P Stobdan in an undated file photo. Photographer unknown.
By Lobsang Wangyal
ON THE WEB, 1 June 2020
Former Indian diplomat P Stobdan has criticised Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama for keeping silent on China’s incursion in the Ladakh region in northern India.
“China is intruding into Indian territory, and the Dalai Lama is keeping busy saying prayers,” Stobdan said during a debate on Hindi TV channel Aaj Tak on Friday.
Raising the question of why Chinese are entering India, he said, “Who told the Chinese that it is their land? China is far from here. It should belong to Tibetans.”
Stobdan then said that the Dalai Lama should declare that these lands claimed and controlled by China belonged to India. “We let him establish a Tibetan government in Dharamshala. He should issue a clarification that the land claimed by China belongs to India and not Tibet.”
China occupied Tibet in 1959, and since then India faced a new challenge from a new neighbour China that posed constant tensions along the more than 3,440 km (2,100 mile) border, with overlapping territorial claims.
A brief war was fought in 1962 over the territorial conflict, in which China emerged victorious, leaving far-reaching repercussions for the two Asian giants.
The Dalai Lama relinquished his political powers in 2011 after he had served the Tibetans for 60 years. He proposed the change in the Tibetan democracy to have an elected political leader for the Tibetan people.
Stobdan comes from Ladakh, and has authored the book The Great Game in the Buddhist Himalayas: India and China’s Quest for Strategic Dominance. Various religious leaders and political leaders in Ladakh have denounced him for targeting the Dalai Lama.
Ladakhi people lashed out at him calling his statements “highly objectionable” and demanded that he tender an “unconditional apology” to the Dalai Lama.
A letter issued by the head lama of Thiksey and Diskit monasteries Kushok Thiksey said: “His Holiness [the Dalai Lama] is not only an epitome of peace and ambassador of humanity, but also the most respected spiritual leader of hundreds of thousands of Buddhists around the world.
“The kind of language that P Stobdan used against His Holiness is highly condemnable. I as the [abbot] of Thiksey and Diskit monasteries, and on behalf of monks and followers of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, demand unconditional apologies from P Stobdan.”
PT Kunsang, President of Ladakh Buddhist Association, in a letter condemned Stobdan’s statement, and said it was “shocking” and has “deeply hurt” the sentiments of the people in Ladakh. “Such indecency and disrespect towards our spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, is unacceptable.”
The Merchant Association of Leh has called a strike and decided to close down all shops on Monday as a mark of solidarity with the Dalai Lama. “We condemn such usage of blasphemous language hurting the sentiments of all Buddhist communities around the world,” the association said.
Stobdan made the remarks when he was discussing the ongoing standoff between the Indian and Chinese soldiers at the Panggong Lake area in Ladakh since the beginning of May.
Indian and Chinese troops have been engaged in a major standoff for over three weeks in Panggong Tso, Galwan Valley, Demchok, and Daulat Beg Oldi in eastern Ladakh, in what is turning out to be the biggest confrontation between the two countries since the Doklam confrontation in Sikkim in 2017.
Reports say thousands of Chinese troops have forced their way into the Galwan valley in Ladakh in a disputed area, put up tents, dug trenches, and moved heavy equipment several kilometres inside what has been regarded by India as its territory.
Chinese forces moved in after India built a several-hundred-kilometre-long road along the Shyok River to Daulat Beg Oldi, connecting to a high-altitude forward air base. India’s decision to ramp up infrastructure along the border is believed to have infuriated Beijing.
Phunchok Stopdan’s book claims that the Dalai Lama has intruded into Ladakh and the Himalayas which were historically a Kagyu sect stronghold. He writes that the region is slowly breaking out into factions along sectarian lines where the entrenched Kagyu lineage finds itself close to the new Gelugpa lineage of Dalai Lamas.
One particular lama who lodged a strong protest against Dalai Lama is Gyalwang Drukpa, who has a strong following in Ladakh and Bhutan.
Whatever, whatever… if every Tibetan and Westerner reads his book, I am sure a lot of them will find some of his claims credible on the ground. Ignorance is bliss. Or we will find ourselves in a religious war involving Tibetans, Ladakhis, Bhutanese, and Mongolians in the near future after Dalai Lama’s passing.
I would rather let this issue die down.
sTobdan is a big fish in the self-sustaining world he has.
But he lives in a country which the British Raj claimed for centuries — and backed by treaties, histories and almighty Christian god’s sanctions.
No one thinks India belongs to the Brits; nobody thinks Afghanistan belongs to India because Aurangazeb ruled Afghanistan.
But sTobdan says Tibet belongs to China and India because might confers right.
Really? I would like to hear his professorship behind his attack on HH the Dalai Lama.
As stated: consult the king, the monasteries, and the people of Ladakh before saying that a lifetime of learning has taught him that might confers right.
The people of Ladakh are boiling with rage as the Chinese occupied Ladhaki territory and India did nothing. While there is a video doing the rounds of a Chinese officer being caught by Indian troops, the Chinese are showing five Indian troops lying on the ground with their feet bound. The Indian Government claims of having a “mechanism” to fix the border row, but some people in Ladakh are furious that the Chinese have illegally entered 25 Km into Ladhaki territory. Stobden and his ilk should urge the GOI to create a Ladhaki militia on the lines of Ladhak Scout to checkmate the Chinese instead of making irresponsible and sacrilegious utterances. The only way to guard Ladakhi territory is to train and arm Ladhakis who will defend their territory to the death. The Hindu rulers in Delhi are cowards. They always have been. Their so called “strategic independent” national policy is just a sham. They keep this chimera to please the Chinese but not for their own good. They are scared to even join the G7 Meeting for which Trump has sent invitation to India. They couldn’t support Taiwan’s inclusion as observer at the WHA. Where is the independence? They are living in a siege mentality of China-phobia and will do nothing until communist China takes over the whole of Himalayas. These leaders are cold blooded and have no rush of emotions. They like to lie in the sun motionless. This also brings into focus that HH the Dalai Lama must be careful of seeing Chinese “officials”. The stifling of independence advocates and cozying up with Beijing has the Indian establishment suspicious. Stobden must have been briefed by Indian intelligence of the goings on in Dharamshala which must have aroused their suspicion. I don’t think he would have said it off the cuff being a former diplomat.
I wonder what the King of Ladakh has to say about sTobdan’s unwarranted attack on HH the Dalai Lama–especially remembering the Great Fifth’s works in Ladakh and the King’s ancestry to the ancient Tibetan kings.
Maybe sTobdan thinks he is still under J&K governance?
When and how did Tibet lose its independence?
People who support China’s claim are supporting the doctrine that might is right and indigenous people have no say on their independence.
China never had a border with India until China invaded and colonized Tibet.
Until then it was right and proper that Kailash was revered and protected by Tibetans. Now those Chinese supporters are saying it is right and proper that Kailash be under the Chinese Communist Party rule.
CCP has corrupted everything it has controlled.
Go ahead, bark all you want for a lotus by any name would smell as sweet, remain so serene and symbolizes purity of heart and mind.
Go ahead, make my day!
1. He also wrote that Dalai Lama is undermining India’s security in border regions by asking people in places like Ladakh to learn Tibetan language at the cost of local native language.
2. He is also the ‘Indian Security Expert’ to whom Sikyong Lobsang Sangay leaked Kasur Samdhong Rinpoche’s “secret mission” to China via Cambodia “to build bridges”. Sikyong did this to undermine Gaden Podrang.
3. But we must understand, his father is/was a devout Buddhist and staunch Tibet supporter who participated in many pathyatra or “Long March” for Tibet under the aegis of Himalayan Buddhist Association.
Anyone can google the first two facts and three point, I know from my personal involvement.
What are you talking about? I lived in Leh for many years and had received HHDL teachings there countless times, and his insistence on learning scriptural Tibetan language is to enhance the understanding of Buddha’s teaching. After all, even foreigners are learning Tibetan language to understand Buddha’s teaching.
Are you insinuating that HHDL has some other motive for asking Ladhakis and other Himalayan Buddhists to study the Tibetan language? If you do you have a dark mind. He wants Buddha dharma to be intact for the future of humanity. With regard to P. Stobtan, he never appreciated HHDL and I am not surprised by his statement, but the manner in which he spoke about HHDL is condemnable in the strongest words possible. I am sure good people in Leh will ask him to correct his statement. He look devilish on TV.
This P Stopdan doesn’t know that more than a million Tibetans lost their lives in fighting against China’s occupation of Tibet. For over 70 years Tibetans had been fighting against China’s illegal occupation of Tibet and lately more than 150 Tibetans burned themselves for the freedom of Tibet. India foolishly surrendered Tibet’s sovereignty to China in early 1950s without any regard to Tibetan people’s wishes and detrimental to India’s security and costly border maintenance to this day and years to come in the future. Indian government could not even admit publicly almost daily Chinese incursions in border areas for all these years and even to this day.
This Ladhaki Stopden and our Urgyen Topgyal names pronounce similar and their countenance has criminal outlook too.
This two had a pattern of criticizing His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Tibet for a long time and act as CCP spokesperson.
CTA and all the Tibetan NGOs must condemn them immediately so that they would not dare to raise their foul mouth in the future.
Dear Prof Stopdan,
You have crossed the limit by insulting His Holiness, who is the world leader for peace. In return, I am writing to Shri Narendra Modi, and Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, and SP of Leh to ostracize you from Indian society.
I learnt that you were Indian government ambassador to Kazhakistan and have authored a book on sectarianism amongst Tibetan lamas in the Himalayas. But these mean nothing to us Tibetan refugees, who don’t give a [damn] about superficial and worldly accomplishments.
We also have some people in our society such as Jamyang Norbu, Ugyen Topgyal, Dzongsar Khentse Rinpoche, Lukar Jam, Jamyang Phuntsok, Serta Tsultrim, Mila Rangzen, Dolma C Khoza, Dhundup Nyarong, Thupten Thokmey, whose hobby is to stir the society like stirring yogurt. Wait and see… we will defeat each one of them through the weapon of truth.
You can apologize to the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan refugees.
Did P sTobdan mention that Ladakh used to pay tax to Tibet in his book?
Phunchok Stobdan has been writing rather unsavoury things about Tibet for quite some time. About ten years ago, he was writing that India and China could become friends again but that the Dalai Lama and Tibet issue is the main sticking point. He and pro-China elements in India like N Ram of the Hindu and Dr Subramanian Swamy have tried their best to discredit and dislodge the Dalai Lama and the Tibet Exile-Government. The orphaned Maoist, N Ram has been a darling of the CCP and he used his Hindu Newspaper from Madras to attack the Dalai Lama and independent Tibet by peddling Chinese propaganda in a Magazine called “Front Line”. Likewise, controversial Swamy has said, Tibetans cannot enjoy rights like Indians because we were a lesser people in India. Stobdan should target his anger on the Indian leadership of the past and present for being such weak-kneed politicians. Had Nehru and Appa Pant had not been so gullible people and listened to Sarder Patel, India would be in a much safer position by keeping Tibet as the historical buffer. Today, Tibet is under Chinese occupation and the Dalai Lama has no say any more. What differences will it make even if he says something? He has already made it clear Arunachal Pradesh belongs to India. This is because Tibet ceded it to British India during the Simla Conference in 1913-14. It’s very childish of him as a diplomat to coerce the Dalai Lama to say something when they should be the ones to aggressively pursue what they believe is theirs. What effect will it have even if the Dalai Lama says something? In any case, since India recognises Tibet as “part of China”, what business the Dalai Lama have to interfere in the affairs of India and China? He doesn’t own Tibet any more, thanks to India’s visionary leaders who sold it!