Indian Army deploys Armoured bulldozers to destroy Chinese bunkers on Bhutan border

[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...es-says-mea/article19232593.ece?homepage=true

The conversation took place on the sidelines of the G20 Summit that began in Hamburg.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday shook hands and had a conversation on a “range of issues” during the BRICS leaders’ informal meeting in Hamburg amid a stand-off between the armies of the two countries in the Sikkim section.

The conversation took place on the sidelines of the G20 Summit that began on Friday.

In a tweet, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Gopal Baglay said Mr. Modi and Mr. Xi discussed a range of issues.

“At d BRICS leaders’ informal gathering @ Hamburg hosted by China, PM @narendramodi and President Xi had a conversation on a range of issues,” the spokesperson tweeted.

The Ministry also tweeted a photograph of Mr. Modi and Mr. Xi shaking hands.

The meeting assumes significance as it comes a day after a top Chinese official said the “atmosphere” is “not right” for a bilateral meeting between Mr. Modi and Mr. Xi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.

China and India have been engaged in a stand-off in the Dokalam area near the Bhutan tri-junction for the past three weeks after a Chinese Army’s construction party attempted to build a road. Doka La is the Indian name of the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.

Concern over Gulf, Korean crisis
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the geopolitical situation in the Gulf, West Asia and in the Korean Peninsula is a matter of concern as he asked BRICS nations to be a voice for stability, reform, progress and governance at the world stage.

During an informal gathering of BRICS leaders here hosted by the Chinese President on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, Mr. Modi said the ups and downs in the global politics and worsening security situation are affecting everyone.

“BRICS has to be a voice of stability, reform, progress and governance at the world stage,” he told the presidents from BRICS nations — Michel Temer (Brazil), Vladimir Putin (Russia), Xi Jinping (China) and Jacob Zuma (South Africa).

Mr. Modi said that the spread of terrorism is a threat for societies in Asia and Europe as he expressed concern over its increasing influence in the war-torn Afghanistan.

The West Asian region has been marred by conflict between Israel and Palestine and battle against the ISIS terror group, civil wars in Syria, Libya and Yemen. Millions of people have fled their homes in Iraq and Syria due to conflict.

In the Gulf, a group of Arab states including Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain has severed air, sea and ground links with Qatar, triggering a diplomatic crisis in the region where millions of Indians are working.

Saudi and its allies accuse Qatar of supporting terror groups and maintaining close relations with Iran. The crisis has raised concerns of growing instability in the region.

The Prime Minister also voiced concern over tensions in the Korean Peninsula, saying it is a matter of concern.

Mr. Modi’s remarks came in the backdrop of the US warning to North Korea that it would use military force in response to Pyongyang’s “reckless” launch of a ballistic missiles. The US also blasted China and Russia for “holding the hands” of the reclusive nation’s “vicious dictator” Kim Jong Un.

Press Trust of India, Beijing, Jul 7 2017, 21:01 IST

After a three-week stand-off with China on Chinese territory, India should immediately pull back its trespassing troops, the commentary by Xinhua news agency said. Representational photo: PTI.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/621485/india-not-entitled-make-claims.html


India is not "entitled" to make claims on behalf of Bhutan, a commentary by a state-run news agency today said, asserting that Doklam area in Sikkim sector where the Indian and Chinese soldiers are having face-off belongs to China.

After a three-week stand-off with China on Chinese territory, India should immediately pull back its trespassing troops, the commentary by Xinhua news agency said.


The timing of the commentary coincided with the G-20 meeting in Hamburg, Germany being attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.


"The face-off was caused by Indian border guards who crossed the border at the Sikkim section into Chinese territory and obstructed routine road construction in the Doklam area of China's Tibet Autonomous Region," said the Xinhua commentary, the second in the last few days.


It said that by creating disputes in Doklam, India seeks to obstruct border negotiations between China and Bhutan, and follow its own "ulterior motives" in the area.


"The claim cannot hold water. Doklam has long been under the effective jurisdiction of China. Both Bhutan and China have a basic consensus on the functional conditions and demarcation of their border region," the commentary said.


"Moreover, India has no right to interfere in China- Bhutan boundary issues, nor is it entitled to make territorial claims on behalf of Bhutan," it said.


India's current actions have not only "encroached on China's territorial sovereignty, but also impaired the independence of Bhutan", one of the world's smallest countries, which is closely allied with India, it said.


"Chinese construction is being conducted within its own territory. It is India that has broken the status quo by trespassing onto Chinese soil. It is not acceptable to any sovereign country that India has crossed a demarcated border into another country on the grounds of its "security concerns," it said.

Indian troops should immediately withdraw to the Indian side of the border as a precondition for any meaningful dialogue between the two countries, it said.


"It is clear that if the 'Chinese Dragon' and the 'Indian Elephant' co-exist harmoniously and achieve peaceful, cooperative development, it will benefit not only their combined 2.7 billion people, but also those living beyond their borders," it said.


"Otherwise, a spiral of bilateral rivalry would definitely result in a slowdown in their growth”, it said.

 

[kadamba-warrior]

I understand, of course, this is part of Chinese calculation to keep the borders with India on the boil so that India forced to spend too money and energy on protecting its long borders against China and thus taking focus away from its own economic growth.

And I don't think neither of the sides are foolish enough to go to war over this, but does China still think that the risks outweigh the benefits? Why would China still continue to needle India over such petty border issues while it has showed greater flexibility in resolving borders with other neighbors?

Don't they think that this will only make Indian political resolve stronger to reduce the trade deficit significantly, which is currently heavily in favor of China?

Besides, India will be only too happy to ratchet up the tensions along the planned routes of CPEC in Kashmir areas - should the hostilities spread to that side of the border as well.

That will not bode well for their proposed corridor.

As for India, like I have said in the past, India can't neglect infrastructure in her "Chicken's Neck"! I don't know the topology of the area exactly, but I think India should do whatever it takes to build transportation corridors in that area to withstand anything from civilian disturbances to artillery bombardments - both from North as well as South!

This means moving the corridors underground wherever necessary and strengthening her military as well as Civilian defenses in the area.

 

[Hindustani78]

Of the 3,488-km-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-km section falls in Sikkim. File photo

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/627353/india-china-should-ink-boundary.html

Notwithstanding the Doklam standoff, Chinese military analysts say that India and China should sign a new boundary convention in the Sikkim sector to replace the 1890 Great Britain-China agreement and make it more contemporary.

"For China early harvest means, we want to have a new agreement with India, because the 1890 convention was signed between Great Britain and China," Senior Colonel Zhao Xiaozhou, Director at the Centre on China-America Defence Relations of the Academy of Military Science, told an Indian media delegation here yesterday.

"At that time, it was not the People's Republic of China, (PRC). India became independent in 1947. It is better we change the signatures of the convention, that is what I mean early harvest," he said.

"It is very essential because there are territorial disputes in the eastern, central and western sectors of the India-China border. Only in the Sikkim section we have the fixed border. So, we want to start from the easiest, that is what we call early harvest," he added.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry too in its August 2 fact- sheet on Doklam standoff referred to Beijing's expectations of an "early harvest" in the Sikkim sector.

"The Chinese and Indian sides have been in discussion on making the boundary in the Sikkim Sector an 'early harvest' in the settlement of the entire boundary question during the meetings between the Special Representatives on the China- India Boundary Question," it had said, referring to the 1890 convention.

"The boundary in the Sikkim sector has long been delimited by the 1890 Convention, which was signed between then China and Great Britain. China and India ought to sign a new boundary convention in their own names to replace the 1890 Convention. This, however, in no way alters the nature of the boundary in the Sikkim sector as having already been delimited," it had said.

On the Sikkim part of the boundary, India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in its June 30 statement on the Doklam standoff had said, "Where the boundary in the Sikkim sector is concerned, India and China had reached an understanding also in 2012 reconfirming their mutual agreement on the 'basis of the alignment'. Further discussions regarding finalisation of the boundary have been taking place under the Special Representatives framework."

Therefore "it is essential that all parties concerned display utmost restraint and abide by their respective bilateral understandings not to change the status quo unilaterally. It is also important that the consensus reached between India and China through the Special Representatives process is scrupulously respected by both sides," the MEA had said.

Of the 3,488-km-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-km section falls in Sikkim.

India and China have been locked in a face-off in the Doklam area of the Sikkim sector for the last 50 days after Indian troops stopped the Chinese People's Liberation Army from building a road in the area.

China claimed that it was constructing the road within its territory and has been demanding immediate pull-out of the Indian troops from Doklam. Bhutan says Doklam belongs to it but China claims sovereignty over the area. China also claims that Thimphu has no dispute with Beijing over Doklam.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...s-in-sikkim/article19466977.ece?homepage=true
Defence sources deny reports of a village being evacuated
The Army’s 33 Corps, responsible for the security of the Sikkim border, has advanced its annual exercises to end August. However, Army sources denied reports of a border village being evacuated.

The Indian Army was tight-lipped about the move, even as some reports spoke of China beefing up its military presence in the vicinity of the standoff site in Doklam in recent days.

According to sources, Sukna headquartered 33 Corps has already issued an operational alert for troop movement to hold its annual exercises before the end of August. Troop movement towards their areas of possible action during a conflict is already under way. The exercise would last two weeks.

Traditionally, the annual exercises are held in September, sources said, before snow sets in. During the exercise period, troops will be exercising in their likely areas of operation during a conflict.

China’s warning

The development comes even as the Chinese side continues to up its rhetoric. State-run China Daily on Wednesday warned: “The countdown to a clash between the two forces has begun, and the clock is ticking away the time to what seems to be an inevitable conclusion.”

Meanwhile, reports had emerged from the border that residents of Nathang village, 35 km from Doklam, where the two sides are on a military standoff, have been asked to vacate. Rejecting the reports, defence sources said that “neither any village has been evacuated nor proposed by the Indian Army to be evacuated in Sikkim.”

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/627452/bhutanese-parliament-records-disprove-beijings.html

The records of Bhutanese Parliament's proceedings disprove Beijing's recent claim that Thimphu has accepted Doklam – the scene of the current India-China military face-off – as a part of the communist country.

Though a senior diplomat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chinese Government of late claimed that Thimphu accepted Doklam to be a part of China, the records of the proceedings of both Houses of Bhutanese Parliament do not support it. The records rather make it clear that Thimphu has been consistently referring to Doklam as one of the “disputed areas” between Bhutan and China and has never given up its claim on it.

Doklam along the disputed border between Bhutan and China has been the scene of the face-off between the soldiers of Indian Army and Chinese People's Liberation Army since June 18.

Damcho Dorjee, Foreign Minister of Bhutan, told the country's National Council on November 25, 2016 that Doklam was among the disputed areas between the Himalayan Kingdom and China. He referred to Doklam as a disputed area between China and Bhutan during the 18th session of the upper House of Bhutanese Parliament. He was responding to a question from Tshering Dorjee, a member of the National Council from Haa districrt in westerm Bhutan, according to the records of Bhutanese Parliament available with the DH.

Dorjee made the statement four months after Bhutan and China had held the last of the 24 rounds of negotiations they so far had to resolve the dispute over boundary. As the two nations did not hold any further negotiation on the boundary row after the last in August 2016, it is unlikely that Bhutan reached a breakthrough with China on the dispute over Doklam, a source in New Delhi said, dismissing the claim made by Beijing.

Deputy Director General of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs of the Chinese Government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Wenli, recently claimed that Thimphu had conveyed to Beijing through diplomatic channel that it considered Doklam as a territory of China, not Bhutan. The Chinese diplomat made the claim while interacting with some Indian journalists in Beijing.

But, according to Bhutanese Parliament's records, Thimphu consistently maintained that it had territorial dispute with Beijing over Doklam. Pema Wangchhuk, the then Secretary of International Boundaries of Bhutanese Government, told the members of the country's National Council in November, 2009 that Doklam was one of the disputed areas between Bhutan and China in the western region of the kingdom. Wangchhuk was Thimphu's chief interlocutor for boundary negotiation with Beijing for many years till his death in November 2016.

In his annual “state of the nation” address to Bhutanese Parliement in June 2015; Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister of the country, too referred to Doklam as one of the “disputed areas” along Bhutan-China border he had been visiting during the previous months.

The soldiers of Indian Army on June 18 went to Doklam and stopped Chinese PLA personnel, who had on June 16 started building the road two days back brushing aside protests by the Royal Bhutanese Army border-guards deployed in a nearby post. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bhutanese Government on June 29 said that Chinese People's Liberation Army's move to build a road in Doklam had been a “direct violation” of the agreements between Thimphu and Beijing to maintain peace and tranquillity along the disputed boundary between the two nations pending a final settlement of the row. A day later, New Delhi said that Indian Army soldiers had gone to Doklam in western Bhutan in coordination with the Royal Government of Bhutan to stop the Chinese PLA personnel from building the road.

New Delhi has been arguing that it had to intervene to stop construction of the road by the Chinese PLA, as it would have unilaterally changed the status quo on India-China-Bhutan tri-junction boundary point and would have “serious security implications” for India.

Beijing, however, has been insisting that Doklam is a part of China and Indian Army had trespassed into its territory. China also claimed that it had no dispute with Bhutan over Doklam, only a difference in perception over alignment of the boundary.

Bhutan and China started boundary negotiations in 1984 and had the 24th round in August 2016. The records of Bhutanese Parliament make it clear that Thimphu has been consistently staking claim on Doklam at least since 2000.

“Boundary talks are ongoing between Bhutan and China and we have written agreements of 1988 and 1998 stating that the two sides agree to maintain peace and tranquility in their border areas pending a final settlement on the boundary question, and to maintain status quo on the boundary as before March 1959,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bhutan Government said in a statement issued on June 29. “The agreements also state that the two sides will refrain from taking unilateral action, or use of force, to change the status quo of the boundary,” it added.

 

[shjliu]

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/627452/bhutanese-parliament-records-disprove-beijings.html

The records of Bhutanese Parliament's proceedings disprove Beijing's recent claim that Thimphu has accepted Doklam – the scene of the current India-China military face-off – as a part of the communist country.

Though a senior diplomat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chinese Government of late claimed that Thimphu accepted Doklam to be a part of China, the records of the proceedings of both Houses of Bhutanese Parliament do not support it. The records rather make it clear that Thimphu has been consistently referring to Doklam as one of the “disputed areas” between Bhutan and China and has never given up its claim on it.

Doklam along the disputed border between Bhutan and China has been the scene of the face-off between the soldiers of Indian Army and Chinese People's Liberation Army since June 18.

Damcho Dorjee, Foreign Minister of Bhutan, told the country's National Council on November 25, 2016 that Doklam was among the disputed areas between the Himalayan Kingdom and China. He referred to Doklam as a disputed area between China and Bhutan during the 18th session of the upper House of Bhutanese Parliament. He was responding to a question from Tshering Dorjee, a member of the National Council from Haa districrt in westerm Bhutan, according to the records of Bhutanese Parliament available with the DH.

Dorjee made the statement four months after Bhutan and China had held the last of the 24 rounds of negotiations they so far had to resolve the dispute over boundary. As the two nations did not hold any further negotiation on the boundary row after the last in August 2016, it is unlikely that Bhutan reached a breakthrough with China on the dispute over Doklam, a source in New Delhi said, dismissing the claim made by Beijing.

Deputy Director General of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs of the Chinese Government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Wenli, recently claimed that Thimphu had conveyed to Beijing through diplomatic channel that it considered Doklam as a territory of China, not Bhutan. The Chinese diplomat made the claim while interacting with some Indian journalists in Beijing.

But, according to Bhutanese Parliament's records, Thimphu consistently maintained that it had territorial dispute with Beijing over Doklam. Pema Wangchhuk, the then Secretary of International Boundaries of Bhutanese Government, told the members of the country's National Council in November, 2009 that Doklam was one of the disputed areas between Bhutan and China in the western region of the kingdom. Wangchhuk was Thimphu's chief interlocutor for boundary negotiation with Beijing for many years till his death in November 2016.

In his annual “state of the nation” address to Bhutanese Parliement in June 2015; Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister of the country, too referred to Doklam as one of the “disputed areas” along Bhutan-China border he had been visiting during the previous months.

The soldiers of Indian Army on June 18 went to Doklam and stopped Chinese PLA personnel, who had on June 16 started building the road two days back brushing aside protests by the Royal Bhutanese Army border-guards deployed in a nearby post. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bhutanese Government on June 29 said that Chinese People's Liberation Army's move to build a road in Doklam had been a “direct violation” of the agreements between Thimphu and Beijing to maintain peace and tranquillity along the disputed boundary between the two nations pending a final settlement of the row. A day later, New Delhi said that Indian Army soldiers had gone to Doklam in western Bhutan in coordination with the Royal Government of Bhutan to stop the Chinese PLA personnel from building the road.

New Delhi has been arguing that it had to intervene to stop construction of the road by the Chinese PLA, as it would have unilaterally changed the status quo on India-China-Bhutan tri-junction boundary point and would have “serious security implications” for India.

Beijing, however, has been insisting that Doklam is a part of China and Indian Army had trespassed into its territory. China also claimed that it had no dispute with Bhutan over Doklam, only a difference in perception over alignment of the boundary.

Bhutan and China started boundary negotiations in 1984 and had the 24th round in August 2016. The records of Bhutanese Parliament make it clear that Thimphu has been consistently staking claim on Doklam at least since 2000.

“Boundary talks are ongoing between Bhutan and China and we have written agreements of 1988 and 1998 stating that the two sides agree to maintain peace and tranquility in their border areas pending a final settlement on the boundary question, and to maintain status quo on the boundary as before March 1959,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bhutan Government said in a statement issued on June 29. “The agreements also state that the two sides will refrain from taking unilateral action, or use of force, to change the status quo of the boundary,” it added.

Claim of Doklan since 2000, what happen before between 1988 to 2000? nothing? may be India ask Bhutan to claim it for India?

 

[Hindustani78]

India-China ties are currently under strain after New Delhi, along with Bhutan, raised concerns over Beijing’s attempts to build a road in the disputed Doklam area in the Sikkim sector.
india Updated: Aug 11, 2017 21:02 IST
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...m-arunachal/story-TJj9nVPn776GqzymgHZScI.html


In a strategically key move, India has poured in more troops along the entire stretch of its border with China in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in the face of heightened rhetoric by Beijing over the Doklam standoff, senior government officials said on Friday.

The “caution level” among the troops has also been raised, the officials told PTI.

The decision to increase the deployment along the nearly 1,400-km Sino-India border from Sikkim to Arunachal Pradesh was taken after carrying out a detailed analysis of the situation and considering China’s aggressive posturing against India on Doklam, the officials said.

“The troop level along the border with China in the Sikkim and Arunachal sectors has been increased,” said the officials on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the information.

The Army’s Sukna-based 33 Corps as well as 3 and 4 corps based in Arunachal and Assam are tasked to protect the sensitive Sino-India border in the eastern theatre.

The officials declined to give any figure or percentage of increased deployment, saying they cannot disclose “operational details.”

According to defence experts, roughly 45,000 troops including personnel having completed the weather acclimatisation process are normally kept ready along the border at any given time, but not all are necessarily deployed.

The soldiers, deployed over 9,000 feet, have to go through a 14-day-long acclimatisation process.

The officials, however, said there is no enhancement of troops at the India-China-Bhutan tri-junction in Doklam where around 350 army personnel are holding on to their position for nearly eight weeks after stopping Chinese troops from constructing a road on June 16.

Bhutan and China have competing claims over Doklam, and are negotiating a resolution.

China has been ramping up rhetoric against India over the last few weeks, demanding immediate withdrawal of Indian troops from Dokalam. The Chinese state media, particularly, has carried a barrage of critical articles on the Dokalam stand-off slamming India.

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj recently said both sides should first pull back their troops for any talks to take place, and favoured a peaceful resolution of the border standoff.

India also conveyed to the Chinese government that the road construction would represent a significant change of status quo with serious security implications for it.

 

[Hindustani78]

Doklam standoff
http://www.hindustantimes.com/colum...-in-kashmir/story-pOiSNbU461XO5fOHxl1LmJ.html

33 Corps’ divisions (17, 20 and 27) tasked for the defence of Sikkim-Bhutan area usually move up to their defensive positions in summer on what is known as operational alert deployment. This involves cleaning and maintaining fixed defences, carrying out reconnaissance and generally familiarising themselves with their areas of responsibility. Current Chinese belligerence has meant an earlier deployment. The other two corps in the North-East (3 and 4) are also on heightened alert as are the IAF’s SU-30MKI and Mig-27 squadrons at Chabua, Tezpur and Hashimara. Political considerations mean that the standoff is likely to continue till the National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in October.

 

[salimpheku]

Lookie here, brave Chinese military

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...p-south-sudan-rebels-raped-aid-workers-report

 

[shjliu]

Lookie here, brave Chinese military

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...p-south-sudan-rebels-raped-aid-workers-report

Fake news!

Orignal version as follows:

Under Fire: The July 2016 Violence in Juba and UN Response examines how the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) responded to threats against civilian men and women as it found itself caught in the midst of intense combat between South Sudanese government troops and opposition forces. The report describes how the parties to the conflict killed and injured civilians in displaced persons camps with indiscriminate gun and artillery fire, committed widespread sexual violence against women who left those camps in search of food, and attacked international and national aid workers in a hotel and apartment complex. It also details how, when confronted with the challenging operating environment, UNMISS peacekeepers were unable or unwilling to leave their bases to protect civilians outside and at times even underperformed in protecting the 37,000 civilians sheltered on its bases.

The report is based primarily on field research conducted in Juba in August 2016, which included more than 100 interviews with civilians directly affected by the violence, UNMISS civilian and military officials, and representatives of the humanitarian community. Decisive action is needed at all levels of the UN to ensure that the failures of July are not repeated and that the Mission is better able to fulfill its protection of civilians mandate.

Photo by Justin Lynch

 

[Hindustani78]

New Delhi, September 14, 2018 22:46 IST
Updated: September 14, 2018 22:46 IST
Military panel concerned that Chinese infrastructure near India-Bhutan-China tri-junction remains

A report by the Military panel on External Affairs, headed by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, has expressed concern that Chinese infrastructure built close to the India-Bhutan-China tri-junction has not been dismantled, but “commended” the overall handling of the Doklam crisis by the Narendra Modi government.

The Parliamentary committee was unable to table the report in the monsoon session of Parliament after protests from BJP members.

The members objected to reproduction of the testimony of the Foreign Secretaries verbatim since it could have revealed some deficiencies in the Indian approach.

Sections removed
To address the BJP members concerns, Mr. Tharoor met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and removed the contentious portions.

The tone and tenor of the report is distinctly different from the critical views expressed by many members during the deliberations. During the debate, the Congress members on the Parliamentary committee, including party president Rahul Gandhi, expressed concern that a setback has been spun by the Chinese government as a victory.

However, sources said, it was decided not to include these concerns in the final comission report. At least two members of the committee confirmed that the Opposition members on the committee had said that while the Army’s reaction to the crisis was laudable, Indian diplomacy failed to measure up to the task, especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “no-agenda” meeting in Wuhan where he failed to even raise the Doklam incident.

The final commission report, however, pats the government for resolving the Doklam crisis.

“The Parliamentary Committee would commend the government’s overall handling of the crisis as it managed to send necessary signals to China that Indian Establishment will not acquiesce in its unilateral and forceful attempts to change the status quo at any of India’s territorial boundaries,” the commission report said. The panel also appreciated the “brave and timely” action of security forces for checking the PLA troops from continuing with their road construction.

Note of caution
It though adds a caveat by expressing concern that Chinese infrastructure built uncomfortably close to the tri-junction has not yet been dismantled.

“The Parliamentary Committee is concerned about the multiple reports which allude to Chinese presence around Doklam plateau and the statements from Chinese authorities about chances of similar happenings in future also, even after the stand-off ended,” the panel noted.

The Parliamentary committee said the government’s stand was “ambivalent” on construction activities in other areas on the Doklam plateau. The panel said the Indian government should not take the Chinese lightly at any point and “continue to monitor the Chinese activities along the border in general and the area in particular very intensely”.

The Military panel also suggested that military infrastructure, especially the roads on the Indian side, need to be improved. There is also an urgent need for high-technology gear to prepare our security forces to respond befittingly.

“Even if they have withdrawn their troops from Doklam for the time being, China’s strategic intentions should not be taken casually. The Parliamentary Committee would, therefore, urge the Indian Government not to let its vigil down in order to prevent any untoward incident in future,” the Military panel warned.

Asked on which portions were removed from the report, Mr. Tharoor refused to comment. “The report speaks for itself and I have nothing to add,” he said.

 

[Hindustani78]

NEW DELHI , September 15, 2018 01:39 IST
Updated: September 15, 2018 01:39 IST
https://www.thehindu.com/news/natio...lam-lt-gen-praveen-bakshi/article24950861.ece

The Army was given freedom to act as deemed necessary and it was prepared for the long haul during the Doklam stand-off last year but a full-fledged war was ruled out, said Lt. Gen. Praveen Bakshi (retd), then Eastern Army commander on Friday.

“When the decision was taken, I can confess, in my opinion it was not going to break into an all-out war. We had to factor that in for the simple reason, it was the wrong place to initiate a war. We were commanding heights… We were prepared for a long haul,” Lt. Gen. Bakshi said . He was speaking at an event on Doklam organised by the Institute of Chinese Studies.

Lt. Gen. D.S. Hooda, then heading the Northern Command, said recent major stand-offs were in areas where India had strength, whether Doklam or Chumar.

“We will see more of these incidents. Certainly we haven’t seen the last of it. And the big worry is if it happens in an area where our infrastructure is not as well built up as in Ladakh or even in Sikkim… I think we will see something happen,” Lt. Gen. Hooda cautioned, calling parts of Arunachal Pradesh a huge worry.

Lt. Gen. Hooda also called for alternate plans in case China makes a transgression in an area of vulnerability. Observing that India was fortunate in Doklam, as its infrastructure was good, allowing the Army to respond quickly, he questioned: “What if it happens in some other area where we cannot respond as well and therefore, would there be a need to open up some pressure point in another area. May be we don’t need to do it. But we need to start making plans for that.”

He also called for a review of the existing protocols to deal with such stand-offs as they do not cater to situations like Doklam where thousands of soldiers moved in. Both the former commanders called for urgent attention to build infrastructure in vulnerable areas.

The Indian Army and Chinese PLA were engaged in a stand-off at Doklam near the India-Bhutan-China tri-junction from June 16 to August 28 in 2017 which ended after long diplomatic parleys.