NEW DELHI, Jun 13: Top defence officials have confirmed yet another transgression by the Chinese army in Arunachal Pradesh’s Yangtse region last week, around the same time that India’s bid for the membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) was blocked by Beijing.
Authorities in the Defence Ministry and the Intelligence Bureau have told India Today TV that the transgression by nearly 250 soldiers of the Peoples’ Liberation Army divided into four groups hap- pened on June 9 in Aruna-chal’s East Kameng district.
This was the first transgression by the Chinese army this year in the region, which China claims is part of its territory. The Chinese soldiers spent nearly three hours on this side of the border before going back to their side. The Indian Army has decided to lodge a complaint with the Chinese government, which is already in India’s crosshairs following its aggressive blocking of India’s application for the membership of the elite nuclear club (NSG).
Both India and Pakistan had applied in May to join the elite 48-member group that regulates global nuclear trade. India has secured crucial backing for its membership from Mexico, Italy and Switzerland and the US, even as Pakistan has been lobbying hard to scuttle India’s bid. A transgression is for a short period, unlike an incursion where the troops remain stationed in an attempt to dominate the area, like the three week stand off between the Indian and Chinese troops in Dault Beg Oldi area.
As per figures available with MHA, there are cases of transgression due to difference in perception of Line of Actual Control (LAC) which separates India and China. Recurring incidents of incursions, implementation of an agreement to reduce tensions between border patrols and Sino-India strategic concerns were among the issues that figured in Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s visit to China in April.
Courtesy: India Today
