National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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India and Tibet : vol.1 |
114 SIMLA TO KHAMBA JONG
Their dislike of the Chinese they plainly expressed.
They said the Chinese despised the Tibetans, and were
often instrumental in letting foreigners into the country—
the poor Chinese who are accused by us of keeping
foreigners out! The relations of Tibetans and Chinese
were indeed extraordinarily anomalous. Whilst the
Tibetans deferred to Mr. Ho in almost every matter,
going so far as to forward to him official letters received
from our camp for fear that they might get into trouble if
they retained them, Mr. Ho himself admitted that in
many matters he was powerless. The Tibetan officials
appeared to be childishly impotent and terrified of their
own Government, whilst at the same time they were
deliberately obstructive in every matter, great or small, in
which the British were concerned, and were quite ready
to use the Chinese as a very convenient scapegoat when-
ever it suited them.
Mr. White made a formal visit to them on July 13,
and at the close of the interview gave them presents,
including two packets of tea each. rl'hey tried to raise
some objections to receiving the tea, but no attention
was paid, and the presents were accepted.
While all these proceedings were taking place, I
confess that I at Tangu was in some anxiety. To
march across the frontier in face of all protest, as
Mr. White did, appears, when set down like this, as
a very high-handed action. But it was also very risky.
I had purposely, though not very wisely, but at any
rate to avoid a direct collision at the very start, decided
not to attack, and remove the Tibetans from Giagong,
as they had been removed on the previous year. Mr.
White was simply to march through to the place appointed
by our Government in communication with the Chinese
Government for the place of negotiation. But in so doing
we left Tibetan troops in a' good position on our line of
communications, and as the Tibetans were evidently in an
irritable state, this was no mean risk to take, and Colonel
Brander and I at Tangu used to look out with con-
siderable anxiety for the arrival of the daily dak from
Mr. White.
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