GORKHA: When the government, lawmakers, intellects and civil society are busy talking about Indian ‘encroachment’ in Kalapani, Lipu Lekh, and Limpiyadhura area, they seem less concerned about China’s encroachment in the village of Gorkha, the Annapurna Post (AP) reports.
Rui Gaun of Gorkha that lies under Rui Bhot of Gorkha is now under China’s autonomous region, Tibet for more than 60 years now.
The utter negligence of the government and indifference of the high government officials made room for Chinese intrusion over a village consisting 72 households, it said.
Although the area of Rui Gaun is still included in the map in all these years, the area is under Chinese control as the border pillars are moved so as to validate the encroachment, AP daily has reported.
According to the Land Revenue Office Gorkha, the office still has the record of the revenues collected from the inhabitants of Rui village.
“The details of the revenues paid by the inhabitants of Rui Bhot areas is still safe in the Land Revenue Office, in the file no. 1,” an assistant staff at the Land Revenue Office Gorkha said, “The record section of the office has the records of the revenues submitted by the people from Athara Saya Khola to Rui Bhot,” according to the AP report.
Historian Ramesh Dhungel says that Rui and Teigha villages were in the northern part of Gorkha district.
“Rui Gaun is part of Nepal,” Dhungel said, adding, “Neither Nepal lost it in war nor it was subject to any special agreement or contract to let it belong to Tibet; Nepal lost both Rui and Tegha villages due to the negligence at the time of fixing pillars,” AP says.
Bir Bahadur Lama, the Ward Chairperson of Chumanubri Rural Municipality Ward No. 1 also claims that the area including Rui Gaun was part of Gorkha and the inhabitants used to submit revenues to the Nepal government, and now the inhabitants have become Tibetans, reports AP.
With the consent of few corrupted Nepali officials the 35 No Pillar was fixed the border pillars between Samdo and Rui Gaun letting the whole village fall under Chinese control.
The language, culture, traditions and rituals of Sama Gaun, Samdo, Rui and even the prayer stations are same.
Ward Chairperson Lama says that his elders told him that the protesting Rui Gaun inhabitants had left the place and returned to their farms at Samdo and established their settlement then, the daily said.
As an attempt to safeguard the historical and cultural treasures of Teka Pema Chhyoling Gumba also known as Taghbai Gumba, they brought some of such materials to Samdo and established a Gumba there and continued their prayers there, it said.
“Many people who did not like the inclusion in Tibet fled to Samdo, they came with 1000-1200 old historical and cultural documents and made a Gumba and resumed their prayers,” AP quotes Lama as saying.
The Gumba still has two historical copper decrees of Malla kings duo Aditya Malla and Punya Malla.
When the cultural revolution destroyed Teka Gumba and other valuables those kept in Samdo remained safe.
Historian Dhungel regards the inaccessibility and remote location behind the utmost negligence of the government.
“The borders on the India side is accessible, people move around it quite frequently so the border issues with India come to everyone’s eyes, however, the treatment of the Tibetan side in Northern border is even worse,” he said,
Claiming that government negligence let many parts fall under Tibet, China’s control, Dhungel demands the formation of task force and research team to study about such parts, AP has said.
According to him, there are nearly 350 households of Kimathanka fallen under Tibetan control. He added that a large chunk of territory that is equal to two days walk has gone to Tibetan side in Mustang alone, according to the daily.
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