In the high-altitude Himalayas, India works to secure remote
border with China as leaders meet
A soldier guards military installation in Tawang. This Indian
town with its historic monastery is in the Indian state of
Arunachal Pradesh, which has long been disputed territory and that
China claims as "South Tibet." (Annie Gowen/The Washington
Post)ByAnnie Gowen-May 13
TAWANG, India Prime Minister Narendra Modi had come to his
countrys most remote state, an unspoiled place of indigenous tribes
and rain forests, to open its first railway station and boast of
new development.But his appearance in February set off a firestorm
in China, which still considers much of Indias northeast state of
Arunachal Pradesh its own they call it South Tibet. Chinese
officials quickly lodgeda protest, sniping that Indias insistence
on arranging activities by leaders in the disputed region infringes
on their territorial sovereignty.As Modi prepares to meet with
Chinese President Xi Jinping this month, the unresolved matter of
Arunachal Pradesh remains a flash point between the worlds most
populous countries, which have massed thousands of troops,
sophisticated weaponry and aircraft along a 2,520-mile border, long
stretches of which remain in dispute.No shots have been fired there
for years, but incursions over the line by troops on both sideshave
flared into diplomatic incidentsand have the potential to escalate,
experts say. A Pentagonreportto Congress noted this year that
despite increasing political and economic relations between India
and China, tensions remain along the shared border, particularly
disputed areas in Arunachal Pradesh and the Ladakh region in the
west, where the two sides continue to accuse each other of frequent
incursions and military build-ups.Analysts say Modi has tried to
strike a balance by reaching out to China on economic issues like
trade while taking a strong stance against their expansionism
throughout Asia. The two sides have clashed in recent days, with
India protesting Chinas investment in Pakistans Kashmir region and
awidely-read opinion piecein a Chinese state newspaper accusing
Modi of playing little tricks over border disputes and security and
warning him from staying away from border areas.And now, the Modi
government may prompt ire with wide-ranging plans to shore up the
border in Arunachal. Those include a proposal to double the number
of border police and an ambitious some say unrealistic project to
builda $6billion roadto run along the steep Himalayas from west to
east. Indian authorities are also trying to stem the flood of
villagers migrating to big cities from the border by hastening
smaller road projects already underway, planning for solar
generating stations for those still without electricity even
handing out free bags of rice.Kiren Rijiju, minister of state for
home affairs, who is from Arunachal Pradesh, said that for years
the government has neglected the border areas, which has led to
migration from smaller villages to larger towns and thinned the
border population.Were going to reverse that, Rijiju said. Of
course, it definitely has strategic ramification. If you dont
develop your border areas, how will your border be secure?An
exclusive paradiseFor most of its 28 years as an Indian state,
Arunachal Pradesh like most of Indias Northeast region has been
relatively cut off from the rest of the country. Sparsely
populated, it is an ecological paradise of orchids, bamboo forests
and soaring mountain ranges, inhabited by dozens of indigenous
tribes.There is no airport, so visitors arrive by a helicopter
flight often canceled for bad weather or to make way for VIPs.
Nearly half the population still does not have mobile phone
service.Indians as well as foreign tourists must have special
permits to visit. Only about 10,000 foreigners managed to make the
trip last year, a fraction of the 7million people who visited India
as a whole. Permission for foreign journalists is even more
difficult to obtain. The regions unique status is part of its
charm, locals say.There is a romantic aspect of Arunachal that has
made it a mystical destination, said Nalong Mize, an activist and
former state adviser.Resident Wangdan, 75, of Arunachal Pradesh,
still remembers the Chinese invasion of 1962. (Annie Gowen/The
Washington Post)
Thats certainly true for the thousands of pilgrims who flock
each year to the Tawang Monastery, a holy site for Tibetan
Buddhists. The 17th-century compound of white buildings and
fluttering prayer flags sits about 20 miles from the desolate
India-China border.It was here that the currentDalai Lama,
spiritual leader of millions of Tibetan Buddhists, stopped to rest
after he fled Tibet on foot over the Himalayas in 1959 due to
Chinese repression, seeking refuge in India.The status of Tawang
has exacerbated the long-running dispute between the two countries,
experts say. China has never accepted the McMahon boundary line
drawn in 1914 that essentially placed Tawang in territory
controlled by the British Raj. India, for its part, rejects Chinas
claim to a slice of the high Tibetan plateau several hundred miles
to the west called Aksai Chin.Modi has promised more development in
the next five years than at any time since the states creation in
1987 and urged locals to support projects for hydro-electric power
plants. The states free-flowing Himalayan rivers hold a third of
the countrys hydro-electric potential, but fears by locals about
deforestation and land grabs have slowed progress. Only one of the
160 proposed dams is up and running.Two-thirds of the states
population of 1.4 millioncome from indigenous tribes, which
maintain their own traditions and, in some cases, are distrustful
of outsiders. Even the opening of the statesfirst major railway
linethis year linking the capital with New Delhi and Guwahati was
met with ambivalence.Its good, but its also bad, said Yowa Pana,
26, a member of a tribal community with a masters degree in
economics. It will be easier to reach Delhi and for commercial
purposes. But its bad, because so many foreigners are going to be
coming in. And by foreigners, I mean people coming from outside
Arunachal Pradesh. Were concerned they will bring in viruses and
criminal activity.Yet he conceded that the state has little
economic opportunity and he has had difficulty finding a job. He
has thought of becoming a cardamom farmer.Arunachals forbidding
territory has made it difficult to complete a network of roads to
rival the massive buildup by China on the Tibet side of the border,
with smooth highways and miles of railway lines. China far
outspends India on overall defense some $136billion to $38billion,
according tothe Pentagon assessment.Indian soldiers still have to
reach their remote camps by foot or mule, and the road trip to
Tawang from the capital takes two days. Locals complain that
upgrade work hasnt been done properly, citing one bridge routinely
engulfed in landslides.India, however, has its 120,000 regular army
troops stationed much closer to the border than the estimated
90,000 regular army in the Tibetan military regions, according to
Ashley J. Tellis, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace. The Indian soldiers also train for mountain
warfare more than the Chinese and have deployed greater air power,
Tellis said.We didnt fear themTawang itself has the feel of an
occupied city, with green barracks dotting the hillside and
soldiers in fatigues mingling with monks in maroon robes in the
bustling market square. Near Tawang, at altitudes higher than
clouds, yak herders and villagers gathering firewood fight for
space alongside heavy military trucks on winding roads. Many of the
residents still remember the short war between the neighboring
countries in 1962, when the Chinese briefly occupied the area.The
Chinese marched from this place very happily, recalled a
70-year-old villager, Wangdan, who uses only one name. But we didnt
fear them.But other villagers say they give little thought to the
geopolitical dance between the two nuclear-armed nations just miles
from their simple homes. Theyre far more interested in plans for
schools, solar power stations and the new rice giveaway.Officials
hope these new programs will stem the migration from border
villages, where the population has dropped 10 to 15percent in
recent years, according to K.C. Dhimole, a technical adviser to the
state.We are not talking about China, said Tsering Yangchin, 30, a
farmer who cultivates a small plot of fiddlehead ferns and other
vegetables. We are just worrying about our livelihoods.Gu Jinglu
and Liu Liu in Beijing contributed to this report.Read more:Hello
Chinese friends: Indias Modi gets mixed reaction on Chinese social
media debutThe aftermath of Nepals earthquake exposes Asias
geopolitical fault linesTroops face off at India-China border as
nations leaders meetTodays coverage from Post correspondents around
the worldAnnie Gowen is The Posts India bureau chief and has
reported for the Post throughout South Asia and the Middle
East.Posted byThavam
