Pandatsang Rapga

Pandatsang Rapga (Tibetan: སྤོམ་མདའ་ཚང་རབ་དགའ་, Wylie: spom mda' tshang rab dga;[2] 1902–1974) was a Khampa revolutionary during the first half of the 20th century in Tibet.

[4] Rapga was the brother of Pandastang Togbye, who was a great friend of Thubten Kunphela who was from Nyemo county, located between Shigatse and Lhasa, U-Tsang.

The reason was that the family was the main exporter of Tibetan wool abroad, and any further incident could affect government funds.

[9] The monk Gendün Chöphel,[10] the exiled Thubten Kunphela (Wylie: thub-bstan-kun-vphel; Chinese: 土登貢培; pinyin: tǔdēng gòngpéi), and the poet Canlocen (Wylie: lcang-lo-can-bsod-nams-rgyal-po; Chinese: 江樂金; pinyin: jiānglèjīn) joined as members of the revolutionary party, which sought to topple the Tibetan government in Lhasa and reform Tibet,[11][12] and sought to "oust the British from India".

The Party advocated reform by "giving the monks salaries instead of estates and requiring them to study instead of engaging in business".

[16] Pandatsang Rapga was strongly influenced by the ideas of Sun Yat-sen, especially his Three Principles of the People (Sānmín Zhǔyì) doctrine.

Chiang then gave Rapga a Chinese passport, a salary of 100,000 each month via the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission, and the cooperation of his secret agents in India, Tibet, and Xikang.

[18] In 1945, Rapga sent Gendün Chöphel on a mission to Lhasa via Tawang and Bhutan to draw maps of the area, while masquerading as a pilgrim beggar monk.

[24] Other people affiliated with the Tibet Improvement Party like Abdul Wahid Ladakche, Jampa Wosel, and Kumphel La (Thubten Kunphela)'s activities were also put under surveillance by the British.

[25] Pandatsang hailed the Three Principles of Dr. Sun for helping Asian peoples against foreign imperialism and called for the feudal system to be overthrown.

Rapga stated that "The Sanmin Zhuyi was intended for all peoples under the domination of foreigners, for all those who had been deprived of the rights of man.

Rapga offered the governor of Chamdo, Ngabo Ngawang Jigme, some Khampa fighters in exchange for the Tibetan government recognizing the independence of Kham.

Rapga continued to cooperate with the Republic of China Kuomintang government after it fled to Taiwan, who had also provided training to Khampa rebels against the Communist PLA forces.

Rapga agreed to a plan in which the revolt against the Communists would include anti-feudalism, land reform, a modern government, and to give power to the people.

[34] As late as the 1970s, Rapga believed that Sun Yat-sen's three principles were the best hope for Asian peoples against feudalism and foreign imperialism.