Last week, we wrote about the increasing level of tensions between China and India all along the line of control. We mentioned Ladakh – Aksai-Chin area on the western end, Arunachal Pradesh on the eastern end and, Tawang at the center-west.
Now let us talk about Sikkim in the center-east segment of the 4,000 km long line of control between China and India.
(Gurudongmar Lake at 17,000 feet in North Sikkim near the Indo-Chinese Border)
Chinese Army has been accused of making fresh incursions in to a 2.1 sq km area of Sikkim called the Finger Tip at the northern-most tip of Sikkim. This is a strategic area that provides India the capability to cut off a key military highway in Chinese-occupied Tibet. According to the Times of India, there have been 65 Chinese transgressions in to Sikkim in the last six months and on June 16, Chinese soldiers entered the region in light vehicles and later returned to their territory.
Holding that India would not “yield an inch” of territory and “stand
its ground” on Sikkim, minister of state for defence, M. Pallam Raju said on Thursday, June 18
that incursions would be raised at the next border flag meeting between the
Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.
“I guess that it’s China’s way of putting
pressure to resolve the boundary disputes with us. We are going about with the
border talks to arrive at a consensus. It’s their style and we have our own
style,” he added.
While the Indian Government goes about in its own style, what are the soldiers of the Indian Army doing to counter the incursions?
According to the Times of India, the Indian soldiers are using a Gandhian
method to stop the Chinese troops from intruding into Indian territory.
“We are literally forming human chains to stop
the Chinese from crossing over,” says a senior Army Officer . “If they come in
groups of 20, we assemble 50 men and form a human chain. They can’t after all
push us and cross the border.”
Apparently, under confidence-building measures adopted by China and India, troops on either side are not allowed to open fire to stop incursions in disputed areas.
Hence, says Times of India, “the Indian Army is using ingenious methods like
human chains“. Ingenious methods indeed! You have to cry for the Indian soldiers and you have to laugh at the Indian Government.
This is not a joke. Read the full stories by clicking on the Times of India links below:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Army_Gandhigiri_on_China_border/articleshow/3146619.cms – June 20, 2008
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India_to_raise_Sikkim_incursion_with_China/articleshow/3146611.cms – June 19, 2008
As a related matter, India has begun the process to establish an integrated space command to counter Chinese military capabilities in space. You can read about this new development below:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Space_command_must_to_check_China/articleshow/3135817.cms – June 17, 2008
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Now_space_cell_to_keep_an_eye_on_China/articleshow/3118491.cms – June 11, 2008
All this within a week after our first story on this topic last week! The contest between China and India is not entirely an economics contest as Dr. Sonnenfeld suggested in his CNBC interview on June 5.
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