DHARAMSHALA, October 5: Amidst reports of at least a hundred intrusions onto Indian soil by the Chinese army this year alone, the world’s fourth largest country grew by over a thousand square kilometres to its Tajikistan border this September.
Following Tajik Parliament’s January decision to cease a portion of its land to China in a bid to settle the long-running border dispute, the actual handing over of land took place in a muted ceremony on September 20. Chinese news agencies, for some reason, carried the report only on October 1, a national holiday.
China seized 1,158 sq kms of Tajikistan land, containing parts of the Pamir mountain range, a climb down from the 20 per cent of the entire Tajikistan land that China deemed disputed.
China is currently embroiled in long running land border disputes with India and Burma, the former having already caused a short but bitter war in 1962.
Major Indian daily, Hindustan Times, reported yesterday that China was intensifying its military focus on the north eastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) crossing the perceived Line of Actual Control (LAC) on multiple occasions this year alone.
“The PLA has also increased forays by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the West and East Kameng districts of Arunachal Pradesh. There were 90 intrusions, including 13 PLA patrols, so far this year,” the daily reported.
Describing the situation in Yangtse area on the LAC in Arunachal as a “matter of concern,” the daily said that the PLA had “even pulled down a wall constructed by the Indian troops.”
According to the paper, the intrusions were not limited to India’s north east area alone. PLA reportedly sent out patrols to the Barahoti plains in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand.
“There have been eight intrusions in the Barahoti plains so far in 2011 compared to nine last year,” the daily said.
