REPORT OF RAPGA PANGDATAHANG ON CHINESE COMMUNIST OCCUPATION OF CH'ANGTU.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R009400360009-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 23, 1999
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: November 19, 1951
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release ~MIY43M-)VM42-00457ROO9400360009-4
CLASSIFICATION 5?;C .,,T/C^F~PROL c'i CIALS r'Nly 25X1A
CENTRAL I TELLIGENCE AGENCY REPORT NO. _
COUNTRY Tibet DATE DISTR. 19 Nov. 1951
SUBJECT Report of Rapga Pangdatshang on Chinese
Communist Cccupatiq f Ci'angtu.
PLACE 25X1 A
ACQUIRED
NO. OF PAGES 2
41t
T`
DATE OF :Ix" A-~-- SUPPLEMENT TO
;J L A I E REPORT NO. 25X1 X
INFO.
25X1A 1. Rapga Pa gdatshang, governor of Ch'angtu (Chamdo), Fast Tibet, made a short
and very private visit to Kaiimpong on to advise his
brother, Yangpel, to shift his center of business from Kalimpong to Ch'angtu
since Tibetan wool would be diverted to China across the Sino-Tibetan border.
2. Rapga' s movements in Kalimpong were extremely secret, and even some of the
officials of the Tibetan Trade Mission (including; Cryaluk Surkhang, a cousin
of Rimahi Surkhang) did not know of the visit.
3. Rapga, in an interview, stated that he was "one of the creatures of circum-.
stanees...1:e want progress and prosperity for our people...We had no other
alternative than to join the Greater China family..,We are hapoy since the
Chinese authorities do not interfere in Tibetans' religious beliefs and
daily vocations... More openings have been made bxr the new Tibetan author:'~.ties
for the Tibetan people to advance in economic, social and educational move-
ments...It is a tolerably mutual understanding with the new Chinese Republic
that Tibetan sovereignty will never be infringed upon. I am sure we will
nrosoer through this new arrangement.'t
L. Rapga further states that the Chinese Communist army during its entry into
Tibet did not harm the Ch'angtu people, although some skirmishes took pl.ce
between the Tibetan frontier guards and the Chinese troops resulting in he
death of 27 Chinese and 18 Tibetan soldiers. Three Tibetan-speaking Chinese
soldiers, posing as caravan-men, contacted Rapga (presumably in advance of
the main body of troops) and discussed the possibility of calling a cease-
fire on condition that the Communist army would not infringe upon anything
"dear to the Tibetan people." In the meantime, the morale of the ill-equipped
Tibetans dropped and comm nication with Lhasa was too remote to be of he-'.p
in waging war against Chinese who seemed to be extending the hand of friend-
ship to the Tibetans, The Ch'angtu authorities, after a short discussion,
called for a c ea -e-fire .
INFORMATION RE_ RT CD NO.
The Chinese, after their entry, paid gold and silver coins in exchange for
food and shelter in Ch'angtu. They advised and guided the Tibetans in
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25X1A
25X1X 7.
administrative reforms which were welcomed by the people. Wireless
communications and matorable roads *ere were improved, adding to the
prosperity of Ch t as tu. Twenty prime and five secondary sohoole, with both
Chinese and Tibetan teachers, have metwith tremendous response. A teachers)
training inetltut~,, has been estab1ii hed In Ch t a ngtu and soma 100 teacher
have already been produced to work :tai village schools. E1ootrical engineers,,
agricultural expe l and town -p1 era from China have been loaned to Ch t angW .
pa t a final state ent was as follows: "1 have not experienced that any of
my rights as the governor has been Infringed bLr the Chinese advisor., nor has
any such report acme from other deparints. he same is the report of other
provinces of Tibet and I am happy at that."
Esc as a man approci tely 32 years old, about 5 feet tall,,
slim, with small Mongoloid eyes,., a round, bony (sic) face,, and unruly hair.
Rapga speaks English fairly well., Tibetans and Chinese fluently, and reads
and writes all three fairly well.
Approved For Release 1999/09/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457R009400360009-4