File No.

8(6)
1949
Ministry of External Affairs
NEF Branch

Reports regarding Chinese personnel at Lhasa in Tibet

Intelligence Bureau
(Ministry of Home Affairs)
We have had secret information that SHEN TSUNG LIEN (9849-11976-7132) @
T.L. SHEN has requested Dr. Tsai to send a telegram to Lhasa informing them of his visit
and asking when Sheng Chi (Secretary) will be coming to India.
T.L. Shen was formerly Chinese Resident at Lhasa and is well known to the Ministry
of External Affairs. He arrived in Calcutta on 15.6.49.
A. Jayaram
Assistant Director

(Original in D.2643-NEF/49)
Extract from Tibetan Intelligence Report No. 7/49, dated the 22nd March 1949.
Chinese Mission Staff in Lhasa.
It is reported that the Chinese Govt officials in Lhasa have received no remittances
from China for their remuneration for the last six months. But that any how their salaries etc.
are being paid- probably by borrowing.
From- The Indian Trade Agent, Gyantse & Officer in Charge, Indian Mission, Lhasa,
P.O.Gyantse, Tibet.
To- The Political Officer in Sikkim, Gangtok.
Memorandum No.3(18)-L/49
Dated Lhasa, Tibet, the 2nd May 1949.
I understand that one of the teachers in the Chinese school at Lhasa is Phuntso
Wangyal, a Khampa from the Chinese side of the border. He was formerly a member of one
of the associations of young Khampas which sought to organize action against the Chinese
and I believe that he led an unsuccessful attack on the Chinese troops in Batang a few years
ago. He was in Kalimpong in about 1946/47.
These young Khampas incline to socialist views which may easily tip over into overt
Communist sympathies as I believe has happened in the case of Kesang Wangdi, another of
the same type, who is known in Kalimpong, but is now in China. I suppose that the Chinese
here do not know about Phuntso Wangyal’s past history.
Sd: H.E. Richardson.
Indian Trade Agent, Gyantse, &
Officer in charge, Indian Mission, Lhasa.

From- The Indian Trade Agent, Gyantse, & Officer in Charge, Indian Mission, Lhasa, P.O.
Gyantse, Tibet.
To- The Political Officer in Sikkim, Gangtok.
Memorandum No. 3(18)-L/49
Dated Lhasa, Tibet, the 22nd May 1949.
It is said that the salaries of all Chinese officials in Tibet have been reduced and that
no funds have been received for some months to pay even the reduced salaries.
Chinese offices in Tibet are said to be getting along by using the balance of a
remittance of 4 million rupees which was sent some years ago for educational purposes in
Tibet including the project of starting a school in Shigatse. The money, now about 1 million
rupees is on deposit in the bank will collapse at any moment efforts are said to be under way
to have the money transferred to some other bank. It is rumoured that Mrs. Chen wife of the
officer in charge of the Chinese Mission Lhasa or Mr. Liu Shen-chik formerly English
Secretary there, or Mr. Tan Hsin-pei teacher in the Chinese school at Lhasa, all of whom are
planning visits to India, may be entrusted with this task.
I am also informed that apart from the official Chinese radio station at Lhasa there are
or were recently two or three other transmitting sets in charge of secret agent. It is not known
what power these alleged transmitters used- presumably batteries. The Chinese Govt secret
agents in Tibet are now out of a job. It does not appear that they are receiving pay from the
Educational money referred to above; but this is not certain. Agents from Shigatse are now
arriving in Lhasa.
Sd: H.E. Richardson.
Indian Trade Agent, Gyantse, &
Officer in charge, Indian Mission, Lhasa.

(Original in D.4481-NEF/49)
Extract from Tibetan Intelligence Report No.14/49, dated the 2nd June 1949.
Mrs. And Miss Chen, wife and daughter of Mr. H.C. Chen, Officer-in-charge of the
Chinese Mission in Lhasa, with Mr. Liu, English Secretary to the Mission are expected to
arrive in India shortly. The reasons for their visit to India appear to be as following:-
(i) Mr. Chen or Mr. Liu is said to have a deposit of 4 lakhs of rupees in the Bank of
China, Calcutta. They are afraid of the Bank’s going into liquidation in
consequence of the turmoil in China and therefore they wish to withdraw the
money and deposit it in some safer Indian Bank.
(ii) It is gathered that they also had with them in Tibet considerable sums of money
which they wanted to remove to India.

From- The Indian Trade Agent, Gyantse, & Officer in Charge, Indian Mission, Lhasa,
P.O.Gyantse, Tibet.
To- The Political Officer in Sikkim, Gangtok.
Memorandun No. 3(3)- L/49
Dated Lhasa, Tibet, the 26th June 1949.
If funds are cut off this may be an incentive to members of the Chinese Mission here
to offer a speedy transfer of their allegiance to the Communists. Mr. Chen is perhaps a man
of more principle than others of his staff and might not be tempted to make this change. It is
also possible that if he were tempted, he would not be accepted by the Communist Govt as
having been a leading official of the old regime.
Surkhang Dzasa mentioned, on a personal basis, the possibility of the Chinese
Mission here getting into difficulties for want of money and said that if the chance were to
arise, he would recommend that the Tibetan Govt should give them enough money and all
help to return to China. This would be an excellent solution; but I fear that the likelihood of
some members of the Chinese staff going over to the Communists is a real danger which
would attract Communist attention to Tibet-possibly at quite an early date.
Sd: H.E. Richardson.
Indian Trade Agent, Gyantse, &
Officer in charge, Indian Mission, Lhasa.

(Original in D.5312-NEF/49)
Express Letter
From- Political, Sikkim, Gangtok, Via Siliguri, W.Bengal.
To- Foreign, New Delhi.
NO. FR-12/49 Dated, Gangtok, the 16th July 1949.

Fortnightly report for the first half of July 1949.

On that day, the Tibetan Govt informed the Chinese Representative that they wished
him and his whole establishment to leave Lhasa within a fortnight along with selected
Chinese traders etc; the reason for this request being that the Tibetan Govt feared that these
persons,or some of them, might go over to the Communists. Simultaneously the Tibetan Govt
imposed a ban on all telegraphic traffic by the land-line to Lhasa, except for State telegrams
addressed to the Kashag. The Tibetan Govt requested that the Govt of India should allow
these people to enter India, and it seems that their evacuation actually began on the 14 th July.
According to present information 88 persons, including officials, families and dependents are
involved, and they are to travel in three batches. The Chinese Representative is said to have
demurred at first, but eventually agreed to leave. For some time past the Chinese Mission had
been maintaining itself out of the funds meant for the Chinese School at Lhasa; they failed to
secure the release of monies held at the Central Bank in Calcutta before the Bank received a
freezing order from its principals in China. The question of the admission of these people into
India is under the Govt of India’s consideration.
Sd: H. Dayal,
Political Officer in Sikkim.

(Original in D.5231-NEF/49)
From- The Indian Trade Agent, Gyantse, & Officer in Charge, Indian Mission, Lhasa, P.O.
Gyantse, Tibet.
To- The Political Officer in Sikkim, Gangtok.
Memorandum No.3(12)-L/49.
Dated Lhasa, Tibet, the 3rd July 1949.
Report on Indian Mission Lhasa for June 1949.

Relations between Tibet and China.

They are also wondering whether the Chinese Mission in Lhasa will be able to survive
without lack of funds; and they would probably be prepared to finance the return of the
Chinese officials to China if an opportunity were to arise.
The principal danger to the Tibetan Govt from the presence of the Chinese Mission in
Lhasa now is that it may be converted into a mission of the Communist Govt. This might be
precipitated by the cutting off of funds from the Bank of China in Calcutta which is said to
have received orders not to pay any money to agents of the “reactionary” Govt. It appears
that there were certain funds in the name of the Chinese Mission here deposited in the Bank
of China and that efforts were being made to transfer those funds to an Indian bank; but it
seems that the attempt was too late. I think it probable that some, at least, of the present
Chinese staff here would not hesitate to transfer their allegiance to the Communists for the
sake of their living. Mr. Chen himself perhaps would not do so even if he could.
Sd: H.E. Richardson.
Indian Trade Agent, Gyantse, &
Officer in charge, Indian Mission, Lhasa.
(Original on D.No. 6559-NEF/49)
Extract from memo. No. 3(1)-L/49, dated the 25th August, 1949, from the Officer in
Charge, Indian Mission, Lhasa to P.O. Sikkim.

The Tibetan Govt have given orders for preparing list of Hopalingpas and other
Chinese now in Lhasa. A register will be maintained and approved persons will be given
permits to stay. They will have to report their movements to the Tibetan Govt. the
Hopalingpas are Chinese Muslims who have lived in Lhasa for several generations and are
treated as Tibetan subjects, and are in general well behaved. Tibetan frontier posts have been
warned to keep a strict look-out for foreigners, especially Chinese.