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Tag: India China

  • 19 Assam labourers missing from near China border in Arunachal

    Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: Nineteen construction labourers from Assam have been missing since they fled their camp near the China border in Kurung Kumey district of Arunachal Pradesh on July 5.

    They were engaged in the construction of a border road from Huri under Damin circle in the district to the international border. The Border Roads Organisation is executing the project.

    The place has no mobile connectivity and the district administration could not reach them.

    There were reports that the body of a man, suspected to be among the missing men, was found near a river on Monday. The reports prompted the district authorities to send two teams of health workers, cops and a magistrate to the site on Tuesday.

    However, District Magistrate Bengia Nighee told The New Indian Express the teams did not find any body. He said there were altogether 30 labourers at the camp.

    “Nineteen labourers, mostly Muslims from Assam, had fled the camp on the night of July 5, possibly to go home and celebrate Eid. They went towards the jungle and have been missing since,” Nighee said.

    ALSO READ | Rape-accused Arunachal BJP MLA goes into hiding, court rejects bail plea

    “They were brought by a sub-contractor. Sometime in June, he left the camp with an assurance to return by June 25. When he did not show up, another person left the camp saying he would go to a nearby place where there is mobile connectivity and call up the sub-contractor. There is no news about this man too,” the DM said.

    He said local labourers and rescuers had conducted searches for two-three days but did not find the 19 missing persons. Subsequently, no search operation could be conducted for days together as a portion of a road leading to the jungle was washed away by the rains.

    Nighee said the administration had no idea about the whereabouts of the persons. Given that it is a densely-forested and mountainous area with hostile terrain and there are also rivers, he virtually ruled out the possibility of the men inadvertently entering China.

    The aerial distance to the international border is around 15-20 km but Nighee said it might take upto 20-30 days even for the mountaineers to reach the border.

    “It is impossible for these people from Assam to reach the international border. They might go towards Upper Subansiri but, even in that case, it will take about 30 days to reach the district,” the DM said.

    “They went in their own style and since they have no idea about the local geography, they will not know which side will take them to where. The jungle is infested with poisonous snakes and the locals are afraid of venturing into it,” Nighee said.

    He said he would write to the state government to explore the feasibility of searches by helicopters.

    GUWAHATI: Nineteen construction labourers from Assam have been missing since they fled their camp near the China border in Kurung Kumey district of Arunachal Pradesh on July 5.

    They were engaged in the construction of a border road from Huri under Damin circle in the district to the international border. The Border Roads Organisation is executing the project.

    The place has no mobile connectivity and the district administration could not reach them.

    There were reports that the body of a man, suspected to be among the missing men, was found near a river on Monday. The reports prompted the district authorities to send two teams of health workers, cops and a magistrate to the site on Tuesday.

    However, District Magistrate Bengia Nighee told The New Indian Express the teams did not find any body. He said there were altogether 30 labourers at the camp.

    “Nineteen labourers, mostly Muslims from Assam, had fled the camp on the night of July 5, possibly to go home and celebrate Eid. They went towards the jungle and have been missing since,” Nighee said.

    ALSO READ | Rape-accused Arunachal BJP MLA goes into hiding, court rejects bail plea

    “They were brought by a sub-contractor. Sometime in June, he left the camp with an assurance to return by June 25. When he did not show up, another person left the camp saying he would go to a nearby place where there is mobile connectivity and call up the sub-contractor. There is no news about this man too,” the DM said.

    He said local labourers and rescuers had conducted searches for two-three days but did not find the 19 missing persons. Subsequently, no search operation could be conducted for days together as a portion of a road leading to the jungle was washed away by the rains.

    Nighee said the administration had no idea about the whereabouts of the persons. Given that it is a densely-forested and mountainous area with hostile terrain and there are also rivers, he virtually ruled out the possibility of the men inadvertently entering China.

    The aerial distance to the international border is around 15-20 km but Nighee said it might take upto 20-30 days even for the mountaineers to reach the border.

    “It is impossible for these people from Assam to reach the international border. They might go towards Upper Subansiri but, even in that case, it will take about 30 days to reach the district,” the DM said.

    “They went in their own style and since they have no idea about the local geography, they will not know which side will take them to where. The jungle is infested with poisonous snakes and the locals are afraid of venturing into it,” Nighee said.

    He said he would write to the state government to explore the feasibility of searches by helicopters.

  • ‘Certain countries are trying to alter the status quo by force’: General MM Naravane

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Chief of the Indian Army General MM Naravane, on Wednesday, November 24, 2021, pointed towards the hegemonic approach of certain nations that are reportedly working to change the international status quo, without naming any country in particular.

    In Eastern Ladakh, China has been involved in a tense standoff with its forces based at Line of Actual Control disregarding the agreements and understandings related to the LAC.General MM Naravane, in a seminar, praised the India-Bangladesh boundary resolution and also pointed out that there are countries that are disregarding the territorial integrity of other nations.“The historic land boundary agreement between our nations has set a unique example on how to resolve border disputes through mutual negotiations and a concerted outlook,” said the Army Chief. “This at a time when certain countries are trying to alter the status quo by force bypassing traditional norms and protocols and with complete disregard to the territorial integrity of others.”China not only disregarded the agreements with India on the LAC but has also been involved in maritime boundary contests in the South China Sea with various other nations. 

    There are around 60,000 troops positioned at high altitude locations of the LAC along the Eastern Ladakh since clashes between the soldiers of the two countries took place in May 2020. In addition, China has been building up its troop positions and habitat all along the LAC. India has also fast-paced its infrastructure towards the Northern borders and has been continuing with precautionary deployment all along the LAC.The Army Chief was speaking at a seminar on ‘India-Bangladesh: 50 years of friendship’ organized by Delhi-based thinktank Centre for Land Warfare Studies. “Such agreement as that between ours epitomizes the three ‘M’s – Mutual respect, trust and commitment to the rules-based order.”

    Speaking at the Occasion the High Commissioner of Bangladesh H.E. Mr Muhammad Imran said, “India has experienced adverse situations in some of the states close to Bangladesh but since assumption of power in 2009 the Government of PM Sheikh Hasina has offered all-out support. It ensured that no one gets to use Bangladeshi soil to harm any neighbouring country. Bangladesh has resolved to not tolerate terrorism, radicalism in any form and not to allow her soil to be used for this purpose.”

    After ratification of the historic Land Border Agreement by India on June 6, 2015, the legal exchange process involved 162 enclaves (111 Bangladeshi enclaves with a total area of 17,160 acres and 51 Indian enclaves covering a gross area of 7,110 acres) was completed by August 1, 2015.

  • Our leaders will routinely travel to Arunachal Pradesh as they do to any other state: India tells China

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday strongly rejected China’s objection to a recent visit to Arunachal Pradesh by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, asserting that the state is an “integral and inalienable” part of India.

    External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said objecting to the visit of Indian leaders to a state of India “does not stand to reason and understanding” of Indian people.

    “We have noted the comments made today by the Chinese official spokesperson. We reject such comments. Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India,” Bagchi said.

    He was responding to a question on comments by a spokesperson of the Chinese foreign ministry objecting to Naidu’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh over the weekend.

    “Indian leaders routinely travel to the state of Arunachal Pradesh as they do to any other state of India. Objecting to the visit of Indian leaders to a state of India does not stand to reason and understanding of Indian people,” Bagchi said.

    China has been objecting to visits of Indian leaders to Arunachal Pradesh, saying it is a part of South Tibet.

    The fresh war of words between the two sides came three days after the 13th round of military talks on the 17-month eastern Ladakh standoff ended in a stalemate.

    “Further, as we have mentioned earlier, the current situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of the India-China border areas has been caused by unilateral attempts of the Chinese side to alter the status quo in violation of the bilateral agreements,” Bagchi said.

    The government often refers to eastern Ladakh as Western Sector.

    “Therefore, we expect the Chinese side to work towards early resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh while fully abiding by bilateral agreements and protocols rather than trying to link unrelated issues,” Bagchi said.

    A day after the 13th round of military talks, Indian Army said the “constructive suggestions” made by it were neither agreeable to the Chinese side nor it could provide any “forward-looking” proposals.

    On its part, the Chinese PLA’s Western Theatre Command said India insisted on “unreasonable and unrealistic demands, adding difficulties to the negotiations.”

  • Indian Army, Chinese PLA establish new hotline in Sikkim

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: Amidst the environment of tension along the Line of Actual Control the Armies of India and China got a new telecommunication hotline link on Sunday which has been established in Sikkim and Tibet Autonomous Region.

    “A new hotline was established between Indian Army in Kongra La, North Sikkim and PLA at Khamba Dzong in Tibetan Autonomous Region to further the spirit of trust and cordial relations along the borders. The event coincided with the PLA Day on 01 Aug 2021,” the Army said.

    The inauguration was attended by ground commanders of the respective Armies and a message of friendship and harmony was exchanged through the Hotline, Indian Army added.

    The Armed forces of the two countries have well-established mechanisms for communication at ground commander level. This is the sixth Hotline with two in Eastern Ladakh, two in Sikkim and two in Arunachal Pradesh.

    The other five hotlines are established along the meeting points at the LAC which are five in total at Daulet Beg Oldi (DBO) and Chushul in Eastern Ladakh, Nathu La in Sikkim, and at Bum La and Kibithu in Arunachal Pradesh.

    As the Army said, these hotlines in various sectors go a long way in enhancing communication and maintaining peace and tranquillity at the borders.

    As reported earlier by this paper with the prevailing standoffs at eastern Ladakh since May 2020, there has been an increase in the communication between the PLA and the Indian Army in order to resolve the protracted tensions along the LAC which led to deadly duels in Galwan which claimed lives on both sides.

    Other than talks at the various levels, the hotline was used extensively. There have been frantic talks which used to be up to five hotline calls in a day. “The Hot Line talks between May 2020 and till July have been 1450 times.” said an official.

    There have been 12 meetings between the Corps Commanders (Senior Higher Military Commander Level: SCML), 10 between the Division Commanders (Higher Military Commander Level: HCML) and 55 Delegation Level (Sector Commanders or Brigadier Level).

    Both the armies have troops deployed in standoff mode at Hotspring, Gogra, Depsang and Demchok. Disengagement took place at Galwan and from both the North and South Bank of Pangong Lake.

    The last Corps Commander level talks were held on July 31 the details of which are yet to be known.

  • In Ladakh Standoff, India-China To Hold 11th Round Of Talks Today To Review LAC Situation

    Seeking to resolve the ongoing issues along with the friction points in Gogra, Hot Springs ad Depsang plains in Ladakh, India and China will hold the 11th round of military talks on Friday. Sources from the Indian Army said that India has made clear that it would agree to de-escalation only if it is simultaneous and the withdrawal is equal from both sides and addresses mutual security concerns.

     Earlier on April 2, the MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) stressed that India was looking forward to ensuring that the disengagement in the remaining areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at the earliest. Elaborating on the series of engagements since the disengagement in the Pangong Tso region, MEA official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi affirmed that both sides continued to remain in touch. Quoting External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, he stressed that prolonging the situation is in neither country’s interest. According to Bagchi, further disengagement might open up the possibility of de-escalation of forces and progress in bilateral ties.The Ladakh standoff was exacerbated when 21 Indian Army soldiers including a Commanding Officer were martyred in the Galwan Valley on June 15, 2020, when the de-escalation process was underway. This was followed by multiple attempts of provocation by the Chinese side at the end of August. Multiple rounds of military commander-level and WMCC meetings have taken place between the two sides to resolve the crisis. Besides this, EAM S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh have met their respective counterparts. So far India and China’s armies have disengaged from two places, including north and south of Pangong Tso. 

    The Ladakh standoff was exacerbated when 21 Indian Army soldiers including a Commanding Officer were martyred in the Galwan Valley on June 15, 2020, when the de-escalation process was underway. This was followed by multiple attempts of provocation by the Chinese side at the end of August. Multiple rounds of military commander-level and WMCC meetings have taken place between the two sides to resolve the crisis. Besides this, EAM S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh have met their respective counterparts. So far India and China’s armies have disengaged from two places, including north and south of Pangong Tso. 

  • Regional security environment characterised by Chinese hostility towards weaker nations: Army chief

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: Army Chief on Monday underlined an environment of distrust prevailing due to Chinese belligerence and its hostile approach towards neighbours in the region.

    His statement on Friday came while the troops of China and India were involved in disengagement after a prolonged nine month standoff at the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh.

    General MM Naravane said, “The rising footprints of China in India’s neighbourhood and its attempts to unilaterally alter the status-quo along our disputed borders have created an environment of confrontation and mutual distrust.”

    The Indian Army chief said this while speaking at a webinar organised by United Service Institution of India and the Assam Rifles on “Evolving security challenges in the north east and way forward”.

    ALSO READ: US welcomes efforts by India and China to de-escalate situation in eastern Ladakh Army Chief added that the Chinese behaviour is also leading to regional imbalance and instability. “The regional security environment is characterised by Chinese belligerence in the Indo-Pacific, its hostility towards weaker nations and relentless drive to create regional dependencies through initiatives like the BRI. The resultant Sino-US rivalry has created regional imbalances and instability,” said the Chief.

    He added, “Regional and internal connectivity is acutely linked to security. It is central to unleashing the potential of the North East and balancing the influence of China. With failure to deliver on promises, delivery deficit has plagued our efforts at improving regional connectivity,” The Kaladan multimodal transport project and the trilateral highway have both seen cost and time overruns, he pointed out.

    The chief also talked about Nepal and the changes due to China.

    “Nepal, our traditional long term partner, which has witnessed heavy Chinese investment, is going through a period of political volatility,” he said.

    Based on the contemporary security situation, the entire north east region was divided into pockets of least resistance, partial resistance and pockets of active resistance to roll out a phased disengagement plan of the Army from the Counter Insurgency (CI) deployment.

    The chief said that while the red belt along the India-Myanmar border requires a permanent Army and Assam Rifles grid for effective border management, the changes on ground have led to reorientation of the Army.

    He said the force calibration has already resulted in disengagement of 14 Infantry Battalions. “Two Division headquarters, earlier part of the CI grid, are now solely focusing on their operational role along the Northern borders. This has been a significant achievement. The operational responsibility of these areas has now been taken over by the Assam Rifles,” the chief added. Talking about the support of Myanmar in improvement of the situation, the Army chief said, “A series of operations under ‘Operation Sunrise’ with Myanmar Army have witnessed growing cooperation and synergy between the soldiers on ground with reasonable operational dividends,” he added. The chief said while pointing out that Bhutan has been cautious in its approach, “we have seen an upswing in our relations with Bangladesh.”

    India is celebrating Swarnim Vijay Varsh to commemorate its splendid victory over Pakistan in the 1971 War for Liberation of Bangladesh. “The ongoing dynamics in these neighbouring countries directly impacts the security environment in India’s North East. A large number of initiatives are already underway to leverage military diplomacy with our Eastern Command playing the spring-board for fostering stronger bilateral relations,” he added.

  • ‘One’s threat today may be another’s tomorrow’: India seeks to rally Indian Ocean Region countries

    By PTI
    BENGALURU: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday, in an apparent reference to the disputed South China Sea, said conflicting claims in some maritime areas have seen negative impact, amid continued border standoff with China.

    Maritime resources will be key to sustained growth and development of nations across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) in the ongoing century, he said delivering his keynote address at the IOR Defence Ministers’ Conclave held on the margins of Aero India-2021, India’s premier defence and aerospace show.

    “We have already seen the negative impact of conflicting claims in some maritime areas of the world.

    We must, therefore, ensure that the maritime expanse of the Indian Ocean is peaceful and is optimally harnessed for the benefit of all nations in the region,” the Minister said.

    China and India are locked in a military standoff in eastern Ladakh since May 5 last.

    The two countries have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks to resolve the face-off, but no significant headway has been made so far.

    The United States and China are currently engaged in a bitter confrontation over various issues, including the aggressive military moves in the disputed South China Sea.

    In his address, Singh said IOR countries have together demonstrated their mutual respect for a rules based order, setting an example of how abiding with international law will enable harnessing the global commons for the good of all.

    He said the conclave is an initiative to promote dialogue in an institutional and cooperative environment that can foster the development of peace, stability and prosperity in the IOR.

    India being the largest country and having a vast coastline of 7500 Km in the IOR region, has to play an active role for peaceful and prosperous co-existence of all IOR countries, he said.

    “We all have a shared asset, that is, the Indian Ocean,” Singh said.

    “It is an important lifeline to international trade and transport as it commands control of major sea-lanes carrying half of the worlds container ships, one third of the worlds bulk cargo traffic and two thirds of the worlds oil shipments.” The present maritime security scenario in IOR is posing a number of challenges such as piracy, smuggling of drugs/people and arms, humanitarian and disaster relief, and Search & Rescue (SAR).

    Maritime collaboration and co-operation among IOR countries can help meet these challenges effectively and efficiently and ensure peace and stability in the region.

    “We, therefore, have to join hands in looking at these threats in unison, because ones threat today may be anothers tomorrow,” he said.

    “In order to synergise efforts of all IOR countries to ensure safety and security in this region, it is high time that we take our economy, trade, naval cooperation and collaboration to the higher level,” Singh added.

    According to an official statement, Defence Ministers, Ambassadors, High Commissioners and senior officials from 27 of 28 countries from the region attended the event physically or in virtual mode.

  • Names of 20 ‘Galwan heroes’ inscribed on national war memorial

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The names of 20 Indian Army personnel, who were killed while valiantly fighting Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh in June last year, were inscribed on the National War Memorial ahead of the Republic Day, official sources said.

    Col B Santosh Babu, the commanding officer of the 16 Bihar regiment, was among the Indian soldiers who laid down their lives in the fierce hand-to-hand combat on June 15, an incident that marked one of the most serious military conflicts between the two sides in decades.

    China is yet to disclose the number of its soldiers killed and injured in the clash though it officially admitted to having suffered casualties.

    According to an American intelligence report, the number of casualties on the Chinese side was 35. The Galwan Valley clash had escalated the border row in eastern Ladakh and resulted in a large deployment of troops and heavy weaponry by both the armies at the friction points.

    “The names of the Galwan heroes have been inscribed at the National War Memorial,” said a source.

    Some of these soldiers are also likely to be honoured with gallantry awards on the Republic Day.

    The Chinese soldiers used stones, nail-studded sticks, iron rods and clubs in carrying out brutal attacks on Indian soldiers after they protested the erection of a surveillance post by China around patrolling point 14 in Galwan Valley.

    The Indian Army has already built a memorial for the ‘Gallants of Galwan’ at Post 120 in eastern Ladakh.

    The memorial mentioned their heroics under operation ‘Snow Leopard’ and the way they evicted the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops from the area while inflicting “heavy casualties” on them.

    During a visit to Lukung forward post in eastern Ladakh on July 17 last year, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had personally conveyed his appreciation and compliments to the troops from the Bihar regiment for displaying exemplary grit and courage in fighting the Chinese troops.

    India and China are locked in a bitter military standoff in eastern Ladakh for over eight months.

    Nearly 50,000 troops of the Indian Army are currently deployed in a high state of combat readiness in the mountainous region in sub-zero temperatures as multiple rounds of talks between the two sides have not yielded concrete outcome to resolve the standoff.

    China has also deployed an equal number of troops, according to officials.

    Last month, India and China had held another round of diplomatic talks under the framework of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China border affairs.

    The eighth and last round of military talks between the two sides had taken place on November 6 last year during which both sides broadly discussed disengagement of troops from specific friction points.

    India has all along been maintaining that the onus is on China to carry forward the process of disengagement and de-escalation at the friction points in the mountainous region.