How did Sikkim perish?

1974 at 5: 32 am on June 20, the Sikkim National Congress Party submitted a constitutional amendment to the Sikkim Parliament, asking the Parliament to vote at noon 12 at the latest that day. The main contents of this amendment are as follows: first, the speaker of the Sikkim National Assembly and the head of the executive organ are recognized as the chief executive of India in Sikkim; The second is to dissolve the Royal Guard and draft a timetable for Sikkim's sovereignty referendum. If this proposal is passed, it will mean that India's occupation of Sikkim is legally confirmed, and it will also clear the way for India's "India-tin merger". This result is unacceptable to Sikkim's left-wing party "National Party" and its supporters.

The predecessor of "National Party" is 19 "Laipu Independent Movement League" founded in 1970s. The purpose of this alliance is to resist British colonial rule and realize national independence. Its members come from all walks of life in the former Sikkim society, mainly the urban poor in the upper reaches of the Tista River, including some indigenous nobles and former royal family members, and even some Bhutanese zionists east of the Tista Valley.

"Lepcha" in the League name is the title of local indigenous people before the establishment of Sikkim Mougard Dynasty. In the era of resistance to British colonial rule, Sikkim people often called themselves "Rebcha people" to express their yearning for independence. 19 18, after the British authorities recognized Sikkim's independence, the "Laipu Independent Movement League" split into the right wing that supported the King of Moga and the faction that advocated "harmony".

King of the Sikkim royal family

Since then, the two factions have been deadlocked, gradually drifting away, and finally parted ways. The Rightists cooperated with the Mugard royal family to form the "Royal Unity Party"; The left absorbed some young radicals and formed the "National Party". From the day the National Party was founded, it advocated abolishing the monarchy and establishing a republic. Foreign countries are committed to abolishing unequal treaties, mainly the Sino-British Tibet-India Treaty and its renewal, safeguarding national sovereignty and independence, and especially opposing British and Indian authorities' interference in Sikkim's internal affairs.

In the first 30 years of the 20th century, the idea of "National Party" coincided with the trend of Asian colonial countries demanding national independence, and gained extensive international support. 1929 In March, the "National Party" accepted the invitation of the Asian Liberation League to attend the "Asian People's Congress against Colonialism" held in Guangzhou, China. As the actual organizer of the conference, the Kuomintang of China told the participants in detail about the political and military situation in China since the overthrow of the imperial system, expressed China's determination to abolish western countries' concessions and consular jurisdiction in China, and expounded the just actions of the China people to support the people of Asian countries in resisting colonial rule and striving for national independence.

Sikkim royal photos

After the meeting, the Asian League for Independence and Liberation, which is directly controlled by the Kuomintang of China, announced that it would provide economic and military assistance to all participants, including about 70,000 pounds in cash assistance and more than 300 types of guns to Sikkim independence movement organizations with the National Party as the main body. This aid has become the largest foreign aid since the Sikkim independence movement was launched.

During the meeting, the leaders of the "National Party" visited the officials in charge of Asian affairs of the National Government, observed the live-fire drills of the China Revolutionary Army in the Feng Shui martial arts field, and spent a month visiting the Hankou British Concession recovered by the National Government in 1927. The "National Party" paid special attention to the "Revision of the New Testament" campaign initiated by the National Government last year. In view of the fact that the British and Indian authorities have retained complete extraterritoriality and exclusive economic rights in Sikkim, the "National Party" is eager to launch the same movement in China.

For Sikkim's "National Party", this congress has achieved extraordinary results. First, it has received much-needed political, economic and military assistance; Secondly, after a preliminary understanding of the organizational structure and operation mode of the China National Government, the "National Party" found a ruling template for reference; Thirdly, China's anti-imperialist and anti-imperialist experience deeply attracted the leaders of the "National Party" and provided them with fresh struggle experience; Fourthly, the Sikkim independence movement, with the "National Party" as the main body, has since regarded China as the "mother country of faith" and China as the "big backer" to resist colonial aggression, leaving a deep pro-China brand psychologically.

After World War II, the Indian administration, which had just gained sovereignty from the British, eagerly extended its claws to Sikkim. Since 1947, when the two countries signed the Agreement on Maintaining the Status Quo, allowing India to send commissioners to Sikkim, India has demanded the conclusion of a new treaty in Sikkim almost every year, gradually claiming the political, economic and military sovereignty of Sikkim. 1950, at the request of the Congress Party supported by India, India and Sikkim signed the Peace Treaty between India and Sikkim, which formally placed Sikkim in India's protectorate status legally.

During the period of 1968, large-scale demonstrations broke out in Sikkim, gangtok and its surrounding areas, demanding the abolition of the India-tin contract and safeguarding national sovereignty. Due to the intervention of Indian military and police, the parade turned into a riot and spread to the whole Sikkim. In this riot, Indian military and police killed and injured more than 63,200 people in Sikkim, arrested 3,327 "radicals" who advocated national independence and executed 336 of them.

After this battle, Sikkim's radical independent groups were almost destroyed. The reality of bloodshed has also made domestic organizations advocating armed riots begin to change their course of action and take "legal struggle." In this context, the "National Party" was elected to the Sikkim Parliament to compete with the "Congress Party" representing the will of the Indian administration, and used the parliamentary platform to oppose Indian interference and advocate national independence.

Sikkimese

1973, relying on the victory of the third India-Pakistan war, India occupied Sikkim militarily and announced the dissolution of parliament and local military control. The "National Party" quickly called more than 80,000 supporters to hold a large-scale hunger strike in gangtok, the capital, and sent letters to countries all over the world, including China, in the name of "non-violence and non-cooperation", condemning the Indian army's aggression and advocating the restoration of "law and order" in Sikkim.

Under the unanimous protests of China, the United States, Britain, France and other countries, especially the Soviet Union, in order to punish India for a series of "disobedience" in the third India-Pakistan war, announced that India's military occupation of Sikkim was "morally deficient", which made India fall into unprecedented international isolation and had to restore the Sikkim parliament and allow all parties to activities. But at the same time, it insists on military occupation, claiming to "safeguard India's national interests" and will never compromise. In the following year, the "National Party" and its supporters held uninterrupted dialogues and negotiations with the Indian administration and the "Congress Party" on ending the military occupation, but no substantive progress was made.

The location of Sikkim and neighboring countries

From April 65438 to April 0974, the Indian administrative authorities suddenly stepped up the merger procedure of Sikkim under the condition of obtaining the "diplomatic default" of the Soviet Union. Within two months, a huge legal advisory group was organized to concoct the so-called "1974 Charter" and instructed Sikkim "National Congress Party" to submit it to Sikkim Parliament for adoption. This charter legally deprives Sikkim of the minimum autonomy as a sovereign state, and is actually a declaration of "India-tin merger".

The "National Party" obtained the draft articles of association through various channels, and confirmed that the "National Congress Party" would be submitted to the Parliament for discussion on June 20 of the same year. In view of the fact that the National Congress Party enjoys a simple majority in the parliament, the National Party believes that if the charter is submitted to the parliament for discussion, it will probably be passed by vote, and the National Party is powerless to stop it. Therefore, it is imperative to prevent the charter from being submitted to parliament.

From the end of May 1974, the leadership of the "National Party" mobilized urgently. On the one hand, in major cities in Sikkim, people, especially young students and the poor in the middle and lower classes, were called upon to hold demonstrations against the colonial constitution, and the main political parties in Sikkim were contacted urgently to seek a political alliance to boycott the parliamentary vote; On the other hand, he frequently contacted the diplomatic institutions of major countries in the world, and wrote to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Security Council to expose India's plot to annex Sikkim and request international intervention.

In the national party's series of national salvation actions, seeking China's intervention is the most active. According to the data declassified by Indian Foreign Affairs University in 2005, from May 29th, 1974 to June 20th of that year, the "National Party" sent 149 telegrams demanding "political mediation" and "armed intervention" to China's diplomatic institutions, business groups and non-governmental organizations in South Asia and the United Nations.

The last telegram of 149 for help was sent by1974 on June 20th, 1 1: 42. That is to say, near the last 20 minutes when the Sikkim Parliament voted to pass the amendment to the Constitution of India and Tin, the "National Party" still pinned its hopes on China for international intervention.

Unfortunately, at that time, China was in the period of the Great Movement. In the third India-Pakistan war earlier, I was unable to help Pakistan and watched Dongba dismembered by the Indian army. At this time, it is also unable to help Sikkim. In addition, as early as 1967, China declared the Sikkim National Party as an opportunistic party and a nationalist party, and excluded it from the list of international revolutionary political parties and organizations. For the party's letter, it is even more dismissive. For various reasons, China only issued several strongly worded condemnation statements, and did not provide substantial political and military assistance.

Hopes of international intervention were dashed, and domestic protests were severely suppressed by the Indian military. 1974 At 5: 32 am on June 20th, the National Congress submitted a constitutional amendment to the Sikkim Parliament, asking the Parliament to vote at noon 12 at the latest. Faced with internal troubles and foreign invasion, the National Party had to take the so-called "final decision": announce the Resolution on Joining China and its attached Provisional Plan for Administrative Merger to Sikkim people and international media, formally "join the administrative system of China" and become an "administrative region" of China.

Sikkim national map

At the press conference announcing the bill, the spokesman of the "National Party" further explained that joining China is the last choice for the country to be forced by "Indian colonialism" and the last attempt to "prevent Sikkim from becoming second-class citizens in South Asia". Subsequently, the "National Party" announced the temporary design of the regional flag and emblem of Sikkim Administrative Region, and announced that Chinese, together with Bhutanese, Nepalese and Laipu, has become the first 12 official language of Sikkim and the second language after English.

1June 20, 974, 1 1: 52, the "National Party" hung a five-star red flag on the top floor of its party building, and at the same time sent letters to the diplomatic agencies of major countries in the world, announcing that all foreign affairs of Sikkim would be handed over to China from that day.

China's "Sikkim Administrative Region" was "established" at this moment.

Since then, the "National Party" announced that it would boycott the parliamentary deliberation on the amendment to the "India-tin merger", and then announced that it would not recognize the legitimacy of the Sikkim parliament. At the same time, the Leibucha People's Liberation Army was announced, and the Sikkim people were called upon to arm themselves, so that the "Indian invaders" were plunged into the "People's War Wang Yang Sea". The Leibucha People's Liberation Army, which was established only half an hour ago, took over the weapons storage warehouse of the gangtok Police Department and began to set up temporary jobs on the streets of the capital to prepare for the upcoming "armed invasion" by Indian troops.

Princess Sikkim

On the same day, at 12: 20, the Sikkim parliament, which only the Congress Party participated in, "deliberated and passed" the constitutional amendment of "India-tin merger". 12: 35, the Indian administrative authorities announced that they would "fully respect the wishes of Sikkim people" and hoped that Sikkim people would "resist the intimidation of a few illegal political parties" and wait for the Indian army's military action to "eliminate unrest and bloodshed".

13:08 15, the Indian troops stationed in Sikkim received instructions from the Indian authorities to "resolutely eliminate terrorist organizations" and "maintain the security and stability of Sikkim". 13: 25, the Indian army also launched an armed clearance operation in Sikkim 13 area, and had a frontal exchange of fire with the People's Liberation Army led by the National Party and various civil armed organizations supporting national independence. In gangtok, the capital of the main theater, the exchange of fire lasted for nearly an hour and a half, and basically ended at 14: 50. 15: 00 sharp, Indian troops stationed in Sikkim announced the completion of the clean-up operation against "ultra-nationalists" and their armed forces, and the capital and surrounding areas were "peaceful".

In the crossfire, 33 leaders of the "National Party" were captured, 12 were killed, and the rest 15 fled. According to the diplomatic data declassified by Nepal in July 2008, the Indian army killed and injured more than 5,000 members of the "resistance organization" in major towns in Sikkim, imprisoned 33,579 prisoners and seized 0/7 tons of strategic materials. At the same time, 1 135 Sikkim village was turned into an "isolated area" by the Indian army, and its residents were forcibly relocated. The resistance of Sikkim people has not stopped until today.

From1974 June 20th1:52 to the same day 13: 00, the "Sikkim administrative district" declared by the "Congress Party" existed for only three hours and was annihilated by the artillery fire of the Indian army. Looking back at Sikkim patriots facing national subjugation, and recalling those years in blood shed, we can't help feeling deeply.