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  • India moves in more troops, stand-off with China escalates

    The Indian army has moved an infantry regiment specialising in mountain warfare to Ladakh’s Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) sector where the Chinese army has intruded into Indian territory and set up a tent post. The ITBP has also pitched a tent post just across from the one erected by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), after it intruded 10km inside Indian territory on April 15.

    The Indian government is playing down the intrusion with external affairs minister Salman Khurshid saying flag meetings were being held, but sources in the ministry of defence revealed that the situation was tense.

    The two sides are caught in a bitter face-off with the Chinese refusing to retreat, claiming the territory to be theirs. In a deep incursion, a platoon strength of the Chinese army, comprising 50 men have entrenched themselves in eastern Ladakh at a height of nearly 17,000 feet.

    In the past too, the PLA has intruded into Indian territory across the line of actual control (LAC), not very well demarcated at many places.

    In 2011, members of the PLA landed in Ladakh in a helicopter and broke a few bunkers before retreating but this is the first time the stand-off has continued for a week.

    A senior defence ministry official confirmed to HT that the intrusions have increased over the past few months because India has moved its tanks into high-altitude areas of Ladakh and even deployed heavy armoury. Recently, India also reactivated the advanced landing ground (ALG) for troop replenishment.

    “Our troops are patrolling the Chinese side of the LAC and have not trespassed the line,” China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in Beijing, adding, “China is willing to solve the boundary question through peaceful negotiations.”

    In Delhi, an effort is being made to contain the confrontation especially since the new Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to visit India. For now, Delhi is working the phone lines – a line of communication agreed upon under the recently set up Mechanism on Coordination and Consultation on Border Affairs.

    India, China caught in a bitter face-off - Hindustan Times

    China puts pre-conditions to pull back, wants India to give up its posts

    China has asked the Indian Army to destroy certain fortified positions in the so-called disputed territory in eastern Ladakh in return for the PLA removing its temporary camp in Depsang valley, now at the centre of a military face-off.

    Sources said a flag meeting on Tuesday — the second since the Chinese incursion on April 15 — failed after the Chinese side made its demand. The Indian side was not willing to make a commitment, and that led to an impasse, the sources said. Also read: Panel alert on China projects

    The sources said that Indian fortifications that have come up recently in eastern Ladakh are in an area different from the one where the current faceoff is taking place. No official word was forthcoming on the flag meeting. Also read: Border tension escalates

    Emerging new details of the situation in the Depsang valley show that the standoff was triggered by a series of five transgressions by troops of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on April 15, including a border crossing by a Chinese military helicopter. India on Tuesday described the situation as being “face to face”, but expressed hope of a peaceful resolution.

    Sources said that hours before Chinese troops pitched three tents in the valley on April 15, a chopper was seen overhead, possibly flying in support of the soldiers. Officials said Tuesday that Chinese troops were at Raki Nala, 10 km inside India’s perception of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

    The sources said that on the night of April 15, a group of Chinese soldiers engaged Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel for a few hours before retreating. Another group of soldiers, however, used the distraction to put up three tents on disputed territory about three kilometres away.

    The ITBP discovered these tents only the next morning. Around 30 Chinese soldiers armed with light machine guns are said to be present in the tents. The nearest ITBP camp is at Burste, 20 km away.

    Following the discovery — the first occasion since 1986 when Chinese troops had set up a camp on disputed territory — a flag meeting was convened on April 16. The Chinese, however, refused to retreat, saying they were within their territory. Sources said the April 15 incursion followed an earlier transgression five days earlier.

    India on Tuesday said the incident reflected differences over the alignment of the LAC. The official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Syed Akbaruddin, said the standoff was a “localised event” in a sector where perceptions of the LAC differ. “We see this as a face to face situation between (the) border forces,” he said.

    The spokesperson said India had asked China to maintain status quo as it was before the incursion.

    A senior official described the five transgressions of April 15: “One was by a light vehicle, another by a heavy vehicle, two by foot and one by the Chinese helicopter. All these trangressions were in different areas but in the same sector.”

    Sources said there were around 400 incursions along the Chinese border last year, 90 per cent of which were in the Ladakh sector. Around 100 incursions have taken place so far this year. “We have increased our vigil in other areas along the border and have asked our men to be alert. The Chinese used to come and ago but this is the first time that they have pitched a tent,” a senior officer said.

    India raised the issue with China last week and summoned Ambassador Wei Wei to South Block. The MEA joint secretary who heads the joint working mechanism to deal with boundary issues from the Indian side spoke to his Chinese counterpart and emphasised the need to resolve the issue.

    However, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Monday that “China’s frontier troops have been abiding by the... LAC agreed by the two countries... (and) patrolling on China’s side of LAC”.

    China puts pre-conditions to pull back, wants India to give up its posts - Indian Express Mobile

  • #2
    The "stand-off" is political, it's not a military stand-off. Hyped up news.
    Cow is the only animal that not only inhales oxygen, but also exhales it.
    -Rekha Arya, Former Minister of Animal Husbandry

    Comment


    • #3
      Every time someone believes the hype, an angel gets its wings.

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by Tronic View Post
        The "stand-off" is political, it's not a military stand-off. Hyped up news.
        Hi Tronic,

        What do you mean when you say that this is a political standoff and not a military one?

        Comment


        • #5
          The sources said that on the night of April 15, a group of Chinese soldiers engaged Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel for a few hours before retreating. Another group of soldiers, however, used the distraction to put up three tents on disputed territory about three kilometres away.
          Political stand off?

          Comment


          • #6
            This is rather serious, and by the looks of it, things are going to heat up.

            Cheers!...on the rocks!!

            Comment


            • #7
              Captain,

              Have your guys found out which Chinese regiment they're facing yet?

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Officer of Engineers View Post
                Captain,

                Have your guys found out which Chinese regiment they're facing yet?
                Sir, the information is not in the public domain. It may not be clear unless contact is made.
                They could be regular inf units or an SF detachment.

                This is not a regular patrol, but a stand-off unit that has about 5 officers in it.

                Cheers!...on the rocks!!

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by ajhax View Post
                  Hi Tronic,

                  What do you mean when you say that this is a political standoff and not a military one?
                  There simply aren't enough forces thrown into the fray to consider this a military stand-off. Atleast not yet. It does have the potential to snow ball into a military stand off, but it ain't so just yet.
                  Cow is the only animal that not only inhales oxygen, but also exhales it.
                  -Rekha Arya, Former Minister of Animal Husbandry

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Tronic View Post
                    There simply aren't enough forces thrown into the fray to consider this a military stand-off. Atleast not yet...
                    The units are already in place, both by the Chinese and us. The cherker board is already set.

                    Cheers!...on the rocks!!

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      China's likely escalation option against India: Rapid Reaction Forces

                      Don't know how much credence there is to this, but I had heard something about these forces elsewhere on the Internet before this standoff.

                      India's greatest weakness there is the lack of infrastructure to quickly move in reinforcements into the DBO sector.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by lemontree View Post
                        The units are already in place, both by the Chinese and us. The cherker board is already set.
                        As of now, it seems to be a PLA platoon being squared off by a platoon of the ITBP. While the article states that an Indian army mountain regiment (the Ladakh Scouts, by some reports) has been deployed to DBO, they haven't yet made a move.
                        Last edited by Tronic; 25 Apr 13,, 06:19.
                        Cow is the only animal that not only inhales oxygen, but also exhales it.
                        -Rekha Arya, Former Minister of Animal Husbandry

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Tronic View Post
                          As of now, it seems to be a PLA platoon being squared off by a platoon of the ITBP. While the article states that an Indian army mountain regiment (the Ladakh Scouts, by some reports) has been deployed to DBO, they haven't yet made a move.
                          Is it confirmed it is PLA units? I was under the impression that most of the units manning the Tibet borders are PAP.

                          It is election time next year and IA had asked for a gold platted Strike Corps facing the Tibet region. It was held up due to cost and beauracracy.

                          IA would shortly be sending a thank you note to PLA for making it easier.
                          Last edited by n21; 25 Apr 13,, 08:57.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by lemontree View Post
                            This is not a regular patrol, but a stand-off unit that has about 5 officers in it.
                            5 Officers? It ain't a combat unit.

                            Originally posted by n21 View Post
                            It is election time next year and IA had asked for a gold platted Strike Corps facing the Tibet region. It was held up due to cost and beauracracy.
                            They're just as capable of battalion level combat as the regular army. Xinjiang has seemed them fighting at the regiment level.
                            Last edited by Officer of Engineers; 25 Apr 13,, 09:05.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              10 kms is a huge amount of land ceded no?

                              India must protect Ladakh. As it is we bikers cannot do the complete loop around Pangong Tso.

                              Ladakh is truly beautiful. As is Arunachal.



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