Arunachal: Sleepwalking into a disaster

No doubt most of you must have read this bit of “news” already (emphasis mine):

“….the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday expressed grave concern over reports that the Chinese troops had last month damaged a statue of Buddha inside the Indian border.

…In a written reply, Defence Minister AK Antony said incursions were on account of differing perceptions between New Delhi and Beijing on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). He said such incursions could be avoided if the two countries had common perceptions of the LAC”

Fantastic…So let us all work towards creating these “common perceptions” and the whole problem will solve itself. Right?

Wrong.

In the words of Arun Shourie, “Arunachal Pradesh is in deep, deep trouble” and India might be facing “…one of the gravest situations” since�the Chinese invasion of 1962. The news-report also mentioned “…the Indo-Tibetan Border Police says there were at least 146 incursions in 2006…“. This reminded me of the mistakes of 1962.

Until I read Shri Antony’s reported remarks I believed�it was dangerous to take such a cavalier attitude towards matters of national security.

But now I know better. Why worry about national security, incursions, invasions, infiltrations etc…?

China is, after all, our “greatest neighbour“. All we have to do is to work towards “common perceptions”, no?

Related Posts:

Let it be clear. India and China are strategic rivals

China: Will India repeat the mistakes of 1962?

India, China and Arunachal Pradesh�are we missing something? and finally

Dancing with the Dragon

Photo: Namdapha River in Arunachal Pradesh, courtesy Govt of Arunchal Pradesh

Update: Pl see map below in the context of comment @ #10 to this post

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10 Responses

  1. Nandan says:

    “Our Government and people, regardless of their political affiliations, want strongest relationship with China” says our PM. In other words, we lack the vertebra to stand up to you. So we forgive you your overtures. We know that CPM, our ally and prop is on your side and cannot do anything about it. So we forgive you out of our weakness.

    China has acknowledged the gesture by making it clear to Mr. Mukherjee that “the mere presence of settled population would not affect China’s claim.”

    When our leaders act like moth falling in fire not knowing its burning power (???????????????? ???? ??????????????) [?????? = without knowing; ??????????? = the burning power; ???? = falls; ???? = moth; ????????? = in glowing fire], under the pretext of ?????? ???? ????? being our faith and fail to take umbrage at anything said or done against our sovereignty, then God save our country.

  2. Prakash says:

    This all boils down to a lack of awareness in India. How many are even aware of this issue? how many see them as a threat? Our politicians only reflect their vote bases. While the pakistani threat is well publicized, the chinese threat (probably more significant) is not. How many media outlets report on the chinese activities in pakistan, their ongoing activities in SL and in Burma. I just hope the indian middle class grows fast and they get access to better information leading them to make better decisions.

  3. B Shantanu says:

    @ Nandan: “So we forgive you out of our weakness” – so apt, and so tragic.

    If our elected leaders themselves do not see this as a matter of urgency and national priority, even God may not be able to help Bharat.

    ***

    @ Prakash: “This all boils down to a lack of awareness in India. How many are even aware of this issue? how many see them as a threat?…While the pakistani threat is well publicized, the chinese threat (probably more significant) is not…”

    Very well said.

    One of my objectives when I started this blog was to make myself and others better informed and aware about matters of national importance and urgency…

    But when I see things like these being sidelined by mainstream media, it is hard to continue being an optimist….

    As Nandan said in another comment: “Optimism is a good thing. But straightening the dog’s tail and ensuring that it remains so do not appear to me as goals which could be attained easily by mere optimism.”

    Sigh.

  4. Prakash Kripakaran says:

    Agreed 100%. A democracy works well only when the citizens (a significant percent of) are well-informed.

    To get a better perspective of the happenings in India, I have diversified my news sources from the hindu to pioneer, livemint (I feel is a good one if you believe in free markets but not really political) and some thinktanks (such as center for policy research – cprindia.org) and ofcourse, blogs like yours. A blog that you may find interesting too is
    http://rajeev2004.blogspot.com

  5. Nandan says:

    Why_is_govt_not_acting (The Economic Times 22 Nov, 2007)

    During Zero hour, Mr Rebia (Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Arunachal Pradesh) raised the issue of incursions by the Chinese into both Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim and the recent demolition of a Buddha statue in Tawang district by Chinese troops.

    Nothing has come from the mouth of the government, no reaction has come from the government till now. We are in a dilemma. Therefore, I want a clear statement on the stand taken by the Government of India on this issue.”

    Mr Rebia said, “China still does not recognise the McMahon Line as the border between the two countries… Chinese advisor, Attache, in the Chinese Embassy has openly claimed that particularly Tawang belongs to China and the claim of China is that 96,000 sq km area of Arunachal Pradesh belongs to China whereas the total area of Arunachal Pradesh is nearly 84,000 sq km”.

    Echoing what would seem like the BJP on the issue, the Congress MP from Arunachal asked, “Why are you keeping us in the dark? We really want to know this. Sir, we, the people of Arunachal feel that the state of Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India, and, therefore, please do not keep us hanging. We really want to know what exactly is the Government of India doing.”

    Am I to infer that the people of Arunachal want an assurance from the Indian Government that they really are Indian citizens? Is the Government treating them like illegitimate children fearful offending a powerful neighbour? Is it wrong to believe that our silence on this matter could encourage our ambitious neighbour to become more adventurous? It is clear from the above that China’s ambitions go far beyond Arunachal. Since the Congress is scared to death, can Karat and his comrades give us some subtle hints?

    ***

    NOTE by MODERATOR: Here is the link to the article referred above

  6. B Shantanu says:

    I chanced upon this post: Arunachal Pradesh- An Independent Nation or Chinese Territory?
    while surfing the net today.

    Apparently Google Earth shows Arunachal Pradesh as an “independent nation” and if you zoom in on it, as a part of Chinese Territory.

    Google has “admitted” its error and has promised to correct it: Google admits Arunachal error

    I have not checked it yet – will do so later today/ tomorrow

  7. B Shantanu says:

    And while on Arunachal, read this news-story from Assam Tribune, dated Oct 31st (emphasis mine):

    Former Chinese envoy calls for Tawang’s return

    BEIJING, Oct 31 – India must make “substantial adjustment” in the eastern sector, including returning the Buddhist enclave Tawang to China, to reach an early settlement of the border issue, former Chinese Ambassador to New Delhi, Zhou Gang, said, reports PTI. “As the Chinese people will never accept ‘McMahon line,’ India must make substantial adjustment in the East sector,” he told PTI here as boundary negotiations are expected to gather momentum in the weeks ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit, which is now put off until January, 2008.

    On China-India boundary issue, my view is that China has always taken a positive approach, hoping a settlement acceptable to both sides will be reached through talks at an early date,” Zhou, now a Special Consultant to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said.

    He emphasised that the foremost thing is to abide by the principles of mutual understanding, mutual accommodation and mutual adjustment so as to obtain a final package settlement.

    I cited the following example that during my tenure as Chinese ambassador to India, I made it clear on many occasions to the Indian public — Tawang belongs to China, it is the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama and the Dalai Lama is ‘China’s Dalai Lama’, who cannot be ‘India’s Dalai Lama’.”

    I think if the Indian side can make substantial adjustment in the East sector according to the principles of mutual understanding, mutual accommodation and mutual adjustment, the Chinese side will make its adjustment in the Western sector accordingly,” Zhou, also a Senior Adviser to China Institute for International Strategic Studies, emphasised.

    Interestingly, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi, during their meeting in northeast Chinese city of Harbin last week, had discussed the vexed boundary issue with the latter coming out with the first public statement that the two sides must make “mutual concessions and adjustments” for the settlement of the issue.

    China would make joint efforts with India under relevant political guiding principles and hoped the two countries could understand each other, make mutual concessions and adjustments so as to strive for an early agreement on a framework which would be fair, rational and acceptable for both sides on resolving bilateral border issue, Yang was quoted as telling Mukherjee by the official Xinhua news agency.

    Yang had said that China would firmly support the Chinese and Indian special representatives’ work on resolving bilateral border issue, who have so far held 11 rounds of negotiations.

    He had said that thanks to the concerted efforts by both sides, bilateral ties have maintained healthy development.

    Other Chinese scholars say that India must start “educating” its people that the boundary question can only be settled under the principle of “give and take” and not on the basis of the 1962 Indian Parliament resolution.

    Mukherjee had announced in Harbin that India and China have established a Working Group to prepare a framework for the settlement of their boundary issue.

    He had said the 11th round of talks between the Special Representatives of India and China held in Beijing was successful and they have decided to set up a Working Group to prepare a framework for the resolution of the boundary issue.

    “Let us wait for the recommendations of the Working Group,” Mukherjee, who was in Harbin to attend the third standalone trilateral meeting of Foreign Ministers of India, China and Russia, had said.

    ***
    Article posted by “yasiyalow”, a commentator on the Arunachal blog linked above.
    ***

    Very intriguing…Are we preparing for an “exchange” – Arunachal for Aksai Chin?

  8. v.c.krishnan says:

    Dear Sir,
    I think that as the Chinese Scholar as rightly said, it is time that the Indians are educated on every significant geographical, Historical and Cultural aspect of this nation.
    Let us have an independent study made by true historians who know the languages of India in its true grammatical sense, and not interpretations so that every disputre is understood in its true sense and not colored with the color of politicians and their requirements.
    This will help right minded Indians to take concrete steps to protect the borders of India wherever and however placed.
    Regards,
    vck

  9. B Shantanu says:

    Courtesy Sanjeev, this link on Tawang, China and the larger implications of ignoring the region:

    …What seems clear, though, is that each vote cast in Tawang is a vote for India. Under Tibetan control until as recently as 1951, and claimed now with growing stridency by China, the Tawang area remains staunchly Indian. The local inhabitants, the Buddhist Monpa tribe, reject China and communism as antithetical to religion.

    China, however, remains uncompromising on Tawang. Insiders familiar with the Sino-Indian dialogue say Tawang is the only impasse that is holding up an agreement. There is growing local concern here that India could barter away Tawang for the sake of peace with China. Such fears are fanned by events that are barely noticed in New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh leaving Tawang out of his itinerary during his 2008 visit to Arunachal Pradesh; and the recent last-minute cancellation — under foreign ministry pressure — of the Dalai Lama’s visit to Tawang, scheduled for March 16.

    The Dalai Lama was visiting Tawang to commemorate his dramatic escape from Tibet half a century ago, when he entered India right here in Tawang. But China, determined to deny separatist Tibetans a high-profile 50th anniversary celebration of the 1959 anti-China uprising, pressured New Delhi to stop the visit.

    There is widespread frustration in and around Tawang at New Delhi’s reluctance to anger Beijing. The Rimpoche (Abbott) of the Tawang Gompa, told Business Standard, “I don’t understand why the Indian government does not claim Tawang in more forceful words. The people of Tawang want to hear New Delhi say, ‘Tawang is ours. We will never give it away to China’. Until they hear that, they will be insecure.”

    Sad, very sad.

  10. B Shantanu says:

    From Manmohan did not correct map error to protect Nehru name by MADHAV NALAPAT, New Delhi | 23rd Aug 2014, some excerpts:
    Prime Minister Manmohan Singh rejected an August 2013 request by senior officials in his government to correct a serious error, dating back over 50 years, in India’s official maps. In effect, this oversight in official maps mistakenly gave China control of two Arunachal Pradesh “fishtails” (see map), a territory as large as Sikkim or Goa, and continuously inhabited by Indian citizens. Key officials advising Manmohan Singh confirmed the incident.

    The two “fishtail” formations in Arunachal Pradesh were omitted from maps prepared by the Survey of India during the 1960s, although the area has always been under the control of India. No public records exist as to why and how such a significant error was made. In 1962, recognising the fact that this territory was Indian, soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army of China, who had occupied the fishtails during November 1962, withdrew after the unilateral ceasefire declared by Beijing that month. “Since then and before, the area within the two fishtails has always been occupied by our troops, as well as by the Mishmi tribe, all of whom are citizens of India. Our claim on the territory is incontestable and our maps ought to have been updated to reflect this,” a senior official stated.

    Interestingly, the fact that maps showed the two “fishtails” as being outside Indian territory was, according to a senior (and now retired) official, “brought to the attention of then Home Minister P. Chidambaram by the (then) Director-General of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) in 2010, along with reports of Chinese troops entering the area in 2011 and 2012, but the response was to do nothing”.

    The Line of Actual Control (LOAC) between India and China represents area in the de facto control of both sides after the 1962 border conflict and the subsequent Chinese withdrawal from territory seized by them in that episode.
    …And although China has settled its boundary with Myanmar on the basis of the McMahon Line, Beijing has thus far refused a similar settlement with India. This has led to occasional flare-ups, such as at Nathu La in 1967 and Wangdung in 1987.