Inch by inch, slowly but surely, we keep loosing territory…
Almost exactly two years ago, I wrote a post titled, As the Government sleeps, dark clouds gather on the horizon… In that post, I had carried excerpts from an article by Tarun Vijay that was prompted by continued trespassing and stealth incursions by Chinese into the Ladakh area.
Two years on…and a general election later, nothing seems to have changed.
Inch by inch, the Chinese are encroaching into Indian territory…while the government acts “ignorant” or “supremely confident” depending on the mood of the moment. Sometimes, it simply brushes things under the carpet. Two vignettes to illustrate what I mean.
The first in which esteemed Foreign Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee is quoted as saying this on the matter of cross-border incursions by China:
Sometimes incursions take place… but there (is) no need to press any “panic buttonâ€
The second, a priceless gem (as reported by Indrani Bagchi):
…The concern on the Indian side is that these incursions by China are taking place a little more frequently than India is comfortable with…
A recent PTI news-report noted how India has lost a “substantial” amount of land over the last two decades to China. It was based on a meeting held recently on this issue.
Although the government tried to act coy under the cover of “unclear or unmarked boundariesâ€, attendees at the meeting (including officials from J&K government, MHA and Army) felt that:
it is clear…that we are withdrawing from LAC and our area has shrunk over a period of time.
Though this process (is) very slow…we have lost substantial amount of land in 20-25 years
For good measure, the record noted (emphasis added):
…the lack of institutional memory in various agencies as well as clear policy on this issue which in long run has resulted in loss of territory by the India in favour of China.
Not that any of this is news to China watchers.
Forget China watchers, none of this should be *news* to anyone who has been reading reports of “Chinese incursions” or “transgressions” over the last few years.
But there appears to be a conspiracy of silence. No voices are raised, no twitter campaigns are talked about…Most strategic thinkers and analysts appear to have accepted that this is unstoppable – and worse – irreversible.
Where are the voices of protest? Where are the worthy dailies who are willing to start a “campaign†at the drop of a hat?
But I forget. There is no money to be made in a “Lets face the reality†campaign. No publicity, no extra ad revenue. Just a lot of uncomfortable questions. Far easier to focus on poverty and NREGA…or Sh Sant Singh Chatwal.
And so inch by inch, slowly but surely, we keep loosing territory…and keep forgetting about it.
Let me dig up a few recent incidents.
Oct 2007: Congress MP alleges incursions by Chinese troops
A Congress member in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday said incursions by Chinese troops had taken place in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim…Nabam Rebia from Arunachal Pradesh…said the Chinese army had demolished a Buddha statue in Tawang district on October 30.
May 2008: Newspaper reports of Chinese “transgressions†in Sikkim
…this year too about 50 Chinese transgressions have been reported in this area…(Chinese troops) started building a road towards the end of the year that crossed this tract of land.
June 2008: More reports of “transgressions” in Sikkim
…There have been 65 transgressions into Sikkim in the last six months and on June 16, PLA men entered the region in light vehicles and later returned to their territory.
…on June 1, a combined Indian Army-ITBP patrol was intercepted by the PLA in Depsang Bulge and forced to turn back after the PLA planted vehicles in front and behind the Indian patrol vehicle and escorted it back across the Chinese “perception of the LACâ€
December 2008: Report from Ladakh
Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) damage the tents of nomads who had moved with their cattle into Dokbug area of Nyoma sector. They also threatened them to vacate the land.
The SDM (appointed by the government to probe complaints of incursion) contended that it was another attempt by the Chinese to claim the territory as disputed in the same fashion as they had taken Nag Tsang area opposite to Phuktse airfield in 1984, Nakung in 1991 and Lungma-Serding in 1992.
Pawan Bali mentions such tactics too:
The locals in Ladakh say that similar tactics were used by the Chinese in the past to grab portions of Indian territory in the region. Till 1984, Indian had claims over the Nang Tsang area, which is opposite Phukste air field. Now, its in Chinese terrority.
The Nagking area was again under Indian occupation till 1991, and now is on the other side. Similar claim was laid over Langma Serding area, which was a part of Indian territory till 1992.
June 2009:Â Chinese helicopters violate Indian air space along the Line of Actual Control in Chumar region and also air-drop some expired food.
July 2009: Chinese troops enter Indian territory near Mount Gya, recognised as International border by India and China, and paint boulders and rocks with “China” and “Chin9” in red spray paint.
Sept 2009: Report from Leh
Deputy commisioner of Leh ..(in) his letter…informs that Shepherds of Ladakh have complained that Chinese troops entered into the Indian boundaries as far as their settlements and threatened them effecting their daily lives and work.
The Chinese soldiers asked Indians to get out from Ladakh warning them of dire consequences.
Jan 2010: Another Letter from Ladakh
A letter from a village in Ladakh, bordering China, has sent alarm bells ringing in the security establishment in New Delhi.
The letter says that Chinese army officers have been threatening labourers who are making a road under the NREGA scheme. The threats are verbal, but they are enough for the workers to completely abandon the project.
LAHDC Chairman Chering Dorjay said, “People of Demochok were building a road under NREGA scheme, while doing they were threatened by Chinese army. It’s not true that Government had asked them to stop work, people stopped work after they were threatened and subsequently we reported the matter to Deputy Commissioner (DC), Leh.
***
I could go on and on but I am sure you have got the point.
Sixty year ago, a prescient Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Nehru (emphasis added):
Let us also consider the political conditions on this potentially troublesome frontier. Our Northern or Northeastern approaches consist of Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Darjeeling and tribal areas in Assam. They are weak from the point of view of communications.Continuous defensive lines do not exist. There is an almost unlimited scope for infiltration.
Sixty years on, his words have been forgotten, his warnings dismissed…even as China moves in, inch by inch, slowly but surely while we sleep, unaware, ignorant and utterly indifferent to the approaching danger.
P.S. From a report filed by former SDM (Nyoma) Tsering Norboo:
A Chinese proverb is famous in the world – better do in inches than in yards
Related Posts:
Of sound bites, Shilpa Shetty and Arunachal
Nightmare at Noon* – Water Wars
Map Image courtesy: Wikipedia
Some options to deal with China are in comment #8 on this post:Â https://satyameva-jayate.org/2011/10/12/inch-by-inch-3/
There is an old Confucius saying that’s normally displayed in stations in Singapore, something on the lines of
“It does not matter how slow you move as long as you keep taking the small steps”. They simply seem to be implementing this saying quite literally.
@ Vikram C: Very apt. Of course our esteemed leaders dont get it.
India is a soft state and destined to lose its land. India has never been able to defend its frontiers and was easy meat for marauders from West for almost ten centuries. What was the reason? One can understand that Somnath temple could be ransacked once but what do you call a people who let their cities and temples ransacked again and again. Why do we blame the leaders and the govt ; the fault lies with the genes of Indian people which require constant enrichment from outside sources
How does this nation expect the chinese to be beaten back when the society specialises in dishonouring and demoralising the fighting soldier by ingenious methods.
Has anyone noticed 20000 soldies mornfull returning their hard won medals to the president of India who does not have time to listen to theirs woes?/ This shameful episode hardly gets reported in the cricket obsessed media. And you expect this land to be secur?/ And you expect these soldier go and die for this ungrateful society. You all are really so innocent
I am surprised that you are surprised that chinese are encroaching on our land. Who can stop them??
Even if the Chinese do it in Kilometers India will keep sleeping.Who is going to fight for this ungrateful society. Have you not noticed how the netas , babus and even the media, which specialises in selling the editorial space, went after the fighting soldier during last one year to deny him is due?? Did you notice it?/ No?/ So who is going to go and get himself killed for the shopkeepers and babus ??
This is really alarming and at the same time sad. We should have acted long before, infact we should have stepped in when they took over Tibet. coz Tibet would have been like a buffer between us and China, and chineese cultural influence over the far east and Myanmar etc. would have come to an end. But that did not happen coz our leaders were sleeping all the time and he rest were doing hindi chini bhai bhai!
They are also sleeping now when China is diverting all the rivers that start from Tibet ( brahmaputra too )to feed its thirsty north. How long can we afford this? China will keep getting at us, only coz our leaders are either sleeping or dont have the balls to stand up to them! its time we change this foreign policy!
AdityaNayak!! It is not the leaders who are sleeping. It is the public who votes such leaders who is sleeping
@ Ashok: “It is the public who votes such leaders who is sleeping”. Well said.
@Ashok
I agree that the cycle of inefficient governance starts from us, the voter which in turn lead to inefficient leaders. But the point is that the guys at the top do not deserve their position.
And that is what I said. and I believe that change will have to start from the bottom of the pyramid i.e. by the voters.
Hope that clears it up a bit.
AdityaNayak!! Yes ofcourse it does. Thanks
Except for the episode where the Chinese intercepted the army jeep, I noticectgst most of the Chinese tactics have been passively employed – i.e. Without direct confrontation with troops. In such circumstances, the option of pushing them back by force can be made to look like a skirmish INITIATED by india. The diplomatic channel of ASKING china to return newly occupied territory is going to either fall on deaf ears or will be considered too small among the other burning issues of economic co-operation.
So, other than incur incursions of our own, I am not sure what the response could be ? In fact, if anything, I just see some political party making it a plank for an election and then going the same old route of appeasement.
So, what are some suggested solutions ?
@ Rohit: We need to take a firm stance on this but with a nuanced approach. Overt force is not always needed (and neither is it the best option under all circumstances)…
The main point though is whether the issue figures as an item on the election agenda and does it then stay in the public consciousness post elections.
I want to add a mundane information in this August debate. The veteran soldiers of the Indian Army who were not getting their disability pensions and had gone to the court were given a decision in their favour. The govt is still doing its best to deny them their right. It is madness. So you all are talking of war using demoralised soldiers. Please bear this in mind. Indian society is not a warlike society. The Army is a product to historical forces to which this society has not contributed much. The down hill slide is in progress. So dear common citizens do start looking at the forces before it is too late. Our society has become such a gutter that the fighting man may start to think’ WHAT AM I FIGHTING AND GETTING KILLED FOR’? IS IT WORTH IT?? Hope someone understands the relevance of these words here in this post
@ Ashok: I get your point…For the nation to be strong, the community must be strong – and united. And yes, a country that cannot treat its soldiers well will inevitable loose territory.
From Chinese intrusions noticed in past two years: MHA:
Chinese intrusions have been noticed in the past “two years” along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.
Minister of state for Home Affairs Mullappally Ramachandran informed the House that the intrusions are “generally carried out by vehicle-mounted patrols, foot patrols, by boats and even by helicopters.
“However, it is felt that intrusions occur because of difference in perception of LAC,” he said.
Whats behind the curiously semi-apologetic interview of an anonymous Indian diploamt re. the border situation with China?
A few (somewhat) disturbing comments (from the anonymous Indian diplomat):
Placing this here for the record:
China’s Discreet Hold on Pakistan’s Northern Borderlands by SELIG S. HARRISON
…reports from a variety of foreign intelligence sources, Pakistani journalists and Pakistani human rights workers reveal two important new developments in Gilgit-Baltistan: a simmering rebellion against Pakistani rule and the influx of an estimated 7,000 to 11,000 soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army.
China wants a grip on the region to assure unfettered road and rail access to the Gulf through Pakistan. It takes 16 to 25 days for Chinese oil tankers to reach the Gulf. When high-speed rail and road links through Gilgit and Baltistan are completed, China will be able to transport cargo from Eastern China to the new Chinese-built Pakistani naval bases at Gwadar, Pasni and Ormara, just east of the Gulf, within 48 hours.
…Mystery surrounds the construction of 22 tunnels in secret locations where Pakistanis are barred. Tunnels would be necessary for a projected gas pipeline from Iran to China that would cross the Himalayas through Gilgit. But they could also be used for missile storage sites.
Until recently, the P.L.A. construction crews lived in temporary encampments and went home after completing their assignments. Now they are building big residential enclaves clearly designed for a long-term presence…
***
Also read the report in Indian Express mentioning Army intelligence reports confirming Chinese presence.
Take a look here:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/279792/Chinese-chequers-in-PoK.html
And Vinod Sharma’s well-researched analysis:
http://vinodksharma.blogspot.com/2010/08/pak-gives-gilgit-to-china-headache-to.html
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. India’s tragedy is that she decided to ape Western political norms and imported parliamentary democracy. That is the root of all our problems. A certain measure of authoritarianism is what is required to get this country on track.
Otherwise, our much-vaunted democracy is going to continue to yield leaders of such calibre as Dr Manmohan Singh and Mr Deve Gowda who have no grasp, concept or vision of politics.
Jai Hind.
Putting these two tweets here for the record:
“Chinese troops enter Indian territory again” Why did it take 3 mths for this news to come out? http://bit.ly/dZ5WDl
And…”India-China border just 2,000 km” http://bit.ly/dXhRcI
From Bandh over land-swap with Bangla disrupts life in Assam:
…The bandh was called to protest the alleged handing over of some plots of land on the international boundary to Bangladesh. That includes 160 acre at Boroibari in Dhubri district in western Assam, where 16 BSF jawans were killed by Bangladesh Rifles in April 2001.
..The government had only last week informed the Lok Sabha that Bangladesh was in adverse possession of 665 acre of land in the Assam sector. Of this, about 160 acre at Boroibari in Dhubri district is likely to be given away to Bangladesh in lieu of about 360 acre in Karimganj district.
Pl read: INTRUDE, VIOLATE, AND THEN OFFER TO DISCUSS by Claude Arpi, 25 April 2013
Pl have a look at these 2 links to understand how China plays this game:
Japan’s PM demands China revoke claim to air zone over disputed islands, theguardian.com, Monday 25 November 2013
and Japan Rejects China’s Claim to Air Rights Over Islands By MARTIN FACKLER,
Published: November 24, 2013
Re. Gilgit-Baltistan, see this thread by Harpreet: https://twitter.com/CestMoiz/status/1309849730118189057