Tibet’s Forgotten Soldiers

In the midst of the war between India and China in 1962, India’s Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru established a covert paramilitary force comprising entirely of the recently-exiled Tibetan refugees in India, called the Special Frontier Force (SFF). More than 10,000 refugee soldiers joined in the first year. SFF received the full support of the United States whose interest was served by firsthand intelligence gathering. The CIA was involved in training and logistical support. From the Tibetan refugees’ perspective, this was a rare opportunity to fight Communist China, who had just invaded their homeland. Tibetan refugee soldiers believed that SFF was part of a larger plan, supported by India and the U.S., to re-establish an independent Tibet. This dream never materialized. The force was used solely for intelligence gathering and the only war they fought in was the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war. 

This project aims to unveil the faces of individual Tibetans who served in the “Special Frontier Force.” My father, Tsering, was one of them, serving alongside hundreds of other Tibetans. It was not just Tibetan men who served - my late Aunt also served as the Dalai Lama’s security guard from the regiment. To this day, very little is known about these individuals. They are invisible soldiers, having fought for a country not their own. Many perished, while others continue to live in exile with their sacrificed youth, a sense of betrayal, and longing to return home. These photographs documenting their story will be published as a photo-book and will exhibit in various art spaces around the world.