chinese Army during the 1959 Tibetan Uprising but later rebuilt. lapin.lapin on Flickr.com

Chinese artillery shells pummeled the Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama’s summer palace, sending plumes of smoke, fire, and dust into the night sky. The centuries-old building crumbled under the barrage, while the badly outnumbered Tibetan Army fought desperately to repel the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) from Lhasa…

Meanwhile, amidst the snows of the high Himalaya, the teenaged Dalai Lama and his bodyguards endured a cold and treacherous two-week-long journey into India.

Origins of the Tibetan Uprising of 1959

Tibet had an ill-defined relationship with China’s Qing Dynasty (1644-1912); at various times it could have been an ally, an opponent, a tributary state, or a region within Chinese control.

In 1724, during a Mongol invasion of Tibet, the Qing seized the opportunity to incorporate the Tibetan regions of Amdo and Kham into China proper. The central area was renamed Qinghai, while pieces of both regions were broken off and added to other western Chinese provinces. This land grab would fuel Tibetan resentment and unrest into the twentieth century.

When the last Qing Emperor fell in 1912, Tibet asserted its independence from China. The 13th Dalai Lama returned from three years of exile in Darjeeling, India, and resumed control of Tibet from his capital at Lhasa. He ruled until his death in 1933.

China, meanwhile, was under siege from a Japanese invasion of Manchuria, as well as a general breakdown of order across the country.

Between 1916 and 1938, China descended into the “Warlord Era,” as different military leaders fought for control of the headless state. In fact, the once-great empire would not pull itself back together until after World War II, when Mao Zedong and the Communists triumphed over the Nationalists in 1949.

Meanwhile, a new incarnation of the Dalai Lama was discovered in Amdo, part of Chinese “Inner Tibet.” Tenzin Gyatso, the current incarnation, was brought to Lhasa as a two-year-old in 1937 and was enthroned as the leader of Tibet in 1950, at 15.

China Moves in and Tensions Rise

In 1950, Mao’s gaze turned west. He decided to “liberate” Tibet from the Dalai Lama’s rule and bring it into the People’s Republic of China. The PLA crushed Tibet’s tiny armed forces in a matter of weeks; Beijing then imposed the Seventeen Point Agreement, which Tibetan officials were forced to sign (but later renounced).

According to the Seventeen Point Agreement, privately-held land would be socialized and then redistributed, and farmers would work communally. This system would first be imposed on Kham and Amdo (along with other areas of the Sichuan and Qinghai Provinces), before being instituted in Tibet proper.

All the barley and other crops produced on the communal land went to the Chinese government, according to Communist principles, and then some was redistributed to the farmers. So much of the grain was appropriated for use by the PLA that the Tibetans did not have enough to eat.

By June of 1956, the ethnic Tibetan people of Amdo and Kham were up in arms.

As more and more farmers were stripped of their land, tens of thousands organized themselves into armed resistance groups and began to fight back. Chinese army reprisals grew increasingly brutal and included wide-spread abuse of Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns. (China alleged that many of the monastic Tibetans acted as messengers for the guerrilla fighters.)

The Dalai Lama visited India in 1956 and admitted to Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru that he was considering asking for asylum. Nehru advised him to return home, and the Chinese Government promised that communist reforms in Tibet would be postponed and that the number of Chinese officials in Lhasa would be reduced by half. Beijing did not follow through on these pledges.

By 1958, as many as 80,000 people had joined the Tibetan resistance fighters.

Alarmed, the Dalai Lama’s government sent a delegation to Inner Tibet to try and negotiate an end to the fighting. Ironically, the guerrillas convinced the delegates of the righteousness of the fight, and Lhasa’s representatives soon joined in the resistance!

Meanwhile, a flood of refugees and freedom fighters moved into Lhasa, bringing their anger against China with them. Beijing’s representatives in Lhasa kept careful tabs on the growing unrest within Tibet’s capital city.

March 1959 – The Uprising Erupts in Tibet Proper

Important religious leaders had disappeared suddenly in Amdo and Kham, so the people of Lhasa were quite concerned about the safety of the Dalai Lama. The people’s suspicions therefore were raised immediately when the Chinese Army in Lhasa invited His Holiness to watch a drama at the military barracks on March 10, 1959. Those suspicions were reinforced by a none-too-subtle order, issued to the head of the Dalai Lama’s security detail on March 9, that the Dalai Lama should not bring along his bodyguards.

On the appointed day, March 10, some 300,000 protesting Tibetans poured into the streets and formed a massive human cordon around Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama’s Summer Palace, to protect him from the planned Chinese abduction. The protestors stayed for several days, and calls for the Chinese to pull out of Tibet altogether grew louder each day. By March 12, the crowd had begun to barricade the streets of the capital, while both armies moved into strategic positions around the city and began to reinforce them.

Ever the moderate, the Dalai Lama pleaded with his people to go home and sent placatory letters to the Chinese PLA commander in Lhasa.

When the PLA moved artillery into range of the Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama agreed to evacuate the building. Tibetan troops prepared a secure escape route out of the besieged capital on March 15. When two artillery shells struck the palace two days later, the young Dalai Lama and his ministers began the arduous 14-day trek over the Himalayas for India.

On March 19, 1959, fighting broke out in earnest in Lhasa. The Tibetan army fought bravely, but they were vastly outnumbered by the PLA. In addition, the Tibetans had antiquated weapons.

The firefight lasted just two days. The Summer Palace, Norbulingka, sustained over 800 artillery shell strikes that killed an unknown number of people inside; the major monasteries were bombed, looted and burned. Priceless Tibetan Buddhist texts and works of art were piled in the streets and burned. All remaining members of the Dalai Lama’s bodyguard corps were lined up and publicly executed, as were any Tibetans discovered with weapons. In all, some 87,000 Tibetans were killed, while another 80,000 arrived in neighboring countries as refugees. An unknown number tried to flee but did not make it.

In fact, by the time of the next regional census, a total of about 300,000 Tibetans were “missing” – killed, secretly jailed, or gone into exile.

Aftermath of the 1959 Tibetan Uprising

Since the 1959 Uprising, the central government of China has been steadily tightening its grip on the Tibet.

Although Beijing has invested in infrastructure improvements for the region, particularly in Lhasa itself, it has also encouraged thousands of ethnic Han Chinese to move to Tibet. In fact, Tibetans have been swamped in their own capital; they now constitute a minority of the population of Lhasa.

Today, the Dalai Lama continues to head the Tibetan government-in-exile from Dharamshala, India. He advocates increased autonomy for Tibet, rather than full independence, but Chinese government generally refuses to negotiate with him.

Periodic unrest still sweeps through Tibet, especially around important dates such as March 10 to 19 – the anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan Uprising.

Your Citation

Szczepanski, Kallie. “The Tibetan Uprising of 1959.” ThoughtCo, Feb. 6, 2017, thoughtco.com/the-tibetan-uprising-of-1959-195267. Szczepanski, Kallie. (2017, February 6). The Tibetan Uprising of 1959. https://www.thoughtco.com/the-tibetan-uprising-of-1959-195267

Thursday, March 10, 2022. 63rd Anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day .