Chinese object to Dalai Lama event

Ajay Banerjee & Arteev Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi/Jammu, July 12

In what is being seen as a strange method of messaging, a group of Chinese, possibly backed by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), waved a banner to a group of Buddhists at Fukche on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

The J&K Administration has sought a report from the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of the area.

The incident occurred on July 6. Locals at the village located on the left bank of the Indus were celebrating the birthday of Dalai Lama when the group of Chinese appeared on the other side of the Indus. Local residents claim Chinese came twice and intruded into the Indian territory across the LAC.

Sources in the Army, however, denied this saying the Chinese did not cross the Indus — the de facto LAC in those areas.

The Chinese in civvies arrived in two vehicles. They held up a red banner saying “Ban all activity to split Tibet”. The Indus at this spot is only around 20 m wide and the spot is about 270 km south-east of Leh.

Urgain Chodon, Koyul village sarpanch near Fukche, told The Tribune from Leh: “On July 6, we had gathered on the Indus bank, 8-9 Chinese came and raised banners and flags. Our forces (ITBP, Army and the police) asked us to remove national, Buddhist and Tibetan flags on the plea that it instigated the Chinese.”

“On the very next day, some Chinese came to the area in two vehicles to disrupt our celebrations,” he claimed. Sources said details about the incident had been shared with the security establishment and the assessment was that the banner was prompted by the Chinese. A Tibetan living on the other side would not have had unfettered access close to the LAC.

The Chinese don’t accept the Dalai Lama as the Tibetan spiritual leader. The “Ban all activity to spilt Tibet” banner is a dead give away that it was aimed at Dalai Lama and to divide the Tibetan community on either side of the divide.

Scene of action near Fukche village

• Fukche is located between Dungti Gap and Demchok, which is 110-km flat plateau with the Indus flowing into India at Demchok
• It takes a westward turn through the Dungti gap to head towards Leh
• India and China have an unsettled frontier of which 823 km is in eastern Ladakh