Thursday, December 7, 2017

TIBET : SIKH LIGHT INFANTRY IN LHASA - 1904

SOURCE:
http://amardeepphotography.com/sikh-soldiers-in-tibet/

SIKH LIGHT INFANTRY IN LHASA - 1904

Posted by Amardeep Singh on Jun 24, 2015 in Blog, General, Travel

The History of The Sikh Pioneers

(Google to read the book)

http://www.panjabdigilib.org/webuser/searches/displayPageContent.jsp?ID=15253&page=14&CategoryID=1&pagetype=1&Searched=W3GX

Close to Gyantse fort in Tibet, at the Palkhor Chode Monastery, an old Chinese man approached me with curiosity. I reciprocated with a smile to help break the ice.

Old Chinese Man : “You are wearing a turban. Are you a Sikh?”

Me : “Indeed and I am surprised you are able to recognize a Sikh in this remote part of the world.”

Old Chinese Man : “Sikhs are no strangers to this region. In the past they have led many military expeditions on the Tibetan plateau with reasonable success.”

Me : “Yes indeed. I am aware that in the year 1841, under the leadership of Maharajah Ranjit Singh of Punjab, General Zorawar Singh’s forces came deep in Western Tibet. Having started the Ladakh (small Tibet) campaign in 1834, after Ranjit Singh's death in 1839, the forces continued deeper into Tibetan plateau. I also know that at Taklakot in Tibet, there exists a Chorten (memorial) of General Zorawar Singh.”

Old Chinese Man : “You do know that history of year 1841 expedition of the Sikh kingdom into Tibet. Well the Sikhs entered again, but this time with British, in the year 1904.”

I had only heard about General Zorawar Singh’s expedition to Tibet in 1841 but what was the Chinese man’s reference to the entry in 1904?

This conversation created a spark of curiosity, leading me to research the following three old books to gain better insight into Lietunant Younghusband’s expedition to Tibet in 1904 with the 23 and 32 Sikh Pioneer regiments.

1) With Mounted Infantry inTibet by Major Ottley
[ https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.284802/2015.284802.With-Mounted#page/n369/mode/2up ]

2) India and Tibet by Sir Francis Younghusband
[ https://archive.org/stream/indiaandtibet025061mbp#page/n1/mode/2up ]

3) Waziristan to Tibet by Cyril Lucas

[ https://books.google.co.in/books?id=B0q6G_m3hqcC&pg=PT2&lpg=PT2&dq=Waziristan+to+Tibet&source=bl&ots=cf-w5nJrqA&sig=Owt1mdl-FG0TNqvMwMK21R_-HHA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi4lPbgivjXAhUIrI8KHVUiCbIQ6AEIPDAE#v=onepage&q=Waziristan%20to%20Tibet&f=false ]

In early 1900's the “Great Game” being played in Asia had resulted in expansion of British across India, under the banner of East India Company. In the North of Asia, Czars of Russia were becoming ambitious to expand their reach into the Pamir mountain ranges, getting them closer to India. British secret services were getting an indication of an alliance being forged between the Tibetans and the Russians. There were reports of European breeds of dogs spotted on the Tibetan plateaus, which could have only come on land through Russia. Should the Russian reach extend into the Himalayan plateau, it would be too dangerous for British India.It meant the political war between British, French and Russians that was being engaged in Europe could be fought on the grounds of India.

In light of this development, the British had to nullify the potential Russian advance into Tibet.

Lietunant Colonel Sir Francis Edward Younghusband, with regiments of 23 Sikh Pioneers and 32 Sikh Pioneers, entered Tibet from Sikkim in the year 1904. They were successful in conquering the Gyantse Fort (which was built around 12th century) and made it their base from where they led further successful expeditions to Karo La pass (5,010 meter) and Lhasa. These may sound just names but having personally traveled to the heights around Karo La pass, due to thinness of air, I found it hard to carry my two heavy cameras. One can only imagine the feat for the soldiers at these heights, having to carry their weapons and backpacks.

The success of this expedition resulted in a treaty between British India and Tibet, resulting in the weakening the Russian aspiration of expansion. Thereafter the British Indian forces subsequently moved back from the Tibetan plateau.

Along the way from Lhasa to Gyantse, one can still find remains of stone fortifications built by 23 and 32 Sikh Pioneer regiments as they advanced on the plateau. I spotted many of these bricked outposts while driving from Lhasa to the Western front of Tibet.

History quotes Hannibal’s crossing of the Alps, in 218 BC, to invade imperial Rome as one of the most celebrated achievement of any military force in the ancient warfare. The Alps are pygmies in comparison to the advances that had to be made from the plains of India to Tibetan plateau, crossing the formidable Himalayas. Only soldiers with a selfless grit could have achieved this feat in a short time frame, returning back to the plains of India safely. They just had to make a point that the plains of India will not entertain any move for European wars to be bought to the sub-continent.

Let me share the pictures that I took of Gyantse Fort in Tibet and very old sketches of Sikh soldiers in action on the Tibetan plateau. These sketches featured in LIFE magazine in early 1900’s. I stumbled on them as I embarked to satisfy the curiosity that developed after the discussion with the Chinese man at Gyantse Fort.

Gyantse Fort

Gyantse fort
(Photos by Amardeep Singh – July 2012)

Sketches of Lietunant Colonel Sir Francis

Edward Younghusband’s Tibet expedition

with 23 Sikh Pioneers and 32 Sikh

Pioneers.

Sikh LI soldiers march through Lhasa.

Sikh LI soldiers in action at Gyantse Fort

Sikh LI soldiers marching on Tibetan plateau.

Col Younghusband’s forces in action at
Guru in Tibet.

Sikh LI soldiers clearing ammunition at Gyantze Fort after its occupation.

Gyantse Fort after its capture. Plate dated July 6, 1904.

Soldiers in action during their attack on Gyantse Fort.

Sikh LI soldiers clearing their way in thick snow, during the march to Gyantse fort.

Indian mounted Infantry on the Tibetan plateau.

A battle fought on the Glaciers of the

Tibetan plateau.

[ this place is on the right banks of River tista astride GIAGONG in north Sikkim ie morasses area called black rocks. I recovered a INDIAN JCO's sword in 1986 during Ops SUMDRUNG Chu. This sword is kept in the Officers Mess 10 SIKH LI _ Vasundhra ]

Surrendered Tibetan soldiers being escorted to the camp.

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

NUKES : North Korea's nuclear weapons: Here is what we know

SOURCE:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/05/north-korea-testing-nuclear-weapons-170504072226461.html

North Korea's nuclear weapons: Here is what we know

3 Dec 2017

NORTH KOREA'S NUCLEAR

Here is what we know about North Korea's nuclear capabilities and motivation.

Who is in range of its missiles?

The Hwasong-15, North Korea's furthest-reaching intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), could theoretically travel about 13,000km. This potentially puts the whole world within range, except for:

Latin America
Antartica

This theoretical range was estimated based on the Hwasong-15 performance in a test-launch on November 29, when it flew for about 53 minutes before landing in the sea.

Earlier in July, North Korea's test-launched the Hwasong-14, with a theoretical range of 10,400km. The missile flew for about 45 minutes before landing in the Sea of Japan.

On September 15, North Korea's also tested its mid-range Hwasong-12 missile which travelled about 3,700km over Japan, and has a range potential of 4,000km, which includes Guam, a US territory in the Pacific Ocean.

Can the missiles be shot down?

The US, South Korea and Japan are equipped with anti-missile systems that could potentially intercept and destroy ballistic missiles fired from North Korea, although missile intercept failures are common.

The US' anti-missile system was declared ready in 2004, but since then many intercept tests have failed.

South Korea has six Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) batteries deployed in Seongju, south of Seoul, and Japan is also equipped with the Patriot and the Aegis anti-ballistic missile systems.

WATCH : Why didn't Japan shoot down North's missiles? (0:58)

Can it launch a nuclear attack?

North Korea claims that it can mount miniaturised nuclear warheads on its missiles, but these claims have not been independently verified.

To launch a nuclear attack, North Korea would need to produce nuclear devices small enough to fit on its missiles - this is not known to have yet been successfully developed and tested.

In March 2016, North Korea's KCNA news agency released a photo of Kim Jong-un in front of a small, ball-like object which it said was a miniaturised nuclear warhead.

In September 2017, KCNA released a photo of the North Korean leader inspecting what it said was a hydrogen bomb that can be loaded on an ICBM.

Undated photo of Kim Jong-un released on September 3, 2017. [KCNA/Reuters]

How many nukes does it have?

While North Korea asserts it will keep building up its nuclear arsenal in "quality and quantity", US officials estimate it has 60 nuclear weapons, whereas independent experts estimate it has enough uranium to produce six new nuclear bombs a year.

In September 2016, Siegfried Hecker of Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC, estimated that North Korea produced enough highly enriched uranium to make six additional nuclear bombs a year. Hecker had toured North Korea's main Yongbyon nuclear facility in 2010.

Experts and governments estimate plutonium production levels from tell-tale signs of reactor operation in satellite imagery.

Does it have the H-bomb?

In September 2017, North Korea carried out its sixth nuclear test, this time detonating what it claimed was a hydrogen bomb (also known as an H-bomb).

The yield of the nuclear blast was estimated at about 100 kilotons, and was first detected as an earthquake of 6.3 magnitude with a depth of 23km.

The tremor was also felt in China, 400km from the test site.

An H-bomb can be 1,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb the US dropped on Hiroshima in World War II.

In January 2016, North Korea claimed to have detonated its first hydrogen bomb, but nuclear scientists examining the impact of the test questioned if the test was really that of an H-bomb.

How did it get nuclear weapons?

North Korea seems to be pursuing the development of nuclear weapons capability on its own.

Its nuclear programme started in the Soviet era with the construction of a nuclear reactor in Yongbyon in 1965, while it's first successful nuclear test was carried in 2006.

North Korea carried its sixth nuclear test in 2017 at the Punggye-ri site.

The experiment had been expected from April. Satellite images had shown workers pumping water out of a tunnel believed to have been being prepared for a forthcoming nuclear test, US monitors had said.

North Korea has a rich source of fissile material, both plutonium from its Yongbyon nuclear reactor and highly enriched uranium from other sites, US-based researchersclaim.

Although the Yongbyon nuclear facility was built with help from Soviet engineers, the Soviet Union and China have denied supplying North Korea with nuclear weapons or helping it to build them.

China fought alongside the North Koreans in the 1953 Korean War, but in the interest of political stability in the region, claims to strongly oppose North Korea's nuclear weapons programme.

Pakistan and India have both been linked to North Korea's nuclear programme.

In 2004, Pakistan's lead nuclear scientist, Abdul Qadeer Khan, was put under house arrest for transferring nuclear technology, including centrifuges, to North Korea and other countries.

In a 2016 UN report accused an Indian technology institute of violating sanctions on North Korea by providing specialised training on " space instrumentation" to a North Korean student later involved in the Unha-3 rocket launch in 2012.

Why does it test nuclear weapons?

Analysis of the North Korean government's statements suggest that the leadership in Pyongyang sees in nuclear weapons the following benefits:

1. Guaranteeing security of the state

2. Economic development and prosperity

3. Gaining respect and prestige in the international arena

In April, North Korea's vice foreign minister said: "We've got a powerful nuclear deterrent already in our hands, and we certainly will not keep our arms crossed in the face of a US pre-emptive strike."

Pyongyang suspects that the annual joint drills between the US and South Korea are a rehearsal for an invasion of North Korea.

North Korea's deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Choe Myong-nam, referred to those drills to justify his country's nuclear pursuits: "It is because of these hostile activities on the part of the United States and South Korea that we strengthen our national defence capability, as well as pre-emptive strike capabilities with nuclear forces as a centrepiece."

North Korea also accused the CIA of plotting to assassinate its leader Kim Jong-un, while CIA Director Mike Pompeo announced a dedicated Mission Centre for the "serious threats ... emanating from North Korea".

WATCH: What do we really know about North Korea? (3:00)

Has North Korea declared war?

North Korea has not gone to war with any country since 1950, but has threatened to launch a "great war of justice for [Korean] national reunification" and to attack the US mainland in "full-out war... under the situation where the US hurts the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] by force of arms."

Following UN sanctions which North Korea considered a "violent violation of our sovereignty", Pyongyang has also threatened to attack Guam.

The Korean Peninsula was divided after the World War II in 1945. Nearly five years later, North Korea invaded South Korea, starting the three-year Korean War. The war ended in 1953 with an armistice (not a peace treaty) which means that North Korea is still technically at war with South Korea.

The US has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea, while the Korean Peninsula has been divided by a 4km-wide demilitarised zone stretching 250km along the border.

This year, several shows of force and provocative threats have been exchanged between the US and North Korea since the joint military drill s with South Korea began in March.

On August 29, four South Korean fighter jets bombed targets in North Korea after its latest ballistic missile test-launch while in September, it simulated an attack on North's latest nuclear test site.

North Korea has defiantly carried out missile test-launches despite regional and US condemnation and continues to develop its nuclear weapons capability.

Here's a brief history of how North and South Korea got to where they are today:https://t.co/zMx5j6Ls3f pic.twitter.com/MyhaEKB1XH

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA NEWS