China pitches tent in India
New Delhi: Despite Chinese troops positioning themselves for about a week at a tented post deep inside Indian territory at the Daulat Beg Oldi sector in eastern Ladakh, China said on Monday that there was no intrusion and that its soldiers were patrolling on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control, while a worried India said it was taking “every action” to protect its interests.
New Delhi said both governments were in touch, and flag meetings were on. Sources said India wants to tread cautiously and not escalate the issue, but various options are on the table in case the Chinese don’t vacate the tented post. The Indian Army is also adopting a wait-and-watch policy. Options before India include setting up similar tented posts in areas along the LAC that China considers disputed.
Any direct coercive move by the Indian Army to get the Chinese to vacate their tented post on Indian territory is being seen as the “last resort” and highly unlikely at this stage since such a move has the potential of escalating into a border conflagration with the mighty Chinese dragon.
The Indian defence establishment also wants the ongoing construction of a strategic road in the DBO sector to be speeded up for any quick military deployment in the area in case of any eventuality in future.
Sources said China may be trying to ascertain the Indian reaction to its move by pitching a tented post in territory that India considers its own.
Will take steps to protect interests: Antony
According to sources minor face-offs between India and China troops do occur because troops from both countries patrol up to their respective perceptions of the LAC. But Indian government sources are viewing the development as serious, especially since China had recently proclaimed its desire to further strengthen ties with India. A few top Indian bureaucrats are also understood to have met on Saturday to discuss the situation.
Chinese troops had recently entered the Indian territory in Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) sector in eastern Ladakh and erected a tented post. Reports from Leh had earlier said that a platoon-strength contingent of China’s People’s Liberation Army had come 10 km inside the Indian territory in Burthe in DBO sector, on the night of April 15 and established a tented post there.
In New Delhi, defence minister A.K. Antony said, “We are taking every action to protect our interest.” External affairs minister Salman Khurshid said, “Flag meetings are going on. There is more information to come. We will factor all that and then take a final view. We are addressing this issue in an appropriate manner.”
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