Avinav Verma
Jammu: Climate activist and Leh Apex Body (LAB) member Sonam Wangchuk has apologised for comparing the situation in Ladakh with China’s treatment of Tibet, saying he had no intention of hurting his Tibetan friends and was referring only to a specific incident in Leh.
Wangchuk issued the apology after the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) termed his comparison “misplaced and inaccurate” and said it did not reflect the situation faced by Tibetans under Chinese rule.
“I see many of our Tibetan friends are disturbed by this comparison,” Wangchuk said in a post on X.
Clarifying his remarks, he said: “I was only comparing a specific incident on a particular day and of course not with decades of sufferings that Tibetan people have gone through.”
He further said he had “no intentions whatsoever to cause any hurt to anyone, least my dear Tibetan friends” and that his intention was only to highlight the gravity of what Leh and Ladakh went through on September 24.
“If that has hurt anyone, I deeply apologise from the core of my heart,” Wangchuk said.
‘I understand the sufferings of Tibetan friends’
In another post, Wangchuk said some people had questioned whether it was appropriate to compare the September 24, 2025 violence in Leh with Chinese repression in Tibet.
He said he did not blame those raising the question, arguing that people outside Ladakh may not have known the full circumstances because of what he described as a prolonged internet blackout following the violence.
“I understand the sufferings of Tibetan friends & have always opposed Chinese repression,” Wangchuk said, while maintaining that those who had witnessed what happened in Leh might understand why he made the comparison.
The controversy followed Wangchuk’s speech at NDS Ground in Leh on September 24, where he addressed a gathering marking the first anniversary of the violence in which four protesters were killed in police firing.
Speaking about Ladakh’s decision to remain with India, Wangchuk said the region had chosen India because of its democratic system and the expectation that people would be able to live with dignity.
He then said:
“Such oppression is being inflicted on Ladakh that, in my view, even China is not doing this to Tibet.”
The remark triggered objections from the Tibetan administration.
CTA spokesperson Tenzin Lekshay said the comparison did not reflect the reality inside Tibet.
The CTA said Tibet remains under Chinese rule and alleged continuing restrictions on Tibetans’ fundamental rights, religious freedom and cultural expression.
It described Wangchuk’s comparison as “misplaced and inaccurate” and expressed “deep concern” over his remarks.
Wangchuk’s apology comes amid continuing debate over Ladakh’s demands for greater political and constitutional safeguards, including statehood and protection of land, employment, culture and the environment.
The September 24, 2025 violence remains a major point of contention in the region. Wangchuk has continued to demand accountability over the deaths and the release of the inquiry report.
Moreover, the row comes amid renewed engagement between the Centre and Ladakh’s two major civil society bodies, the LAB and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA).
The next round of talks with the Ministry of Home Affairs is expected in the first week of October, with discussions expected to continue on a proposed constitutional framework, including the Article 371(K) proposal.
The September 9 MHA meeting had produced an in-principle discussion around an elected UT-level body and additional constitutional safeguards, but representatives said key issues, including the distribution of powers, remained unresolved.
