Conflict

China erects tents in Ladakh’s Demchok, officials say they are ‘civilians’

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New Delhi: In Ladakh’s Demchok, the Chinese have erected tents despite repeated calls from India to move from the territory, reports said quoting senior government officials.

The officials described the people occupying these tents as “civilians”, and said that they did not move despite India’s calls to move back, The Indian Express reported.

Demchok has seen face-offs between Indian and Chinese troops earlier too. The two sides had agreed that Demchok and Trig Heights were disputed points on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) during meetings of the India-China joint working groups (JWG) back in the 1990s.

Later, following the exchange of maps, 10 areas of differing perception of the LAC were recognized: Samar Lungpa, Depsang Bulge, Point 6556, Changlung Nala, Kongka La, Pangong Tso north bank, Spanggur, Mount Sajun, Dumchele, and Chumar, said the report.

Quoting officials, the report said besides these 12 areas that are either mutually agreed as disputed or where the two sides have different perceptions of where the LAC lies, five friction points have been added to the LAC in eastern Ladakh over the last year, after the current stand-off began.

These five friction points are KM120 in the Galwan Valley, PP15 and PP17A in the Shyok Sula area, Rechin La, and Rezang La, officials said.

China had proposed the 12th round of Corps Commander-level talks on Monday, but India asked for the discussions to be postponed by a few days. The countries have not scheduled the next date for the talks yet.

The last Corps Commander-level talks to discuss the disengagement and eventual de-escalation in eastern Ladakh, where India and China are involved in a stand-off since May 2020, were held in April this year.

However, the report quoting government officials said the “situation is stable” currently. While it is not yet “2019 level”, it is “much better” than last year, the official said. There have not been “any transgressions” by China since February, nor any face-offs between the two armies.

 

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