Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts with the label Tibet

China to build a major dam on Brahmaputra River

China’s upstream activities along the Brahmaputra River have impacts on countries downstream and the ecology surrounding. CONTEXT Amid simmering border tension with India along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh, China is planning to build a major hydro-power project on Brahmaputra River in Tibet and a proposal for this has been clearly put forward in the 14th Five-Year Plan to be implemented from next year. Response from India and Bangladesh Proposals for dams on the Brahmaputra have evoked concerns in India and Bangladesh, the riparian states, and China has downplayed such anxieties saying it would keep their interests in mind. What are India’s concerns? China’s dam building overdrive is a concern because there are no bilateral or multilateral treaties on the water. China believes dam building on the Brahmaputra helps it assert claim over Arunachal Pradesh. India believes China’s projects in the Tibetan plateau t hreaten to reduce river flows into India. Dams, canals...

OCTOBER 20 - NATIONAL SOLIDARITY DAY

National Solidarity Day is celebrated on 2 0th Octobe r every year to remember the national integrity shown by Indian citizens in the face of defeat in the Sino-Indian war. 20th October 1962 the war began when People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China attacked India at the Himalayan borders in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh simultaneously. This became a wake-up call for India to establish an efficient armed force for border security. National Solidarity day is a reminder to all Indians of the significance of unity and integrity in protecting our nation. This year National Solidarity Day 2020 will be on 20th October 2020, Tuesday. Sino-Indo War (20 Oct 1962 – 21 Nov 1962) After regaining their Independence there was a constant boundary dispute between China and India as there was no clear border separation. China claimed Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh as its territories in their maps and even rejected to acknowledge McMohan Line which separates India and China border in the east...

This unique 'soldier' to boost Indian Army patrolling in the cold desert of Ladakh

Bactrian Camel The Indian Army has decided to include an animal working for centuries in these adverse environmental conditions to patrol and carry goods in the cold desert of Ladakh. In Leh-based DRDO's Institute of Defence Institute for High Altitude Research (DIHAR), local two hump camels, Bactrian Camels, are being prepared for the Army. DIHAR officials say that Bactrian Camel is working brilliantly in the environment of Ladakh. Bactrian camels have been joining caravans from China, Tibet, Mongolia to Central Asia for centuries, crossing cold deserts and ice. Bactrian camel has been showcased in many artifacts of Central Asia in the third century. Bactrian Camel Italian traveler and businessman Marco Polo traveled on the Silk Route several times from 1271 to 1295. Marco Polo introduced Europe to Bactrian Camel. The Indian Army is currently training Bactrian camels with common camels at DIHAR's lab in Leh, and the results are very encouraging. DIHAR scientist Sarangi says th...

Who is Nyima Tenzin - the Tibetan-Indian SFF hero given farewell in Leh?

The Tibetan community in Ladakh and BJP Secretary Ram Madhav came together to pay tribute to Nyima Tenzin, who was killed on the night of 29-30 August in Chushul. Nyima Tenzin | File photo Nyima Tenzin, a Tibetan-Indian hero of the elite covert paramilitary unit Special Frontier Force (SFF) who was killed on the night of 29-30 August in eastern Ladakh, was given a final farewell with a 21-gun salute Monday.  The 51-year-old soldier died after he stepped on to a 1962 vintage anti-personnel mine near the southern bank of the Pangong lake, Army sources had said. The incident occurred around the time when the Indian Army launched a major operation and outflanked the Chinese in capturing dominating features near the southern bank of Pangong Tso in the Chushul sector.  On Monday, the Tibetan community in Ladakh came together to pay tribute to the soldier who belonged to 7 Vikas battalion of the SFF, which is also known as Establishment 22. Senior BJP leader Ram Madhav attended the f...

U.S., China trade visa curbs over Tibet

Pompeo accuses Beijing of obstructing travel by U.S. diplomats, journalists to Tibetan region The U.S. and China imposed visa restrictions on each other in tit-for-tat moves over their disagreement on Tibet, adding fuel to the diplomatic fire between the superpowers. China announced on Wednesday its curbs on people from the U.S. who “behave badly” on Tibet-related issues, in retaliation for American curbs unveiled a day before. Access restricted: U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad speaking with a monk at the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet Officials not named Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday that he was taking action against an unspecified number of officials under a new U.S. law that presses China to let Americans visit the far west region, renewing a call for “meaningful autonomy” in the predominantly Buddhist area. “Unfortunately, Beijing has continued systematically to obstruct travel to the Tibetan Autonomous Region and other Tibetan areas by U.S. diplomats and o...

India-China face-off at Ladakh: Will troop buildup lead to Doklam 2.0?

Indian and Chinese armies rushed in additional troops in areas around Pangong Tso lake and Galwan Valley in Ladakh, signalling hardening of their aggressive posturing two weeks after they were engaged in a fierce face-off, military sources said on Wednesday.  Representative Image  It is learnt that the India's top military brass is constantly monitoring the evolving situation even as the US said the aggressive behaviour by Chinese troops was a reminder of the threat posed by China. "The flare-ups on the border, I think, are a reminder that Chinese aggression is not always just rhetorical. And so whether it's in the South China Sea or whether it's along the border with India, we continue to see provocations and disturbing behaviour by China," said Alice Wells, the outgoing head of the South and Central Asia bureau in the US State Department. Her comments at an online media briefing came even as efforts to de-escalate the tense situation in the sensitive areas conti...