Kiren Rijiju’s allegation of a silent, ongoing Chinese incursion into Arunachal Pradesh has created a storm in the country.
How did you come to know about the Chinese intrusion?
I was on a constituency tour some months back. The local MLA and people in Upper Subansiri district started telling me, “The Government of India is not building any roads, not undertaking any development work and not providing any facilities and, taking advantage of this, the Chinese were moving forward and occupying our lands”. When I spoke to others in the area, they also said their traditional land was slowly but steadily being occupied by China.
Were any people displaced or captured by the Chinese?
The land taken by the Chinese is open, grazing land. There are no settled habitations in those parts. There have been many incidents where people and defence personnel have been captured by the Chinese.
Have any of them returned?
Some came back, some didn’t. The army doesn’t say their men have been taken by the Chinese; they simply say they have gone “missing”
Did this phase of intrusion begin in 2003 when an Indian patrol was detained by the Chinese?
It was the incident that was officially accepted. The then chief minister Mukut Mithi had reported to the Centre that China had made incursion into Dibang valley district. Subsequently, local people kept reporting unofficially about incursion in more areas.
But after this incident in the Dibang valley, did the Chinese go back?
Once the Chinese make inroads, they never go back. This is a continuous process of creeping encroachment. I want to know from the government, how many square km believed to be owned by Arunachalis is actually occupied by Chinese authorities?
What is your estimate?
I think about 2,000 square kilometres across McMahon Line have been taken by China after 1962.
You spoke of Sumdorong Chu. How did they take such a fortified area with a river clearly marking the border?
That happened in 1986.
So what you mention in your letter is not a recent development? It happened 20 years ago?
No, that was only in Sumdorong Chu. Now it is happening in Taksin area of Upper Subansiri and Dibang. These are the areas we know of. The rest of the areas are so inaccessible and we don’t know whether it is happening there or not.
Have you heard of any clashes or confrontation between the two armies?
There is no question of any clashes. They come in hundreds, while our patrols consist of 10-15 men. How can they fight? There are no roads, most of the parts remain unmanned. There are only two sectors in the entire India-China border in Arunchal where there is eye-to-eye- contact between the two armies - one in Tawang and the other in Walong, where the border post marks the boundary and where flag meetings are held. It (border) is not clearly marked anywhere else.
The policy of the government of India towards Arunachal Pradesh has been negative. They have decided not to construct any roads within 50 km from the border or build any infrastructure. They fear the Chinese would use it in the event of a conflict. The basic agreement between India and China was to maintain status quo on the border, but is there any meaning of this status quo when they have built all infrastructure and our people can’t go to the border, cannot live there?
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