A Life Unforeseen by Rinchen Sadhutshang

Author:Rinchen Sadhutshang
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wisdom Publications
Published: 2016-01-19T16:00:00+00:00

The author’s brother Lo Gedun, front center, with Khampas escorting the Dalai Lama to Yatung from Lhasa, December 1951.

While various meetings were taking place in Lhasa, Ngabo, with the consent of the Chinese general overseeing occupied Chamdo, sent an emissary to Lhasa with a letter. In it he said that if the Lhasa government were able to get full support from foreign countries, then every effort should be made to overcome the invading Chinese forces. In this case factors like the lives of prisoners such as himself should not stand in the way. However, he said, if the support of foreign countries was not forthcoming, it would be best to negotiate a peaceful settlement. Toward this end, the letter stated, Ngabo himself was prepared to begin the dialogue, if so authorized. The reply to Ngabo’s letter was sent immediately, authorizing him to head the delegation for peace talks. Two more senior officials, Khenchung Thupten Lekmon and Rimshi Sampho Tenzin Dondrup, were appointed as assistants to Ngabo with instructions to proceed to Beijing as soon as possible.

At this point it should be mentioned that earlier, after taking over the reins of government, His Holiness had sent a letter addressed to Chairman Mao Zedong through the commander occupying Chamdo. In that letter, His Holiness had said that he had recently taken charge of the government of Tibet and was willing to have talks in either Beijing or Lhasa on condition that all prisoners be released and that the Chinese army withdraw from the Tibetan border. No response to this letter was ever received.

Hearing news that His Holiness was on his way to Chumbi, Minister Surkhang and I waited in Kalimpong. When the time was right, the minister left to make his report to His Holiness and the cabinet. I did not accompany him this time, having asked for temporary leave, since my wife was expecting a baby any day. She had come to India to have the baby, as there were no proper Western medical facilities in Lhasa at that time. She had already suffered two miscarriages, so we were both anxious that she have a safe delivery. In those days in Tibet many women had miscarriages, and many even died in childbirth, owing to lack of safe medical care. Dr. Craig, a Scotsman at the Scottish Mission Hospital in Kalimpong, gave my wife frequent checkups. She finally delivered a healthy baby girl at home, on January 21, 1951.

In Chumbi Valley, after Dzasak Surkhang Surpa had reported his mission’s outcome, the government decided to appoint two more senior officials to assist Ngabo, our family friend Dzasak Khemé and a monk official, Khendrung Lhautara. Ngabo and his two assistants in Chamdo were told to proceed to Beijing, where the two officials from Chumbi would join them in due course. I received instructions to accompany the latter party through India to China as English interpreter. Also traveling with us would be the Dalai Lama’s brother-in-law, Phuntsok Tashi Taklha, who had been appointed Chinese interpreter. The officials arrived in Kalimpong within days of my receiving these instructions.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.