http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140923/nation.htm#16
Army chief cancels
Bhutan visit amid stand-off with China
Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News
Service
New Delhi,
September 22
As India’s
stand-off with China at Chumar in southeast Ladakh continues, Army Chief
General Dalbir Singh Suhag has called off his four-day visit to Bhutan
scheduled to start on Monday. He is expected to visit the neighbouring country
later.
Meanwhile, the
Army numerically dominates almost all positions at Chumar where it is locked in
a face-off with Chinese People's Liberation Army since September 10.
New Delhi decided
to ramp up its troop presence in the disputed area on September 19, asking the
force to stay put till the PLA withdraws into areas held by it in Chepzi
(Zhipuqi-Quebusi). China may retaliate by increasing the number of soldiers
there, say sources.
In Beijing,
Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is also the chairman of the Central Military
Commission, attended a meeting of Chiefs of Staff of the PLA today. The Chinese
Defence Ministry website quoted Jinping as saying: "Headquarters of all
PLA forces should improve their combat readiness and sharpen their ability to
win a regional war in the age of information technology."
As both sides
blame the other for violating the sanctity of the Line of Actual Control (LAC)
and the 2005 protocol that bars any troop build-up or construction in disputed
areas, sources say a final resolution to the stand-off depends on "who
blinks first".
A final decision
to end the face-off will have to come from New Delhi and Beijing as the local
military commanders have exhausted all options. The two sides will have to
agree to a formula that seems workable for both. The events are being closely
watched in Washington, Moscow, Tokyo and Islamabad. During the April-May 2013
stand-off at Depsang Plains, China had agreed to withdraw after India decided
to remove some sheds it had erected at Chumar. Depsang and Chumar are separated
by 650 km.
Posturing at play
New Delhi decided to ramp up its troop
presence in the disputed site on September 19, asking the force to stay put
till the PLA withdraws into its area
Between 1,800 and 2,000 Indian soldiers are
currently positioned in the disputed sections as against an estimated 800 PLA
soldiers on its side
Armed soldiers are strung across on an
east-to-west axis in a 2 km-wide arch, maintaining a distance of 700m to 1.5
km, depending upon the terrain.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140923/edit.htm#4
Making war,
talking peace
China maintains
the ambiguous position on the border issue
B.G. Verghese
IT has been a
turbulent week of war and peace. The Chinese President's visit was the
highlight with peace being talked even as a mini-war was being waged in Ladakh,
eyeball to eyeball, following Chinese objections to the construction of a small
irrigation work near Demchok. Twelve trade and investment agreements were
signed and the Chinese offered $20 bn worth of investment in five years to
correct the present trade imbalance. Yet, the Ahmedabad Mirror reported that
Northeasterers on the staff of the Hyatt Hotel were kept out of sight so as not
to offend the Chinese guests. If true, this would be a sad self-goal and a rude
slap in the face our Northeastern citizens.
Prime Minister
Modi, however, did well to tell President Xi that while trade and other
exchanges were most desirable, no real progress and lasting friendship was
possible without speedy settlement of the boundary issue. Three specific issues
were mentioned: defining the LAC to ensure peace, with demarcation to follow;
avoidance of stapled visas, and water sharing. Water-sharing is not a real
issue as China's ability to divert waters from India is modest. The real water
issue lies in managing climate change, which was apparently not discussed. Both
sides have much to gain from such cooperation.
As far as the
border is concerned, the Chinese have since 1954 maintained the ambiguous
position that matters will be settled when the time is ripe. Thus even when a
section of the LAC is mutually determined, the Chinese are unwilling to
demarcate it and exchange maps. India must insist on firm ground rules here.
Mr Modi did not
address the media during or after the visit. He has studiously avoided speaking
to the media since taking office. But all of a sudden he has come alive in a
“world exclusive” interview with CNN on the eve of his US-UN visit. This seems
more an exercise in self-publicity than in communication, in which he blandly
suggests that Muslims in India are absolutely safe even while the BJP and the
Parivar have tirelessly indulged in an unrestrained campaign of slander, lies,
dire threats and the most infamous calumny against them. This will not wash
unless and until he takes action against some of his leading lights for
criminal incitement, hate-mongering and propagating downright lies.
The recent
by-election results in which the BJP lost 13 of the 23 seats spread over 33
constituencies in nine states is indicative of growing public disenchantment
with the blatant electoral politics of hate and polarisation that the BJP
banked upon. It suffered in UP and Rajasthan in particular.
The BJP leader in
Bihar openly declared that if Yogi Adityanath spoke in Bihar as he did in U.P.
he would have been promptly contradicted. Adityanath’s rants apart, recall what
some others said. Amit Shah, the BJP president declared that if Patel, not
Nehru, had been “in charge” of Kashmir, the entire state would have come to
India and there would have been no need for Article 370. This combines a high
order of constitutional ignorance with historical illiteracy and a false
pitting of Patel against Nehru in a new game of personality polarisation.
Sakshi Maharaj, BJP MP, next alleged that madrasas are imparting instruction in
terror and love-jihads. They do not hoist the national flag and Muslim MPs
avoid functions where the national anthem is sung. The BJP disowned these
outrageous statements as the personal views of the MP who, however, remains in
good standing.
Then it was left
to Maneka Gandhi, Minister for Women and Child Development, to claim that
profits made from animal (read cow) slaughter are going to fund terrorism. This
again is sheer rubbish and also betrays ignorance of the trade. The plain fact
is that the bulk of cattle sold for slaughter are non-milch buffaloes and are
disposed of by Hindus who cannot afford to keep dry and decrepit animals. Mechanisation
of tillage and haulage has also reduced the demand for draft animals. Rather
than acknowledge the facts and permit culling and rendering of animals and
sales of processed beef, people are driven to illicit sales of cattle across
the border to Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. Most gaushalas are rackets of
bogus piety and serve no purpose. That apart, millions of "holy cows"
roam the streets and forests and do much damage to the ecology.
In Madhya Pradesh,
a BJP MLA, Usha Thakur, asked her followers to keep Muslims out of the Garba
festival to prevent Hindu girls from being trapped in love jihad. These are
demented minds that would convert beautiful national festivals that bind our
diversity into occasions to preach hatred and divide communities.
No wonder the
National Minorities Commission has written to the Home Minister “to restrain
people in responsible positions from making irresponsible statements”. An
earlier resolution by the commission was ignored. Modi sarkar does not care and
has said or done nothing for months to stop this monstrous Hindutva hate jihad.
And is this the man who is telling the world in an “exclusive interview” with
CNN that Muslims need have no worry? Statesmanship or humbug!
Were this not
enough, we have witnessed the arrogance of power in play. Ajit Singh, a former
minister, has refused to vacate his bungalow despite repeated reminders, like
several other defiant ministers, MPs and bureaucrats. He wants the bungalow
converted into a memorial commemorating his father, Charan Singh. The
Nehru-Gandhi example of endless land-grab for family memorials has created a
terrible example. The Indira Gandhi National Centre for Culture and Art in the
prime heart of Delhi represents the acme of land grab and the most extravagant
use of space that it must disgorge to accommodate other cultural institutions.
The answer to Ajit
Sigh and all similar defaulters is that their household goods should be dumped
on the road and auctioned and all arrears and costs be met therefore. Protest
should be met with arrest and a month's imprisonment. Do this just once under
the law and the nonsense will end.
Then there is Hema
Malini telling the tragic widows of Brindavan, mostly from Bengal and Bihar,
not to crowd the place but remain in their home states. What impertinence from
a woman who embraced Islam temporarily to marry after her partner-to-be secured
talaq. What has she or the Parivar done to end the terrible plight of widows
who are as yet unable to break the cruel taboo against widow remarriage, though
abolished by law. These medieval bigots are the dregs of Hindu society.
Meanshile, we have
Yasin Malik forcibly stealing a boat-load of rations for Srinagar’s flood
affected to divert to his partisans in order to claim credit for looking after
their welfare even while protesting the state's alleged indifference and
incompetence in rescue and relief operations. These separatist scoundrels have
thrown stones at Army and Air Force rescue teams. They deserve to be
horse-whipped and locked away.
http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/amid-border-stand-off-with-china-army-chief-postpones-visit-to-bhutan-596332?utm_source=ndtv&utm_medium=top-stories-widget&utm_campaign=story-1-http%3a%2f%2fwww.ndtv.com%2farticle%2findia%2famid-border-stand-off-with-china-army-chief-postpones-visit-to-bhutan-596332
Amid Border
Stand-Off With China, Army Chief Postpones Visit to Bhutan
Army Chief General
Dalbir Suhag has postponed a four-day official trip to Bhutan which was to
begin from today, in the wake of the stand-off with the Chinese troops at the
border. The Army has deployed about 2000 soldiers at Chumur in South Eastern
Ladakh where they are locked in a face-off with around 1000 soldiers from the
Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA). Troops from either side are strung
across in an east-to-west axis in a two-kilometre wide arch.
Senior officials
told NDTV that apart from the deployment, the Army also destroyed a road being
constructed by the Chinese PLA in Chumur.
The construction
activity, which India has objected to for long, was detected on September 13.
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Army, which rushed reinforcements
to Chumur, "dug-up" the under-construction road and seized road
building equipment of the Chinese PLA a day before President Xi Jinping reached
India.
India claims that
China is constructing a road from Chepzi into Chumur, violating the border 2005
protocol that prevents either side from constructing in the disputed areas.
Even as current
round of face-off at Demchok and Chumur entered the 12th day, the end of the
stand-off now appears to be beyond the resolution through flag meetings between
Indian and Chinese military commanders as laid down in the border management
protocol by the two countries in 2013. "A resolution to face-off now lies
at a political level," a senior army official told NDTV. The two sides
will have to agree to a formula that seems workable for both.
In the April-May
2013 stand-off at Depsang plains which continued for about three weeks, China
withdrew only after India agreed to remove tin sheds and stopped constructing
bunkers at Chumur. Depsang and Chumar are about 650 kilometres apart.
According to
reports reaching New Delhi, the Chinese are facing difficulties keeping its
troops supplied and are using helicopters to air drop supplies. India is at an
advantage in Chumur, unlike other disputed areas at the Line of Actual Control
(LAC). India troops are being supplied through a paved 90-kilometre-long road
connecting from Karzok (on the Leh-Manali Highway) to Chumur.
In a related
development, Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is also the chairman of the
Central Military Commission, attended a meeting of Chiefs of Staff of the PLA
in Beijing. In a statement released after the meeting, the Chinese Defence
Ministry said President Xi had directed that: "Headquarters of all PLA
forces should improve their combat readiness and sharpen their ability to win a
regional war in the age of information technology".
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-09-20/news/54135400_1_chumar-area-pla-troops-indian-army
Alarming pattern:
People’s Liberation Army transgresses border before every India-China
high-level meeting
NEW DELHI: A worrisome pattern is emerging
before every India-China high-level meeting since April 2013 with PLA troops
transgressing borders, particularly into the Chumar sector of the Ladakh
region, aiming to compel India to dismantle its military infrastructure in the
area viewed as detrimental to Beijing's security interests.
It was with this
goal that 400 troopers of the People's Liberation Army (according to some
figures 1,000 soldiers) entered into the Indian side of the Line of Actual
Control just four days ahead of President Xi Jinping's arrival, as per
officials well-versed with the developments. The idea was to bring the issue to
table during the Xi-Modi meeting and negotiate hard, asking India to dismantle
the listening post and bunker that Delhi is building in Chumar area, official
sources told ET.
Chumar, located
over 300 km northeast of Leh and bordering Himachal Pradesh, has long been a
flashpoint between the two sides, with the Chinese making several attempts to
end India's dominance in the area in the last 2-3 years. India is strategically
at a vantage position in this area and its defence structure is a matter of
discomfort for China. It is one of the very few places along the LAC where
access to the border areas is easier from the Indian side. The PLA has been
making repeated bids to claim Chumar as part of Chinese territory, but has been
thwarted every time by the Indian Army, sources in the Ministry of Defence told
ET.
The reason was
same when PLA troops entered into Depsang area (Ladakh) in April 2013 after
India refused to dismantle its infrastructure in Chumar ahead of Premier Li
Keqiang's India visit a month after. It resulted in a three-week standoff
following which Chinese troops withdrew.
It was Li's maiden
trip to India as China's premier and was initiated at his behest. Thereafter
reports of transgressions emerged ahead of maiden meeting between Xi and Modi
on the sidelines of BRICS Summit in Brazil last July.
It is for no
reason that the PM made unresolved boundary and need for peace as the central
theme of his dialogue with Xi. "The message was loud and clear from the
top Indian leadership, with Modi referring to settlement of boundary dispute
during the meeting with Xi and again in the Joint Statement," a source
said.
Interestingly, PLA
troopers who transgressed into the Chumar sector of the Ladakh region across
the LAC decided to withdraw hours after President Xi Jinping got a tough
message from PM Modi on boundary dispute and repeated transgressions.
It may be noted here
that Xi is not only the President of China but also Chairman of the Central
Military Commission and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and
therefore all-powerful to be aware of all developments. "There were hard
negotiations when Xi met Modi on the issue. While transgressions from the
Chinese side are frequent in this area along the LAC, the sheer number of
troops deployed entering Chumar this time is alarming. Earlier far less number
of troops were involved in transgression from across the border," China
expert Srikanth Kondapalli said.
http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/15-battalions-of-indian-army-on-high-alert-in-ladakh-reports_1473783.html
15 battalions of
Indian Army on high alert in Ladakh: Reports
The Indian Army
has put 15 of its battalions on high alert in eastern Ladakh keeping in view
the incidents of incursions there, reports suggested on Sunday.
The Army is also
keeping its 'reserve units' units on alert.
As per reports in
a leading daily, the move is aimed to counter the incursions of China's
People's Liberation Army in the high-altitude region.
Three flag
meetings between local military commanders in the recent past failed to make
any headway to de-escalate the tension at the border imbroglio at both Chumar
and Demchok.
The standoff in
Chumar region in Ladakh worsened on Saturday after a second intrusion by
Chinese army personnel in two days was reported at another point after they had
withdrawn from the same area.
Around 50
personnel of PLA arrived in nine vehicles at Point 30R and they were in
addition to the 35-odd personnel who were already camping at a hillock in the
Chumar area itself, official sources said, as per PTI.
Chumar is located
300 km Northeast of Ladakh.
The Chinese
soldiers immediately alighted from the vehicles and positioned themselves
barely 100 metres away from the Indian Army, which had decided not to withdraw
completely from the region even after the Chinese PLA had returned on their own
to their side on Thursday night, the sources said.
The 30-R post in
Chumar has been frequented by PLA often as Indian Army has kept an observation
post which dominates the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and gives advantage to
India in keeping a vigil on the Chinese activity deep across the border.
The Chinese helicopters
were air dropping food packets for its soldiers but had not violated the air
space till now, the sources said.
The Army, which
had started scaling down operations from the area following the Chinese
withdrawal Thursday night, put a halt and again started pitching their tents
bracing themselves for a possible stand-off, the sources said.
The tension in
this area erupted on Sunday when some of the Chinese workers, who were
constructing road on their side, started entering into the Indian side and also
claimed that they had orders to build road upto Tible, five km deep into the
Indian territory.
The Indian army asked
the Chinese workers to leave as otherwise they would face prosecution under
Indian laws for entering the country illegally.
As per reports,
around 1,000 PLA troops were still occupying six to seven tactical positions in
the Chumar sector till Sunday evening.
Over 1,000 Indian
troops, too, are maintaining their forward deployment in the Chumar region.
Meanwhile, even
though the standoff is limited to the southern part of eastern Ladakh as of
now, the Army-ITBP together have reportedly stepped up patrols from Daulat Beg
Oldi in the north to Chumar near the Himachal border.
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi had raised the border issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping
when the latter was on a visit to India recently.
He had said that
solving the boundary issue between the two countries was important for growing
economic cooperation and had added that a clarification on the LAC was
important.
On his part
Jinping had said that both India and China were capable of managing the border
situation effectively and had added that it should be dealt in a way that it
did not have an impact on ties.
http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/amid-border-row-with-india-xi-jinping-orders-chinese-army-to-respect-chain-of-command_1474141.html
Amid border row
with India, Xi Jinping orders Chinese Army to respect chain of command
Beijing: Chinese
President Xi Jinping on Monday demanded "absolute loyalty" from PLA's
top brass, asking them to repose "firm faith" in the ruling Communist
Party, guarantee a smooth chain of command and make sure all decisions are
implemented.
"Headquarters
of PLA forces must have absolute loyalty and firm faith in the Communist Party
of China, guarantee a smooth chain of command and make sure all decisions from
the central leadership are fully implemented," said Xi, chairman of the
Central Military Commission (CMC) and the General Secretary of the Communist
Party of China (CPC).
"Headquarters
of all People's Liberation Army (PLA) forces should improve their combat
readiness and sharpen their ability to win a regional war in the age of
information technology," Xi, who returned from India last week after a
three-day visit, was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency.
All PLA forces
should follow the instructions of President Xi and update their operations to
meet new goals and missions set by the CMC, an official statement said.
It is not yet
clear why the emphasis was made on absolute loyalty and to follow the orders to
ensure smooth chain of command.
Xi's directives
come in the midst of a standoff between the PLA and Indian troops in Chumar
area in Ladakh region along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The standoff took
a new turn yesterday with the PLA pitching seven tents well within the Indian
territory and showing no signs of withdrawing from the territory.
Xi, 61, acquired
the image of China's most powerful leader after Deng Xiaoping, who succeeded Mao,
as he headed the Presidency, the CPC and the military from day one of coming to
power unlike his predecessor Hu Jintao.
Since then, Xi has
reshuffled the military postings of the generals loyal to him at the top and
removed and prosecuted some top PLA generals for corruption.
Yesterday, General
Fang Fenghui, PLA chief, said in a statement that all PLA forces follow the
instructions of President Xi who is also the chairman of the CMC, which is the
overall high command of the Chinese military.
Fang said the
forces should update their operations to meet new goals and missions set by the
CMC.
Meanwhile, the PLA
chiefs of staff met in Beijing to discuss how to improve the efficiency of
military command under new circumstances. Fang attended the meeting.
Military
commanders should have a better understanding of international and domestic
security situations as well as the latest military development, Xi said.
They should also
strictly discipline themselves and the armies as well as contribute to the
reform of national defence, he said.
At Sunday's
meeting, PLA chiefs of staff focused on streamlining the operational
headquarters of all PLA forces with information technology and revised several
important protocols, according to a statement.
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