Khampas & CIA against Mao & Zhou

Appeared in The Week of The Republica on April 9, 2010
Khampas & CIA against Mao & Zhou
SARAD PRADHAN
Like many kids growing up in the 1970s and early 80s, Tibet, for me, was a fabled arcane land occupied by China. In my imagination, Tibet was limited to Lhasa, Buddhism, and the Potala Palace.
A few years ago, while flying over the Tibetan Plateau on my way to Beijing, I was intrigued to see vast stretches without any sign of settlement. I wondered how Tibetans in the early 50s were able to find their way around while fighting against the well-equipped People’s Liberation Army.
As a kid, I had heard about the Khampa resistance backed by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), but there was very little information available on the low-profiled guerrilla war. I had to be content with snippets of news available at times, until I finally came upon Mikel Dunham’s book “Buddha’s Warriors.”
Buddha’s Warriors is a provocative book that tells you about the history, culture and social fabrics of Tibet, Tibetan rule on Tibet, and its relations with China before Mao Zedong invaded it. My initial apprehension to start this book withered as I started reading it.
Mikel narrates the story of Tibet in the 40s and 50s, emphasizing the lack of cohesion among the Tibetans themselves, the timidity of high officials, the lackadaisical attitude of residents of Lhasa and the lack of communication. These were a few reasons, among many, that contributed to the failure of the Tibetan resistance movement.
The author highlights the role of the Dalai Lama without prejudices. Like many Tibetans, HH Dalai Lama, too, was kept in the dark about the imminent problems that Tibet was going to face.
One of the most important issues that “Buddha’s Warriors” raises is the recruitment of Khampas by the CIA to push the agitation further, without the knowledge of India to foster an anti-Communist insurgency. Mikel scathingly attacks India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru for his indifferent attitude towards the Tibetans, which further made it difficult to internationalize the Chinese aggression against Tibet.
Based on interviews with several survivors of the Tibetan resistance movement and CIA officials involved in this secret operation over the period of seven years, the book is a vivid account of horrors, atrocities and barbarism that Tibetans were (and still are) forced to endure while resisting the advances made by the Chinese Army. Change in guard in the US was a big blow to the Khampa warriors, and it forced the CIA to abandon its operations.
Mikel appears to be emotionally charged in the book and strongly condemns the Chinese. Nonetheless, the writer also criticizes the Lhasans for their nonchalant attitude to problems faced by other Tibetan areas.
The convergence of myth and reality in the present-day Tibet is the indication of what lies inside the Pandora’s Box for Tibet and Tibetans in the future. With the growing influence of China in global politics, many countries may find the Tibetan issue trivial.
The book fails to analyze the future of the Tibetan movement that has protracted despite the disbanding of the Khampa Resistance movement. Even so, the occasional angry outbursts, which come from Tibetans, clearly echo the sentiments of Tibetans for their homeland.
The last paragraph of the book surmises what Tibet is for the posterity: Perhaps Maitreya, the future Buddha, will locate Tibet in people’s hearts rather than on a page in an atlas – thus bringing Tibet’s mysteries full circle to a time, before 1950, when it was just a blank space on a classroom globe.

Letter to Editor on this review
Mikel Dunham: Thanks for the nice review. It´s the first time "Buddha´s Warriors" has been reviewed in Nepal, as far as I know. Nice to have it come up in Republica, my preferred source for news in Nepal.

sarad pradhan: Thanks Tirtha Ram Acharya for going through my review and pointing out my mistake. I have nothing to say about what you have said because that is my view that I have expressed reading that view. You have all right to differ and I don´t need to defend my writing. I have given all details that you asked for like cost in the printed version. Unfortunately, it doesnot appear in the online version. Thanks once again for comment.

Tirtha Ram Acharya: The review is biased. Its a given that a reviewer needs to know the subject matter first hand and not get swayed by emotions. If the reviewer had done his homework first before sitting down to write this, then the review had been much nicer. A reviewer is supposed to point out whatever factual errors, if there are any, and other inaccuracies. Its not a reviewer´s job to praise the book he/she is reviewing.Let the readers judge the book.
Now let´s get back to the issue. You wrote: "Buddha’s Warriors is a provocative book that tells you about the history, culture and social fabrics of Tibet, Tibetan rule on Tibet, and its relations with China before Mao Zedong invaded it." Scholars are divided even in the west on the word "invasion". Was it invasion or China trying to consolidate its borders? Can a country invade its own territories? Mikel is right, the Dalai Lama didn´t do anything to improve the lives of Tibetans and reform the feudal structure of Tibet. I don´t know whether Mikel mentions this in his book or not, but the Tibetans were not allowed to wear glasses, no matter how bad their eyesight in Tibet. What´s more, the Dalai Lama´s feaces were used as medicines! (Seven Years in Tibet, Henerich Harrer).
JN Nehru was an internationalist and sure hje didn´t internationalize the issue, becuase India itself was thinkiong of invading Nepal and other Himalayan countries. It was Nehru´s international exposure and his correct reading of the world events foiled Sardar Ballav Bhai Patel´s plans.
You write: "the book is a vivid account of horrors, atrocities and barbarism that Tibetans were (and still are) forced to endure while resisting the advances made by the Chinese Army. Change in guard in the US was a big blow to the Khampa warriors, and it forced the CIA to abandon its operations." But what about the Tibetans warriors´ killing the Chinese troops and civilians? The US pulling the plugs on Khampas has much to do with Nixon´s sensible policy to end the Vietnam war. The Chinese were more than happy to keep the US instilled puppet regime in Vietnam and pave the way for a graceful exit of the Americans, and the Americans had realized the futility of supporting the Khampas.
You wrote: Even so, the occasional angry outbursts, which come from Tibetans, clearly echo the sentiments of Tibetans for their homeland... and in the beginning of your piece you wrote: A few years ago, while flying over the Tibetan Plateau on my way to Beijing, I was intrigued to see vast stretches without any sign of settlement. Mybe its about time you drove through Tibet and ask the Tibetans what they want.
Maybe you´ll find this interesting, The Dalai Lama has never asked for Tibetan independence. The whole independent issue is raised to discredit the Chinese.
Having said this, as someone interested in learning the both sides, I will definately buy Mikel´s book, It sure seems worth reading.
PS: Another tip: Its a revier´s job to tell how many pages are there in the book, when was it published, where its available and for a cash strapped reader like me, its cost.

Ashish: Dear Mr Pradhan,
You might be a good writer but I suggest you don´t write book reviews anymore. If you would like to write an article on the topic then perhaps you should take that approach. Also, you forgot to mention how this book is relevant to Nepal, and the role we had in finally defeating the Khampas movement. Please try and be an unbiased reviewer. And if you do not listen to criticism of your writing, unless you are very very talented (which i doubt), your career as a journalist is sure to fail.

Tirtha Ram Acharya: Dear Mr Pradhan
Thank you for your response to my review of your review. There are still some problems though.
Of course as a reviewer you are free to speak your mind, but that has to be withing a set parameter. You cannot just make it too personal so much so that your readers find it hard to distinguish what is the book about, how it approaches the issue and so on.
Its one thing to be passionate aboout something, but as a reviewer your job is to make sure that your biases and passions do not influence your writing that many people are going to read.
Good luck and keep writing!

sarad pradhan: Thanks Ashish Ji for discouragement and Tirtha Ji for encouragement to write more reviews. I will definitely take your suggestions positively. It´s very difficult to write everything in 700 word about a book of 400 pages. Whoever writes, there is bound to be some lapses. Please read the book first and let me know whether I justify the book in 700 words. Tirtha Ji, I am trying to imbibe the international norms of writing review in my writing. I am sure it´s hard to digest this kind of writing, devoid from stereotype of review. Thanks Ashish ji for caring for my career. Unfortunately, I am not a journalist at the moment, I left newspaper almost 1 decade ago and during my stint as a journalist, I wrote almost 4 dozens of book reviews that you still can see the quotation of my review in the jacket of some of the books available in the market.