National Security: Two-front war plan could be smokescreen

MJ Akbar: The Poineer
One of the more curious episodes in recent weeks is the indignation with which Indian Army chief Gen Deepak Kapoor’s statement that India’s forces were ready to face war on two fronts simultaneously, against China and Pakistan, was received. The Islamabad establishment has treated this as a virtual declaration of war. It is possible that the politicians of Pakistan have begun to confuse Islamabad with New Delhi.

Generals in Delhi do not declare war. The Prime Minister and his Cabinet do that. Generals have only one duty. They have to reassure the Government and the nation that they will be able to protect the country even in the worst possible circumstances, and deliver on the assurance. The nightmare scenario for India is a concerted, coordinated offensive by China across the main Himalayas, and by Pakistan on its Kashmir wedge. This is, conversely, the dream scenario of General Headquarters in Pakistan. Gen Kapoor was doing his job when he made that statement.

There was a time when, to put it in the language of the 1950s, war-war was the business of Generals and jaw-jaw was the responsibility of politicians. The taciturn warrior began to disappear with the British empire and Soviet Union; and as American military power began to fill the strategic vacuum the greater individual freedoms of America began to permeate the Pentagon and its equivalents. American officers took their final orders from the White House, but they had plenty to say in-between. The most recent case was last year’s debate on a troop surge in Afghanistan. The Pentagon not only told the White House, which was dithering, what it wanted, but made sure the American voter and the citizens of Pakistan and Afghanistan got the message as well. The infection has reached the stiff upper lips of Britain: Generals there make demands for equipment through the media. Discipline cannot completely sanitise the military brass from the influences of the democratic spirit, and its institutions.

China did not react sharply to Gen Kapoor’s comment, although it can hold its own in any sparring match. It may be argued that it did not need to do anything but laugh. A little after Gen Kapoor’s claim, the Government of India admitted, formally, that China had eaten away vast amounts of (presumably unpatrolled, or sparsely visited) border territory. Even more interesting than the Government’s admission was the fact that Indians seemed beyond caring. The Opposition parties shrugged and concentrated on screaming at one another; television, which gets hysterical when a leaf flutters, had other things to do. Clearly, media reserves its visceral reactions only for its western rather than its northern border. This is maybe because the occupation of distant, barren land cannot compare, in televisual terms, with the throbbing drama of the heights and valleys of Kashmir.

Islamabad’s reaction has nothing to do with any threat from India, because there is no threat from India. India does not desire an inch of land beyond the Ceasefire Line or the international border. Equally, it will not surrender an inch of what is under its control. Pakistan, however, has built a layered case before America which boils down to this: It cannot fight all of America’s enemies on the frontier, or those who treat the Frontier as sanctuary for the conflict in Afghanistan, as long as Indian guns are pointed at its back. It needs relief in the east to fight in the west. Washington, DC, has bought this argument, and New Delhi has obliged as unobtrusively as possible. Our two-front Gen Kapoor has quietly presided over the withdrawal of over 40,000 troops from the Kashmir Valley, and their transfer to the eastern Himalayas under the cover of rising worry about China. It’s very neat actually: We use China, possibly with Beijing’s knowledge, to help out America in its Pakistan war.

As long as there is no change in ground realities, this game can be played to triangular, or even quadrangular, satisfaction. Alas, everyone is not playing the same game. The spurt in terrorist violence in Srinagar during the last fortnight could be aimed at disturbing this dainty strategic daisy chain. Specialists are warning of an impending attack on the Indian mainland.

The delicate diplomatic balance could crumble if Pakistan and America push too hard, and believe that they can manoeuvre New Delhi into a final settlement on Kashmir. There is very little space for negotiations on Kashmir itself, given that Pakistan is searching a major dilution of the status quo and India, at least at the moment, will agree on only the Ceasefire Line as the solution. Is the sudden talk of National Security Adviser MK Narayanan being shifted to a powerless Governor’s bungalow indicative of a major change in New Delhi’s Kashmir policy? He was a status quoist. Mr Manmohan Singh thinks, perhaps, that he can remobilise the constituency that cheered the nuclear deal with the US. That may be easier in theory than practice. Pakistan, after all, is far more explosive than any number of nuclear plants.

Was Gen Deepak Kapoor’s two-front statement part of the smoke or the smokescreen?

-- MJ Akbar is Director of Publications of Covert.
Two-front war plan could be smokescreen by MJ Akbar: Sunday Poineer

National Security: Chinese hackers target PMO computers

Ashish Khetan, New Delhi, January 14, 2010
Hackers from China have targeted computers in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). Headlines Today has learnt that the sinister attempt was made around December 15 last year. Investigators are still coming to terms with the depth of the damage. The hackers had aimed high - their targets were the cream of India's national security set-up: National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan, Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrashekhar, PM's Special Envoy Shyam Saran and Deputy National Security Advisor Shekhar Dutt. The four and up to 26 others were squarely in the crosshairs of the hacking attempt.

Top sources told Headlines Today that investigators are trying hard to find out who these hackers were and whether this was a devious espionage attempt by the Chinese government itself. When Headlines Today contacted the PMO regarding the espionage attempt, a spokesperson said no classified information had been breached, but added: "There are routine attempts to hack into various systems. The PMO has its own system in place to protect against such attempts." A top PMO official, whose e-mail account was cracked by the Chinese hackers, confirmed the espionage bid, saying: "These kind of hacking attempts are made. To think they are not made is wrong. The internet or intranet is not used for official purposes."

According to Bharat Karnad, a strategic affairs analyst, "China wants war by all means. It doesn't believe in peacetime. For China, it's always rivals, always competition." Pavan Duggal, chairman of Cyber Law and IT Act Committee, says: "China is very active in cyberspace. It has raised a cyber army of about 3,00,000 people and their only job is to intrude upon secured networks of other countries. All this is all aimed at supremacy. Every country must set up cyber armies to counter China."

R.S.N. Singh, a former RAW officer, says: "China wants to dominate and control this space. This cyber army has soldiers not in uniform but anybody and everybody, maybe college students. It's very serious as cyber warfare can bring a country to a crippling halt." The timing of the espionage attempt has investigators suspecting that the Chinese hackers were desperately trying to access any data on India's position at the Copenhagen Climate Summit. Until Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived in Copenhagen on December 17, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh and PM's Special Envoy Shyam Saran were singing different tunes. While Ramesh was in favour of scrapping the Kyoto Protocol, Saran was against the move.

On December 15 when India's final stand was still shrouded in mystery, the Chinese hackers targeted the PMO computers. But what has disturbed investigators the most is that the Chinese hackers quite likely had inside help. The possibility of a mole within the Indian establishment helping a foreign adversary is staring investigators in the face. And the technology being used is preoccupying the Indian sleuths no end.

The espionage attempt was highly evolved and well-researched. The mail was routed through several multi-proxy servers thus obliterating the trail. The hacking spyware itself was embedded in a PDF document. And the trojan was programmed to carry out an array of functions, including downloading files, accessing emails and passwords and also accessing the desktop from a remote location.
Chinese hackers target PMO computers

Magnetic Hill, Ladakh- India

Bill-Board by Local AdministrationCan anyone ever imagine the movement of a vehicle up a steep mountain, with its ignition off? Sounds quite unbelievable! Well, this magnet magic can be experienced while you are travelling to Leh-Ladakh. And we can say, amid all the Himalayan and colonial wonders, there’s one more wonder coming your way – the Magnetic Hill. The hill, located close to Leh, is known for its wonderful magnetic properties. Once here, you can see for yourself vehicles moving up at a speed of 20 km/ hour with the engines off.
Location of Magnetic Hill
To reach the Magnetic Hill, Ladakh, you need to take the Leh-Kargil-Baltic National Highway. The hill lies at a distance of 30 km from the town of Leh, at an elevation of around 14,000 feet above sea level. To the eastern side of the hill flows the Sindhu river, originating in Tibet. The local administration has also put up a bill board to help tourists recognize the Magnetic Hill. The board clearly states the whole phenomenon. So you can also enjoy a first hand experience as you reach the hill. Place your vehicle on a specific spot on the road with its engines off and you will soon notice the vehicle moving up at a speed of 20 km/hour. You will have the same results over and again as you redo the exercise.
Impact on Helicopters and Aircrafts
Not only vehicle, even helicopters and aircrafts feel the same magnetic impact. Locals and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel claim that the helicopters and aircrafts that pass through the area have to fly at a greater speed to avoid the magnetic impact of the hill. And if the aircraft comes within the radius of Magnetic Hill, it starts to jerk.
Other Attractions Around Magnetic Hill
Apart from the Magnetic Hill, you can also enjoy seeing a few other places that lie at a close distance from the hill. The Himalayan region here is truly worth exploring. Given below are a few attractions that you can see in this region.
Gurudwara Patthar Sahib
It is the auspicious place where Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th guru of the Sikhs, had spent time meditating in the 17th century. Locals, army personnel and tourists can be seen here often. Though not many Sikhs arrive here from different parts of the country, the reason perhaps being its remote location.
Colourful Hills & Mountains
While you are in this Himalayan region, you will also like seeing the hills and mountains. Here, the hills bear different colours. Some are white and snow-laden. Some are black or gray in colours while there are some that are green, red or orange in colour.
The drivers will inform you that Indian Air Force pilots always steer clear of the Magnetic Hill.
Magnetic Hill Ladakh

National Security: Steering India’s Military Capabilities

By Lt Gen Vinay Shankar
Indian Defence Review Issue: Vol. 23.3
If we were to comment on the attitude of our leadership to our country’s defence preparedness the conclusion would be of unwitting indifference. There is no other plausible explanation to the manner in which we have been mishandling the defence of our nation.
A quick scan of our security barometer from the time we became a sovereign nation to date would enable us draw up a report card on how we have fared on the security management front.

Within months of our Independence we were subjected to an invasion from Pakistan. Barely managing to save Srinagar, we accepted the loss of a fairly large swathe of territory which we have since called POK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir).

But the narrative has only just begun. Call it neglect or a lack of understanding of defence preparedness because it appears that the gravity of the loss did not really ever sink in. What were the consequences?

Through the fifties, because of the total disconnect between defence and diplomacy we kept botching up matters with China. The price was the ‘62 disaster. We ended up suffering a humiliating defeat. We have, I believe, yet to recover from that trauma.

The Chinese came right up to the foot hills in the North-east. In the Ladakh region they captured large areas of Aksai Chin. After the cease fire, in the East the Chinese unilaterally withdrew to the McMahon Line. However, in the more strategically important Ladakh sector they retained most of what they had taken; approximately 38,000 sq km. Pakistan illegally ceded another 5,180 sq km. And that is how matters stand today.

Surprisingly something that should be causing grave concern appears to be for the moment met with stoic silence. China in the recent past has upped the ante on its claims over Arunachal Pradesh. The denial a visa to a government official of Arunachal Pradesh and the more recent reaction to the PMs’ visit to the State, together with frequent statements that the Province is Chinese territory reflect its new position. There is a view that the recent shift in stance could be due to the assessments the Chinese may have made during the ongoing border negotiations. They may have got the impression that we are not averse to ceding ground in order to settle.
Read the complete article by clicking link below:
Steering India’s Military Capabilities

Why do we lag behind China?

Recently, the London-based Legatum Institute’s Prosperity Index placed India well ahead of China. In domestic institutional maturity, India was ranked 36th to China’s 100th. And then in the social capital sub-index India was ranked 5th and China, 70th.

Thus, India was supposed to have beaten China. But could it be true? I had doubts. Today’s report – US cos prefer China for investment (click me) seems to give the correct picture. (quote- The survey states as much as 74 per cent of the American companies surveyed ranked China as a top-three investment priority with nearly 20 per cent of them naming it as the number one investment spot for them.- unquote)

The 2009 China Business Report released by the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai shows that ‘a large majority of American firms operating in China the continue to see revenue and profit growth even as elsewhere they face downturn.’ China is the world’s ‘fastest growing economy.’ Not surprising. May I share a personal experience?

Last summer, I had taken the Alaskan cruise. On board the ‘Radiance of the Seas.’ It is a big ship with excellent facilities. In the midst of an unfamiliar luxury, what struck the patriotic cord was the fact that almost everything one saw on board the American ship was ‘made in China’.

In the cabin, the toiletries, towels, linen and water flasks were from China. In the dining hall, the crockery and cutlery carried the Chinese label. The position persisted in the shopping area. Even a small battery ‘charger’ needed to energise the camera, though labelled ‘Kodak,’ had actually come from China. It seemed that the ship was flooded with Chinese goods.

After about 36 hours of leaving Vancouver, we had anchored at Ketchikan. It is a small but beautiful town in the state of Alaska. It is popularly known as the ‘salmon’ city. Has a total population of about 13,000. There are shops within almost a hundred yards of the port. One may walk into any shop. Each one is stuffed with all kinds of winter wear and small souvenirs. The caps, shirts, sweaters, chinaware and knives. Everything except the knives, which are a purely local product, was from China.

Click here to read the full article by JL Gupta from Tribune India

Tailpiece
by SaneIndian on Dec 12, 2009 01:22 AM
Infrastructure in India is beyond horrible. Why would anybody want to invest in India when there is no proper transportation or storage available? Govt should invest heavily in developing infrastructure first. Then India can dream about competing with China. The horrible conditions of the roads and indiscriminate use of Auto-Rickshaws and 2 wheelers ruin what ever little good is there on Indian roads- Chennai City says it all loudly! India has become a joke among the west. All we are doing is living in a false paradise. Democracy is a farce in India: It is more of Criminalisation of the Citizens by the State- The Indian Constitution favours Criminals and Political Criminals to breed at faster pace than the growth of population (as is evident for the last 60 years)!

Neglect defence only at India’s peril

Football that politicians play

ON November 18, 1962, C Company, 13 Kumaon faced Chinese human-waves at Rezang La in Ladakh. Out-gunned and greatly outnumbered, the company fought last-man-last round and perished in a saga of rare valour.

Four centuries earlier, Rana Sanga and the Rajput confederacy faced Babur at Khanwa, 60 km from Agra. Despite legendary heroism, extolled in ballads and folklore, the Rajputs were decisively defeated.

Other than defeat, what is common in these two heroic battles? Both symbolise the Indian warrior’s unparalleled valour and limitless capacity for sacrifice. Both also illustrate our rulers’ great capacity to neglect national defence.

The Rajputs failed to modernise artillery and cavalry. When facing Alexander, Raja Puru’s war-elephants were stampeded by the charging Macedonian phalanx and crushed their own forces.

Thousand years later, the Rana’s war-elephants were stampeded by Babur’s artillery. Then the Rajputs were enveloped and routed by the Mughal cavalry’s tulughma.

However, there is one notable difference between then and now: Rana Sangha and allied rulers personally led their men and many embraced veer-gati. In 1962, the Indian army was pushed into battle by ‘leaders’ in air-conditioned offices, totally oblivious of ground realities. The valiant Kumaonis braved the Ladakhi winter in summer uniforms. Then faced Chinese human-wave assaults with bolt-action rifles, which often jammed and vintage ammunition misfired. Nevertheless, the 120-odd heroes accounted for over 500 Chinese before their ammunition and life-blood ran out.

Fast forward to Kargil 1999. Denial of surveillance equipment for a quarter-century by uncaring, ignorant babus helped Pakiatanis to surreptitiously intrude across the LC. The ensuing war again witnessed most conspicuous valour, which ultimately negated Pak’s napak designs. But 700 gallant sons were martyred to pay for their ‘leaders’ neglect of defence preparedness.

This writer is witness to one such peremptory and callous dispensation, which literally made the Army blind. Illuminating shells for the indigenous Field Gun had been “under development” by the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) since seventies and thus faced an import ban.
Neglect of Defence only at India's peril: click here to read the full article
Maj-Gen Pushpendra Singh (Retd)

Siliguri Corridor in Sikkim: Finger Point

"Area falls North of Gyangyong in Sikkim and overlooks a valley known as the Sora Funnel, and is considered a strong defensive position to ward off any move by China to enter the Sikkim plateau"
The Siliguri corridor in Sikkim is the weakest point in the Indian defence which has been reinforced with 40000 Jawans and T72 tanks. Chinese road through Finger area can cutoff entire North East region. Sep 16 2009, 09:09 AM

The 30-km wide Siliguri corridor, which links India with rest of North Eastern states, is the weakest point in the Indian defence and if China somehow gained control of the corridor the entire North East region would be cut away from India. Some 40,000 troops were responsible for the defence of Sikkim and the strategically important Siliguri corridor. Chinese moves to test Indian control of the strategic Finger Area in North Sikkim last year have prompted the Army to deploy heavy tanks and armoured personnel carriers in the region and strengthen defensive positions. In fact, the highest gallantry award to a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) personnel was conferred to a dozer operator, Zalim Singh, who cleared a strategic road near Theing village he was decorated with a Bar to Shaurya Chakra for a column of advancing tanks.While the Army brought armoured vehicles to the North Sikkim plateau in the late 1980s, the small detachment has now been replaced by the heavier and more powerful T-72 Main Battle Tanks and modern BMP troop carriers.

Sources said the mobilisation took place after repeated Chinese transgressions last year in the Finger Area, a one kilometre stretch of land in the northern tip of Sikkim that overlooks a valley called the Sora Funnel and is considered a strong defensive position. The T-72 tanks were inducted after a monumental effort by the BRO to widen roads, construct tracks and strengthen bridges leading to North Sikkim. The heavy tank column was taken up the high plateau partly by road-based carriers. Sources said that while China too has tanks on its side of the border, they are deployed well inside its territory. “China does not need to deploy tanks on the border because the terrain and roads on its side makes it easy to bring them at short notice. India, on the other hand, has no option but to keep them on the border as it would take days to get the tanks up from the plains,” an expert pointed out. Besides the tanks, the Army has strengthened other defences in the region, particularly around the Finger Area. Permanent posts have been set up on heights and bunkers have been strengthened. The Army has also increased surveillance capabilities in the region. At least two Long Range Observation Systems which can detect, record and transmit live images of an area under observation, have been set up in the Finger Area.

The strengthening of defences has taken place partly due to the re-induction of the 27 Mountain Division to North Sikkim. The Kalimpong-based Division, responsible for the defence of North Sikkim and the Finger Area, had been moved to Jammu and Kashmir in 2001 during the Op Parakram troop buildup along the Pakistan border. The Finger Area entered controversy last year after the Chinese increased patrolling and even planned to build a road through it. While the area was always under Indian control, the Army used to send in regular patrols and held only a few traditional defensive positions. India decided to strengthen defences after increased Chinese transgressions and the discovery last year that the alignment of a new East-West road being built by Beijing would pass through the Finger Area. Construction was put to a stop after New Delhi lodged a diplomatic complaint.
Siliguri Corridor in Sikkim

Sino- Indian Relations: Recapturing 1962 debacle

Tawang located at 10000 feet, in Aunachal Pradesh, then known as NEFA, was basking in the glow of the afternoon sun and was at total peace on that quiet afternoon of 8th September 1962, when suddenly everything changed and the wheel of fate started turning in an irreversible direction, quickly gathering momentum.

The events starting with the Chinese surrounding the Dhola post, at the tri-junction of India, China and Bhutan, on that fateful day of September, subsequent move of the brigade forward, abandoning Tawang, the Divisional Vital Ground, unprotected, with just a modicum of troops, culminating in the attack by the massive Chinese force deployed astride the Thagla ridge on the ill-prepared Indian forces, the troops of 7 Infantry Brigade, trapped, down below in the valley of River Namkachu, the dissemination of the Brigade in a few hours. On 20th October 1962 and the subsequent escape by some of the lucky ones are recorded by me, then a Captain, the Signal officer of the brigade, I was there in person and a witness to the events leading to what happened on that morning of October of the year, in my book, 'A Soldiers Journey Through Life With Two Wives".

The book was released on 2nd March 2009 by Lt Gen P Mohapatra, AVSM, SO-in- C and Senior Colonel Commandant Corps of Signals. With the 47th Anniversary of the Conflict of 1962 round the corner and the Sino- Indian relations, once again, appear to be getting strained, the book may be of interest to those following the current disturbing developments.

Brig Lakshman Singh VSM (Retd)

India, China dispute most complicated in the world

16/10/2009
India, China dispute most complicated in the world
New Delhi: In the backdrop of war of words over Arunachal Pradesh, India has said the recent developments have intensified the need for the two countries to resolve the outstanding issues with "more seriousness and determination".

Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said the boundary issue between India and China is "one of the most complicated" border disputes in the world and both countries are determined to resolve it.

"We must take a realistic view that there are differences, there are differences when it comes to perceiving the Line of Actual Control (LoAC) in the border areas. And there are differences also in terms of conflicting territorial claims," she told All India Radio. Source: PTI
India, China dispute most complicated in the world

Why boundary disputes are complicated by the Bureaucrats?
The reasons are simple: Bureaucrats are trained to confuse the Politicians and the Citizens as well. Bureaucrats do not go on ground to study the terrain and history of native inhabitants who populate the region. They tend to resolve issues based on maps and depend heavily on hearsay rather than on ground reality. How many from MEA officers and Foreign Secretaries' have visited disputed areas? What are the geographical assets of each disputed area? Has it been studied and quantified by the professionals from various fields? We need to resolve disputes quickly as nothing has happened since 1962. Foreign Secretary's comments are typically bureaucratic procrastination.

Time for India to Play Hardball with China

With its recent provocations, Beijing seems to think New Delhi is still the naive young power of yesteryear. It's time for India's leaders to prove otherwise.
BY KAPIL KOMIREDDI October 02, 2009

Indian democracy vexes Beijing. If India can guarantee fundamental rights to its diverse citizens while managing a growth rate not far from China's, why, someone is bound to ask, can China not do the same? For many in the West, China's economic prosperity is a precursor to political freedom for its people. But this theory, as China scholar Minxin Pei has argued, ignores the important fact that an authoritarian state is less likely to loosen its hold on a wealthy country than it would be to forego the control of an impoverished one. This accounts for China's censorship at home and the promotion of secessionism abroad. But it also means that it is China, and not India, that is more fragile and insecure. The Dalai Lama is India's trump card. All India has to do is play hardball.
Time for India to Play Hardball with China: click here

The Officer Shortage: India Vs China

August 29, 2009: Despite having only one soldier (sailor or airman) for every 866 people, India has a chronic officer shortage. China, with one soldier for every 591, has no shortage either. What is going on here? What is happening is a global officers shortage. Until the last few decades, it was considered prestigious, and career enhancing, to serve at least a few years as a military officer. These days, no more. Shortages are often filled by lowering standards, which can have disastrous results in combat.

The Indian Army is short 24 percent of its officer strength, while China has the numbers, it is seriously concerned with the quality. Meanwhile, the Indian army has had a shortage of officers for decades. The air force and navy are also short, but only by 12-15 percent. In China, the problem is growing as the economy continues to boom (despite the global recession.)
Read the full article:
The Great Global Officer Shortage

Is Arunachal Pradesh a Monarchy?

Friends,
Arunachal Pradesh in the far Eastern corner of India is in the news these days as the Chinese are laying claim to it and the Indian Government is in a flurry!!

Just look at the pathetic state of development; very limited medical and educational facilities, minimum roads etc etc. And an almost illiterate Chief Minister having 4 wives!! (Obviously the Tribal Law permits this). Getting rich by the day!! click me for the main blog post

During 1962 War, there were any number of rumors that the Chinese had infiltrated spies, who were working in border Roads Organization and opened tea stall near Army units.

With this kind of development in the State, the Chinese will not find it difficult to subvert the population.

The Indian politicians and Babudom have neglected the East for decades. It is only the Army which has been a stabilizing factor and made the Indian presence felt.

God help Bharat!!!
Lt Gen Harbhajan Singh (Retd)
Obama Veering Towards Neutrality on Arunachal Pradesh?

Dealing With The Dragon: Tawang Monastery the bone of contention?

Let's face it, the recent increased Chinese pressure and posturing on Arunachal Pradesh is real. The response needs to be measured, and not hysterical. Dissuasive deterrence holds the key- Namrata Goswami

The intended visit of the Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh in the second week of November 2009 to inaugurate a hospital in Tawang district, for which he had donated Rs 20 lakh, is raising Chinese ire.

Border Problems
Once again, the picturesque state of Arunachal Pradesh, the historical bone of contention between India and China, is back in news. China claims 90,000 square kilometres of territory from India; the total land area of Arunachal Pradesh is 83,743 sq km.

The incompatibility between India and China has a historical context and is based on a lack of proper demarcation of the 3,500-km border in the eastern sector. China questions the 1914 McMahon line and argues that the area now known as Arunachal Pradesh belonged to Tibet historically, with the Tawang Monastery having tributary relationship with the Dalai Lama. Since Tibet is now a part of China, goes their argument, so is Arunachal Pradesh. The Dalai Lama, on the other hand, agrees with the Indian position and recognizes Arunachal Pradesh as a part of India. The Buddhist monks in the Tawang Monastery also argue strongly against Chinese claims on their land as having no historical basis or legitimacy whatsoever. The Chinese insecurities become apparent when seen in the perspective of revival of protests in Tibet last year, as the status of Tibet itself remains contested by the Tibetans, both within and outside Tibet.

Another major problem regarding the eastern border between India and China is the different perceptions both countries have about the actual physical demarcation of the border. The worrisome aspect for India in this context is that despite more than two decades of negotiations, India is the only country with which China has not settled its border dispute.

The Chinese activities in Tibet itself, with their plans of diverting the Yarlung Tsangpo (the source of the Brahmaputra in India) is another area of grave concern for us. This diversion will have an enormous negative impact on the eco-system and the people of Northeastern India and Bangladesh. The residents of Arunachal Pradesh will be the first to be affected with possible drought and lack of fresh water because of this change of course. The border dispute between India and China could take on the added dimension of water security, seen by many srategic analysts as the most likely source of conflict in the future.
Dealing with the dragon: Tibet and Tawang Monastery

Chinese see India as enemy

Sunday, September 27, 2009, 16:58 IST
London: India is the country that is spoken of most often as an enemy in China, a British newspaper reported on Sunday, but quoted a retired Chinese officer as saying the men serving the People's Liberation Army (PLA) have no "devotion".

"Compared with our last war against India in 1962, our equipment is much better but the devotion to country and people of our officers and men is much worse," the Sunday Times quoted an unnamed retired officer as saying.

In an article on the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic, the paper said the occasion is set to be marked by the "grandest martial parade in the history of modern China", with displays of a new generation of fighters, ballistic missiles, battle tanks and rifles.

"Thursday's parade is certain to provoke an outpouring of virulent nationalism. Curiously, the enemy most often spoken of is India," the paper said.

Censors, otherwise draconian in their grip over Chinese netizens, permit "alarmingly frank discussion" on the Internet on going to war against India over Tibet.

However, the paper said veterans who know the PLA from the inside say that despite all its shiny new kit, such grandiose ideas mask the reality of "a force that has no recent battle experience and is riddled with corruption".

It said insiders speak of a system of bribes ranging from CNY 10,000 (USD 1,400, Rs 70,000) for a good post for a private soldier to CNY 30,000 for a place at military college.

The Sunday Times quoted General Zhang Shutian, a political commissar, saying in a recent address: "If corruption in the army continues, ideology will decay and open the way for religion, while the promotion system risks causing a mutiny."

China's People's Daily newspaper declared on Friday: "We must abide by (former Chinese leader) Deng Xiaoping's instructions that China must be under the leadership of the Communist Party.

"If this fundamental principle is altered, China will go backwards, split and fall into chaos," it warned. IANS
Chinese see India as enemy

India's air power no match for China

September 24, 2009, 00:35 IST Zeenews Bureau
Gandhinagar: The Air Chief Marshal PV Naik on Wednesday admitted that India was no match to China when it came to air power.
"Our present aircraft strength is inadequate. Aircraft strength is one third that of China. The Government of India is doing a lot to augment Air Force capability," Naik said.

Interestingly, former Navy chief Suresh Mehta had also, last month, claimed that India is no match to China when it comes to military strength. He, however, chose to downplay the threat from India’s eastern neighbour amid reported violations of the Indian airspace and territory by Chinese troops.

No imminent threat
Stressing that India must build up its weapons capability to thwart such attempts, Naik said, “There are two ways to look at Chinese incursions. One way is to take up weapons and go to the border. Other way is to build systematic weapons capability to tackle the threat.”

The IAF chief also stressed that there was no imminent threat from the Dragon. He also refuted reports of violation of airspace along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) by the Chinese. “As far as Air Force is concerned there are no Chinese incursions,” he said. Adding that the strategy being adopted by the IAF was to ‘play it cool’ for now.

The IAF Chief’s remarks came a day after China's Ambassador to India, Zhang Yan met Home Secretary GK Pillai and tried to clarify the picture over the reported border incursions. The Chinese Ambassador's meeting came in the wake of repeated assertions by top Indian officials and even the Army Chief that reported incursions in the recent past occurred due to differences in perception of the LAC.

Even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh down played the incursions amid reports about Beijing's unhappiness at the way Chinese border transgressions have been reported in the Indian media to conjure up a China threat.

Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao had also last week stressed that there was "no significant increase" in incursions across all sections of the over 4,000 km border between the two countries.

"Contrary to the popular perception, the situation along the border has remained peaceful for decades," Rao said.

National Security Adviser MK Narayanan and Army Chief Gen Deepak Kapoor had also cautioned against the media hype and stressed that there was nothing alarming about the reported incursions.
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India, China must resolve border issues to ensure peace: Krishna

Posted: Saturday , Sep 19, 2009 at 1334 hrs
Istanbul:

For peace to prevail along the Sino-Indian border, all boundary issues need to be resolved in right earnest, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna said in an exclusive interview on Friday.

"Thirteen rounds of talks have been held by special representatives representing the Indian Government and the Chinese Government. It is in the larger interest of both, China and India, that these boundary issues will have to be settled so that peace and tranquillity on Indo-China border is maintained," Krishna said.

On the issue of incursions, Krishna said it has been diplomatically taken up with the concerned Chinese authorities.

"We have taken it up diplomatically with the Chinese authorities. I think it can be sorted out," he added.

The Indian media had reported that two soldiers of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) were injured in firing from across the border on the Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh, part of which China claims as its territory.

India, however, had denied that two of its border guards were injured in firing by Chinese forces.

China claims about 90,000 square kilometers of Arunachal Pradesh along their border as part of its territory.

India and China fought a short war in 1962 and, despite burgeoning trade in recent years, mistrust remains. Both sides jostle for resources and influence as they seek a global role.

This year, the two countries have faced off at multi-lateral forums, including Chinese objections to a 60 million dollars Asian Development Bank loan for a project in Arunachal Pradesh.
India, China must resolve border issues to ensure peace: Krishna
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Chinese incursions

Noting that there were different perception of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh, Army Chief Gen Deepak Kapoor has said India would be "as much blameworthy" as the Chinese side for incursions on the two sides.

He, however, said that border infrastructure on the Chinese side was better than that of India, giving them an "additional capability to bring additional troops", and the Indian government is "seriously looking" into this "disparity".

"I think a degree of misperception has been built on this issue of incursions.. First and foremost, it is a matter of perception. The Chinese have a different perception of the LAC as do we. When they come up to their perception, we call it an incursion and likewise they do," Kapoor said in an interview on a private news channel.

He said that the level of total number of incursions in 2007 is "somewhat similar to what it has been in the past. So, the feeling that too many incursions have taken place into Indian territory is not right."

Asked whether Indian troops also incur into Chinese territory as often because of differences of perception about the LAC, the army chief replied: "That's right... Which they would call an incursion into their side. So, therefore, to that extent, we would be as much blameworthy for that kind of incursion up to our perceived LAC."

Kapoor dismissed media perception that Chinese incursion were a sign of muscle-flexing by Beijing indicating something worse to come. (PTI)

Credit: Headlines India
New Delhi, Saturday, February 23, 2008 (15:06:58)