Members of the Tibetan community cheer in support for the Special Frontier Force (SFF) soldiers as they leave for India-China border in Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh, in Shimla, India, on 4 September 2020. ANI
IANS
SHIMLA, India, 4 September 2020
Hundreds of Tibetans carrying the national flags of Tibet and India on Friday gathered in the Himachal Pradesh capital to give a warm send off to Special Frontier Force soldiers who were heading in convoys to frontier areas along China.
Standing on the roadside carrying incense sticks, the Tibetans presented them with the traditional white scarf as a mark of honour.
They raised slogans and sang songs about India-Tibet friendship.
“It is a great moment to see our brothers defending the Indian borders from the repeated incursions by the Chinese army,” an elated Tashi Phuntsok said.
His friend Norbu Wangyal added: “It’s just an occasion to express gratitude to India for hosting us in exile.”
He said the Tibetans are genetically sturdy to take on the Chinese troops in high mountain passes.
The SFF was raised following the 1962 war against China. Initially, the force comprised only Tibetans, but later Gurkhas too were inducted. It was originally known as Establishment 22.
Its unit is deployed on some major high-altitude fronts of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) along the Chinese border.
I think Indians and their government must realize over the years China had been encroaching India’s land and India on its part instead of fighting Chinese against encroachment been accepting defeats for all these years.
On the polar opposite, Tibetan army in India had defeated Pakistan army in 1971 and was instrumental in creating a new country of Bangladesh, erstwhile East Pakistan. Again in 1999 Tibetan army played a major role in defeating Pakistan army in the Kargil war. Yet again this time Tibetans gave a bloody nose to the Chinese at Ladakh frontier and captured a very strategic vantage point for India. India must now show gratitude to the Tibetans and reciprocate Tibetan gallantry and sacrifices by strongly advocating for the Tibetans against China’s inhuman treatment of Tibetans and its illegal occupation, subjugation and colonizing Tibet for almost 70 years now. Otherwise the Tibetans would eventually realize there is no point in fighting for India and find its own course of action.