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Google map cedes Indian Himalayan state to China
Leading Indian politicians have condemned Google, the internet search engine, for publishing a map which cedes parts of the country's Himalayan states to China.
Google's satellite map of the border area between India and China show several Indian towns in Arunachal Pradesh listed under their Chinese names as part of the People's Republic of China.
The maps also show the state's southern border with Assam and its northern boundary with China as broken lines, indicating disputed territory. It also appears to question India's borders with Burma and Bhutan.
The publication of the map has provoked an angry response in India, where tensions are high following a series of public statements in which Chinese officials have denounced New Delhi for refusing to discuss a border dispute.
China claims vast swathes of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir as well as Arunachal Pradesh, which it says were illegally ceded to India during the British Raj. It rejects the "MacMahon Line" border drawn up by British and Tibetan officials at the 1913 Shimla Conference.
''This is shocking. How could Google change the names of places of a sovereign country without the country's knowledge?'' Takam Sanjoy, a Congress MP, told The Times of India.
Kiren Rijiju, a senior BJP figure in Arunachal Pradesh, said it was suspicious that the map had been published just before planned meetings between Chinese and Indian officials to discuss the border.
"Had Google changed the names of Chinese locations, Beijing would have summoned Google officials. India, too, should deal with it firmly,'' he said.
Leading Indian politicians have condemned Google, the internet search engine, for publishing a map which cedes parts of the country's Himalayan states to China.
Google's satellite map of the border area between India and China show several Indian towns in Arunachal Pradesh listed under their Chinese names as part of the People's Republic of China.
The maps also show the state's southern border with Assam and its northern boundary with China as broken lines, indicating disputed territory. It also appears to question India's borders with Burma and Bhutan.
The publication of the map has provoked an angry response in India, where tensions are high following a series of public statements in which Chinese officials have denounced New Delhi for refusing to discuss a border dispute.
China claims vast swathes of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir as well as Arunachal Pradesh, which it says were illegally ceded to India during the British Raj. It rejects the "MacMahon Line" border drawn up by British and Tibetan officials at the 1913 Shimla Conference.
''This is shocking. How could Google change the names of places of a sovereign country without the country's knowledge?'' Takam Sanjoy, a Congress MP, told The Times of India.
Kiren Rijiju, a senior BJP figure in Arunachal Pradesh, said it was suspicious that the map had been published just before planned meetings between Chinese and Indian officials to discuss the border.
"Had Google changed the names of Chinese locations, Beijing would have summoned Google officials. India, too, should deal with it firmly,'' he said.
