Latest India-China border clash turns spotlight on Tibetan refugees in Special Frontier Force

As Tenzin Thardoe went about his routine earlier this week, news started trickling in that there had been yet another clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in the Himalayan region of Ladakh, this time near the Pangong Tso lake.

Thardoe was over 2,000km away, in the Norgyeling Tibetan refugee settlement in India's central Maharashtra state - but when the encounter was confirmed, the news stirred many memories of the 33-year-old's time with the Special Frontier Force (SFF).

While the Indian establishment has not officially confirmed it, the SFF - a little-known paramilitary unit consisting mainly of Tibetan refugees - is believed to have played a big role in what the Indian Army has cryptically called an operation to "thwart Chinese intentions" on the night of August 29. One SFF commando was killed and another was injured in a landmine blast near Pangong Tso, around the same time the clash occurred.

For close to four months, thousands of soldiers from the two countries have been locked in a stand-off along various points of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the undemarcated border separating India and China.

In the latest clash, Indian military sources said New Delhi had rushed additional forces to occupy heights and features when they saw Chinese troop and artillery build-ups across the LAC. Analysts in India said the operation gave Indian forces the upper hand in their attempts to defend it, but the Chinese foreign ministry has rebuffed this and instead accused Indian soldiers of trespassing.

Thardoe could not contain his excitement upon hearing the force had been deployed. "When I heard what the SFF did, it gave me goosebumps," he said, adding that he had quickly called his younger brother, who is still part of the force and is currently posted in northeast India. "He said everyone is in full josh [excitement]."

That excitement is rippling through the Tibetan refugee community. For decades now, New Delhi has remained tight-lipped about the SFF's existence, with experts saying the heroic acts of its soldiers have often gone unrewarded because of the secrecy. But now, with Saturday night's encounter, the spotlight is finally shining upon the paramilitary unit - and, with it, on the community.

This recognition is sweeter for many like Thardoe because it comes after clashes with the Chinese. "Most of us Tibetans join the unit because this is our only chance to fight the Chinese," he said.

China, in some ways, is at the heart of the very SFF's existence. While there is little available official literature on the unit's history, it is believed to have been established following the 1962 war between India and China, the only full-blown military conflict between the two.

A senior academic at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, who asked not to be identified owing to the sensitivity of the matter, said the unit's formation served multiple purposes for India.

"The crushing defeat in the war made the Indian government realise that they lacked in-depth knowledge of the terrain of the Tibetan regions along the border with China, and they also lacked the experience of manoeuvring at such high altitudes," the academic said, pointing to how altitudes of 4,500 metres and above are common in Ladakh, where much of the 1962 war and the current stand-off have occurred.

The other purpose, the academic added, was that the Indian government wanted to co-opt the guerilla fighters within the Tibetan refugee community. "There were guerilla fighters who had fought against the People's Liberation Army during the 1959 Tibetan uprising. Many had escaped to India when the Dalai Lama fled Tibet."

What might have been a strategic decision for the Indian government turned out to be a source of emotional release for many within the Tibetan community.

After the uprising, close to 80,000 Tibetans fled Tibet. Many, like Thardoe's grandfather, followed the Dalai Lama, and came to India from Lhasa after crossing the Himalayas on foot - a journey of thousands of kilometres. The dispossession and forced uprooting along with the arduous journeys were central to their decision to join the SFF, said Kalsang Rinchen, who in 2008 made a documentary about the SFF.

"The Tibetans had just been displaced from their native land by Chinese communist forces, and when they got an opportunity to fight their enemy it was seen as an opportunity by the recruits," Rinchen said. "I think most of them joined the force because they were told it was being started to confront China."

But that was not to be. Veterans say the SFF - which started with one battalion and now has seven, with close to 5,000 soldiers - was never deployed for operations along the LAC.

Tenzin Tsering*, a Tibetan refugee living in Dharamsala who retired last year after serving in the SFF for 17 years, said India seemed reluctant to use the unit against China.

"I think there was always a sense that since we Tibetans are so passionate about this, we might not be able to keep our emotions under check if there was a clash," the 40-year-old said.

Instead, the force was employed in other operations, such as the 1971 war with Pakistan that led to the creation of Bangladesh, as well as the 1999 war between the neighbours. It was also used for internal security operations, for example fighting Sikh militancy in Punjab in the 1980s.

Experts like the academic from Jawaharlal Nehru University said this reluctance was a source of discontent among the Tibetan community.

Indian paramilitary soldiers keep guard as an army convoy moves past on the Srinagar-Ladakh highway. Photo: AP alt=Indian paramilitary soldiers keep guard as an army convoy moves past on the Srinagar-Ladakh highway. Photo: AP

Similarly, the Indian government's relative secrecy over the unit has also been a source of unhappiness for many. Rinchen, the documentarian, recalls interviewing veterans from the Tibetan community and recording their dissatisfaction.

"I don't think the Tibetans have got their due recognition," he said. "Fifty-one Tibetans perished in the 1971 war, but none received gallantry awards - only cash.

"In fact, the highest gallantry award a Tibetan has ever won is Shaurya Chakra, which is not uniquely military," Rinchen said, referring to a decoration awarded for valour in non-combat conditions to members of the military as well as paramilitary forces and civilians.

The SFF also served as a means for employment for many Tibetan refugees, who were not eligible for most government jobs on account of their nationality.

Thousands of soldiers from India and China have for months been locked in a stand-off along various points of the Line of Actual Control. Photo: AP alt=Thousands of soldiers from India and China have for months been locked in a stand-off along various points of the Line of Actual Control. Photo: AP

For Thardoe, who was 15 when he lost his father, the job helped lift his family out of poverty and ensure his siblings received an education. "Being the oldest of five siblings, I had to do something to ensure there was food on the family's plate," he said.

Over time, the flow of Tibetans joining the SFF has slowed; the Tibetan population in India fell from 150,000 in 2011 to 85,000 in 2018, according to government data, with many immigrating to Western countries or taking up an Indian passport to live a more secure life as a civilian.

But Saturday night's encounter - and the rising tensions between India and China - might change all that.

"I can feel the excitement among boys in the community now. There are people saying that this is the right time to join the force," Thardoe said, adding that he often thinks of returning despite the crippling shoulder injury he sustained while serving and his domestic life.

"I wish they would call me back. I am ready."

* Name has been changed to protect the interviewee's identity

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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