Tibetan PM-in-exile says watch out what China does, not says

Dharamsala, Sep 14 (ANI): Samdhong Rinpoche, Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile has termed the Chinese trespass of India's border in Ladakh as "provocative."

Warning India of Chinese designs Rinpoche, in a rare political statement by a Tibetan exile leader on bilateral ties, asked New Delhi to watch out for what China does, and not what it says.

"You should watch out what China is doing rather than what China is talking out. The encroachment and intrusion in the border area, not only in the northeast but also in the western borders, particularly Ladakh. Lot of Ladakhi nomads have been disturbed," he said.

He said that the Chinese had come quite at length inside India and even painted the rocks. We don't know what they aim to but it is not acceptable," he added.

Officials sources have said that Chinese troops entered nearly 1.5 kilometres into the Indian territory near Mount Gya, which is recognised as the international border by India and China, and painted the word 'China' in Cantonese on the boulders and rocks there with red spray paint. The incursions were reported from the area generally referred in the Chumar sector in east of Leh.

The 22,420 ft Mount Gya, also known as "fair princess of snow" by the Army is located at the tri-junction of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir, Spiti in Himachal Pradesh, and Tibet. Its boundary was marked during the British era and is regarded as International border by the two countries.

The border patrol discovered the red paint markings on various rocks and boulders along the Zulung La (pass) on July 31 and the Chinese had entered into the area and written "China" all over the place, the sources said.

Indian soldiers later erased the text, writing 'India' instead.

This is not the first such reported intrusion. On June 21 Chinese helicopters had violated the Indian air space along the Line of Actual Control in Chumar region. The Chinese troops also reportedly dropped expired tinned food packets in the area.

Earlier, External Affairs Minister S. M Krishna commenting on the incursion by a Chinese helicopter in Ladakh, said that there was an inbuilt mechanism to deal with such incidents.

Krishna said: "This (India-China boundary in Ladakh) is one of the peaceful boundaries. We have no dispute with China in this area. There is an inbuilt mechanism to deal with such issues. (ANI)