Foreign Correspondence

[fuagf]

Often peaceful, vigil increased along China border

Gaurav Bisht, Hindustan Times Shimla, April 26, 2013

First Published: 17:19 IST(26/4/2013) | Last Updated: 17:21 IST(26/4/2013)

In the wake of reports of Chinese incursions in Ladakh, vigil along the China border in Himachal Pradesh has been stepped up.

Taking precautionary measures, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police force - manning the Indian border along China - has beefed up security, while military formations in tribal Kinnaur district is keeping a close tab on the situation.

Himachal Pradesh shares 260 km of the porous borders with China. Of the total border length, 140 km is along tribal Kinnaur district, while 80 km of border falls in tribal Lahaul and Spiti district.

Three battalions of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) are guarding the border with China. In total, there are 20 ITBP posts along the border. The sensitive post includes Kaurik - it's the last village situated beyond Sumdoh.

The ITBP posts are situated in Lakuma, Morrang, Morni, Dogri, Rishi Dogri, Domti and Niltahla pass. Though the troops along the border are asked to keep strict vigil, ITBP officials refused to comment on any issues related to the border. “The matter is sensitive. I cannot reveal anything,” deputy inspector general, ITBP, Sanjay Chaudhary said.

Barring instance of isolated air space intrusion along the border areas by Chinese choppers, the region has otherwise remained peaceful.

A year ago, two Chinese choppers intruded into the Indian territory in Kaurik sector, while locals often complained about sighting Chinese choppers along the Indian border.

Air intrusion had raised concern for the Himachal Pradesh government. The then chief minister, Prem Kumar Dhumal, had stressed the need for developing the infrastructure along the Indian border. There are reports that the Chinese army was gradually building up its infrastructure along the Indian border, which did not witness any intrusion even at time of Chinese aggression in 1962.

A defense analyst maintains that tough terrain and high passes forbids the troops along the border to intrude the border. The main passes between China and India in Himachal Pradesh includes the Khimokul Pass and Simthong Pass, located ahead of the Trungla valley, which crosses into China-occupied Tibet.

Similarly, the 5,280-m-high Rangio La and 5,320 Keobrangla pass situated ahead of Nesang valley lead to Tibet.

Yamrangla - situated at the height of 5,570 m - is the highest mountain pass. The 5,200-m-high Shipki La pass is the most famous pass between the India-China border.

Shiplki La Pass is used for the cross-border trade between two countries. The trade route was closed after the Chinese aggression in 1962, but was reopened after India and China signed a protocol in 1994. The trade between the two countries restarted in 1994.

Thought the porous border has not witnessed any intrusion, the cross border smuggling of goods has often been reported.

Once the porous borders were used to smuggle red sanders - a wood used in traditional medicines - into China.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/HimachalPradesh/Often-peaceful-vigil-increased-along-China-border/Article1-1050789.aspx

======

Know where to draw the line

Hindustan Times April 24, 2013

First Published: 22:40 IST(24/4/2013)
Last Updated: 22:52 IST(24/4/2013)

Unfortunately for India, it has a longer disputed and unresolved length of border than any other major country in the world. This means that it will inevitably find itself in endless boundary imbroglios, minor and major. It also means it must also be permanently on guard against attempts to adjust the border against its own interests.

Pakistan’s claims, the most important of the country’s territorial disputes, are really about an entire state, the border being an inevitable but incidental part of the larger issue. The problem with China, however, is largely about tiny bits and pieces of land. Which is why this is the border dispute that keeps intruding into the public domain. India has poorly demarcated borders with almost all of its other neighbours, but it is understood that none of these are of strategic concern.

The Chinese picket that has reportedly been set up 10 km inside the Indian claim area in the Depsang sector, south of the Daulat Beg Oldi area of eastern Ladakh, is a bilateral irritant but not a security threat. These parts of the border are often marked with “aggressive patrolling” by both sides, sometimes on orders from on top and sometimes because of a rush of testosterone by local officers.

The real question that should be asked is whether there is something more to the Chinese intrusion than the traditional tit-for-tat game that both militaries play. It has been assumed that the ascension of Xi Jinping would mark an ebb tide in China’s erratic and assertive policies in the 2008 to 2010 period. Yet this intrusion has taken place at a time guaranteed to cloud the coming state visit by their premier, Li Kejiang.

In the past, pinpricks along the border have been used by Beijing to test New Delhi’s resolve, communicate unhappiness with Indian policy or sometimes to merely slow down Indian attempts to shore up its woefully inadequate border defence infrastructure. But they have also been linked to internal squabbles inside Beijing, particularly to help assert the military’s authority.

While the motives of China are often obscure, they are probably best treated as academic. New Delhi’s policy response should be broadly the same. The basic assumption that India needs a stable, though not necessarily friendly, relationship with China is unquestionable. But it must also be recognised that Beijing is ruled by men who take realpolitik as a behavioural norm. They understand firmness, often treating conciliatory gestures as weakness.

Thankfully, New Delhi has become a lot more forceful about border incidents in the past three years. On the other hand, it has allowed its defence relationship with the US — a key reason why China backed down to India during the 2008-2010 problem period — to wither on the vine. India’s ability to hold the line with China is a function of both domestic and foreign actions by New Delhi.

11 comments

http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/Editorials/Know-where-to-draw-the-line/Article1-1049844.aspx