AC3PT 1974 Sikkim

The Himalaya Kingdom Sikkim is (was) a super rare DX country. Palden Thondup Namgyal, the Chogyal (King, Maharadscha) born 1923, died of cancer in the USA in 1982, was the last and 12th king of Sikkim. He was a DX treat to the stalwart who could make the pile ups. At the age of 6 he was a convent student, from 8 to 11 he studied to ordain monkhood. In 1949 Sikkim had independence from India. In 1963 the king married Hope Cooke, an American debutante (23 years old). This wedding brought much attention to Sikkim.

In 1975 Sikkim joined the Union of India becoming its 22nd union state. There were clashes between the Indian Troops who had already been in the country and the Royal Palace Guard. See the letter from the Chogyial addressed to me describing the events.

The Chogyal had to undergo cancer surgery in the USA. Due to complication from surgery he expired in NYC at the age of 52. His son from a first marriage was named the 13th Chogyial (king), but the position no longer confers any official authority. (Wikipedia).

AC3PT Palden Thondup Namgyal, King of Sikkim

AC3PT with his American wife, Queen Hope Cooke

Location of Sikkim

Palace gate Gangtok, Sikkim, taken in 2002 by YB0AAG / DJ2JB

Geerken Horst YB0AAG / DJ2JB received distress signal from AC3PT.
Photo below taken in India on his way to Sikkim after the events.

Emergency Call of the Chogyal AC3PT spread world wide by radio amateurs

The emergency call of the Chogyal was also received and confirmed by the German radio amateur Horst Geerken, YB0AAG, resident since many years in Jakarta, together his (deceased) friend Hans Mauder, DL6FF.

Horst calls back the situation in his memory:

"I was sitting at my radio station in Jakarta and suddenly heard the distress call of AC3PT. Our QSO with AC3PT took some 8 to 10 minutes and ended abruptly with his shrieky voice "now Indian troops storming my room…". Our QSO was heard by two Swedish hams, Thomas Schell, SM6AFH, and Stig Pärsson, SM4JPN. They called me on the radio after my radio contact with the Chogyal. We checked name and address of AC3PT, and Thomas informed a Swedish journalist of the hold up. Then I had a QSO with OM Hörning, who lives near Hannover, northern Germany. He recorded my report on tape and sent it to Norddeutscher Rundfunk (North-German Broadcasting) and to different news agencies. So the news about the hold up in Sikkim were spread very quickly over the whole world."

Horst Geerken, ex DJ2JB / YB0AAG now DJ4SM comes to Indian Sikkim State

In 2002 I got a nice picture postcard depicting Khangchendzonga Mountain, Sikkim. The sender was Horst Geerken who, 27 years ago in Jakarta, had received the distress call of the Chogyal.

Horst wrote:

"On my round trip through India I have landed in Sikkim. I had tried several times to get a permit to travel to Sikkim, but no chance. We arrived here by helicopter flight. Of course I remember well the events with the Chogyal in 1975, when I picked up his distress call. Right now you are not allowed to visit the Royal Palace in Gangtok, and when I asked police, military and administration, I got the answer that there are no radio amateurs in Sikkim at all. I think radio hams are not allowed here."

Letter to DJ9KR from AC3PT about events in Sikkim.

Newspaper clipping about the take-over of Sikkim

Funeral of AC3PT

QSL, Photos, and info from the estate of DJ9KR