CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- In my last column, and in the aftermath of the recent high-level Sino-Indian talks in Beijing, we dealt with the issue of Tibet from a historical perspective. A parallel analytical exercise with regard to Sikkim would perhaps prove equally interesting.
The old Buddhist enclave in the mythical Himalayas had lived rather quietly and generally unnoticed, protected by its small size and its remoteness.
But in our times, in 1975, destiny struck the tiny kingdom and it was forcibly annexed to its mighty neighbor, India. One might be tempted to compare these two dramatic cases -- of the holy cities of Lhasa in Tibet and Gangtok in Sikkim -- succumbing to their almighty neighbors, to the east and the west.