*MP draws PM’s attention towards Chinese stapled visa
By Pradeep Kumar
ITANAGAR, Oct 15: Reacting to photographs of personnel of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China intruding into Dibang Valley district of Arunachal Pradesh as baseless, director general of police S B K Singh said that there was no such report.
“It could be old pictures doing round in social media”, he categorically said, adding such report on being receipt was passed on to the Army, the competent force to do the needful.
Another intelligence source, when contracted, on condition of anonymity confirmed the report as of September 22 last.
However, Lok Sabha member Ninong Ering, in a letter on Monday to Prime Minister, quoting “reliable media reports and input given by locals in Dibang Valley district of the Arunachal Pradesh regarding intrusion by PLA troops in Dibang in Arunachal Pradesh” said “At many instances in recent lime, Chinese troops have tried to enter into Arunachal Pradesh and build roads. Sir, you must intervene in such incidents and ask China to respect sovereignty and territorial integrity of India for a peaceful co-existence, as envisaged in historical Panchasheel agreement.
“The issue of China providing stapled visa to people from our Arunachal Pradesh is not new and must be brought to their attention tactfully. The Government of India must assert the territorial integrity of India, and convey the feelings of Arunachal Pradesh people in a firm manner.
“Sir, your Government is guided by ‘Panchamrif principles of foreign policy. Therefore, I sincerely urge you to take up above-mentioned issues with President of China and stand up to the hopes and aspirations of people of India, Arunachal Pradesh in particularly. It will truly help us to reclaim “samman” (dignity), “samvad” (dialogue), “samriddhi” (shared prosperity), “suraksha” (regional and global security) and “sanskriti evam sabhayata” (cultural and civilisational links).
“Therefore, I urge you to kindly intervene in the matter and take firm action to protect integrity and sovereignty of India,” the letter added.
Most of the areas in the Indo-China border are tough hilly terrain without any demarcation. The forces patrol along the imaginary international border as border pillars get covered under thick shrubs leaving no sign of demarcation that makes it humanly impossible to know the actual LAC. This was confirmed by former Army Chief JJ Singh, who used to tour border very often along with me while serving as state governor during 2008 to 2013. In fact, due to his intervention only the Army had given green signal to open Stillwell Road from Nampong to Pansau Pass along Myanmar border in Changlang district.
Chinese transgressed into Indian Territory 426 times in 2017, Union MoS (Defence) Subhash Bhamre had informed Rajya Sabha on February 5. However, Army chief General Bipin Rawat in a news conference on 10.01.18 had confirmed earlier media reports that in December last week, China intruded nearly one-km into Indian territory at Arunachal Pradesh and started road-construction activities before they were challenged by Indian security forces and beat a retreat. However, the incident at Tuting in Upper Siang district, flashed buy this daily first quoting present H&FW Minister Alo Libang, was amicably “resolved” through existing border management mechanisms and Indian troops had handed over road building equipments to Chinese workers left behind by them.
The transgressions, however, had dropped after 73-day standoff between the Indian Army and PLA at Doklam on China-Sikkim-Bhutan tri-junction near Nathu La in 2017. “The transgressions continue to take place due to perceptional difference of actual boundary, but diplomatic manoeuvring through dialogue had yielded the result,” official source had said.
Perceptional difference is due to historical reason. The McMahon Line is a border line between Tibetan region of China and North Eastern region of India, signed between the British and the Tibetan representatives as proposed by British Govt foreign secretary Henry McMohan during 1914 Shimal convention. However, China had rejected the Simla Accord and McMahon Line, contending that Tibet, not a sovereign state, had no power to ink treaties.
However, Arunachal Pradesh, which shares 1,080-km border with China, was briefly occupied by the PLA during Sino-Indian War of 1962. Wallong was scene of Battle of Wallong in 1962 when Indian Army’s 11th Infantry Brigade battled Chinese advances. Indians were defeated decisively by the Chinese. Only Mao’s decision to withdraw the PLA allowed the Indians to re-take Wallong. Wallong War Memorial stands tall today as a testimony to the gallantry of Indian war heroes who had sacrificed their lives. Wallong in Anjaw district is approximately 20-km south of the Chinese border.
China does recognise a Line of Actual Control which closely approximates most of the “so called McMahon line” in the eastern part of its border with India, according to a 1959 diplomatic note by Chinese Prime Minister Zhou Enlai.
The 14th Dalai Lama did not originally recognise India’s sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh/South Tibet. As late as 2003, he said that “Arunachal Pradesh was actually part of Tibet”. In June 2008, he had explicitly recognized for the first time that “Arunachal Pradesh was a part of India under the agreement signed by Tibetan and British representatives”.
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