The Tribune – On the LAC Part 4; Banners and not guns hold peace here

Both sides hold their nerve, opt for peaceful withdrawal

Ajay Banerjee in Ladakh

A small population of 135 makes up the village of Demchok in south-eastern Ladakh. It is in this remote village along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that the words ‘transgression by troops’ lead to media frenzy in India and China.

One wrong step by troops in these areas draws an echo across New Delhi and Beijing — such is the level of sensitivity.

Following an agreement thrashed out in April 2005, India and China have worked out what is called a ‘banner drill’ which helps keep tension under check.

Whenever either side perceives that a transgression has been made across the LAC, soldiers show a 10-feet-wide banner with a slogan painted across to each other. The banner primarily cites the 2005 agreement and says there is a need to back off from the present positions of patrolling.

The banners are shown across the LAC as perceptions of the two nations differ as to where the LAC is located.

Historically, there has never been a demarcated boundary. These are strategically vital portions along the eastern fringes of the Ladakh plateau, which is contiguous with Tibet.

China has occupied 1,700 square kilometre of Indian territory in this region. Troops of both sides often come face-to-face in areas like Demchok, Pangong Tso lake and Chushul.

The ‘banner drill’ is framed under the “protocol on modalities for implementation of CBMs in the military field along the LAC in the India-China border areas”. It is part of a protocol agreed upon to de-escalate momentary transgressions by soldiers of the two countries.

As part of the ‘banner drill’, lndian soldiers, on patrol duty along the LAC, carry a white-coloured banner which has slogans painted in English and Mandarin asking the Chinese soldiers to back off from areas where the perception of the LAC varies. Contrary to reports in the media, it is not just the Chinese who show their red-coloured banners asking Indian troops to back off from portions of the LAC which they presume as theirs.

Showing of banners is neither a hostile act and nor is it seen as a shame when soldiers of both armies show their respective banners to each other across the LAC. The Indian side does not want to get into telling how many times such face-offs happen annually, but sources said it is as frequent as once in three-four weeks.

“It keeps down the tension between fully armed troops on either side,” explains Brig Anil Chaudhary, who commands the Brigade at Kiari located some 160 km away from the LAC.

On ground, the troops, which are rotated every 18 months, are taught how to do the drill and its significance. Young subalterns are instructed by the JCO or the Subedar how the banners have to be unfurled without saying a word to the opposing side.

The standard operating procedure is activated if the border personnel of the two sides come face-to-face due to differences on the alignment of the LAC or any other reason.

The mandate of the agreement is: “Throughout the face-to-face situation, neither side shall use force or threaten to use force against the other”. It also calls upon both sides to stop their activities in the area and not advance any further. They have to return to their respective bases after the banner drill. (Concluded)

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20111103/main6.htm

The Tribune – Chinese airfields encircle Ladakh

India has 2 airbases at Leh & Thoise, China has 6 fully-functional airfields adjoining Ladakh 

Ajay Banerjee at the LAC in Ladakh

In the vast windswept and barren landscape that divides India and China in southeastern Ladakh, temperatures can drop to a numbing minus 10 degree Celsius at the start of winter. What’s more bone chilling for India is recent military developments in western parts of Tibet and Xinjiang province in China that pose a new challenge for Indian defence establishment and its forces.

There can be no masking the fact that India needs to prioritise and speed up its thrust into eastern Ladakh. Setting up of vital airfields, infrastructure on the LAC, storehouses for supplies and better accommodation for troops just cannot be postponed any more.

At the beginning of October, the Indian Defence Ministry gave its nod to develop an airfield at Nyoma and expand the one at Kargil. At present India has two full-fledged airbases at Leh and Thoise.

Meanwhile, China has readied six airbases on its side in areas of western Tibet and Xinjiang province adjoining Ladakh.

The Indian security establishment has irrefutable visual inputs on Chinese airfields. Beijing now has the capability to launch fighter aircrafts carrying deadly strike weapons or transport planes carrying tonnes of equipment or hundreds of troops to land then close to Indian forward defence lines along the LAC. These fully-functional airfields virtually form a ‘ring’ around Ladakh.

A senior official explained to The Tribune the fresh challenges saying Kashgar, Korla, Yarkand, Hotan, Cherchen (Qiemo) and Gardzong, have operational airfields. Large planes like the IL76 transporter operate from there. Last winter, the Chinese conducted a major military exercise and even operated their own version of the Sukhoi-30 fighter from at least three of these bases.

In India, only Leh and Thoise allow operations of all types of small and large planes. The Kargil airstrip is just 6,000-feet long and allows only smaller planes like AN32 or the C-130-Js to land. It will be expanded by the year 2016.

Nyoma in southeastern Ladakh is a mud-paved advanced landing ground (ALG). This sits at a junction from where three pressure points along the LAC-Demchok, Chushul and Chumar sector-are close by. Indian strategic planners have ruled out having a full operational usage of the ALG’s at Fukche and Chushul as they are deemed too close to China.

In China, the accommodation coming up is all in concrete. China terms the structures as the ‘nomad-huts’. The Indian Army suspects these are of dual use and can be converted into supply depots or even bunkers. The Chinese watch towers at Domshele and Demchok are three-storey high and are visibly well protected and insulated. The Indian side has basic amenities but those are way behind China.

A China-watcher at the New-Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation, Dr K Yhome, says, “From a military point of view, the Chinese infrastructure of airfields, roads and rail-network threatens India. Our pace is not quick enough,” he adds.

It’s important that defence planners take note of his assessment.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20111102/main7.htm

The Tribune – On the LAC Part 2; India needs to ramp up infrastructure along LAC

Ajay Banerjee writes from Fukche in Ladakh

All along the backbreaking drive on the 109-km dirt track connecting Loma, Fukche and Demchok, it is disconcerting to see how India has failed to lay a metalled road on a flat plain-like plateau in South-Eastern Ladakh despite its announced focus on ramping up infrastructure along the Chinese frontier.

The story of the dirt track repeats itself if an approach is to be made to Chushul, another area on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. Rather, for Chushul – it is the place where the epic battle of Rezang La was fought in 1962 – there are two approaches and both are dirt tracks. One road takes off from south of the Pangong Tso lake and the other one takes off from Loma. Men like Phuntsog Namgayal, local councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill District Council, echo the demand saying “we have lot of troubles, at least the road should be good”.

Loma, around 180 km south-east of Leh and located along the banks of the Indus, is the bifurcation point for two important approaches towards the sensitive LAC. A left turn takes off to Chushul and the last 68-km stretch is a dirt track. New Delhi now wants to make up and is planning a road to Chushul that will travel a different route and be behind the mountains hence movement on it will be outside visual range of the Chinese.

The other road from Loma goes across a bridge on the Indus and leads to a dirt track to Fukche and Demchok, both located smack on the LAC but 20 km apart, west-to-east. The 109 km drive takes more than three hours in one of the high-end SUVs.

Sources point out that the road work on the stretch had hit a hurdle as the area falls under the “Chumathang cold desert wildlife sanctuary” which was notified around 10 years ago.

There is not a single tree along the route and the population, as per government records, is less than 900. A few hundred wild animals like the Kiang – a kind of mix between a horse and a donkey – inhabit the area. In the second week of October, an independent survey of the animal population was completed and it is hoped the road work will commence in the next fiscal after formal clearance from the environment impact assessment committee.

India’s planning on this front has been faulty despite it having stationed its military outposts at Demchok and Fukche since 1965 and even earlier at Chushul. In contrast, China set up its military posts across the LAC in 2008. Along with the posts have come fully metalled roads, well-stocked storehouses and concrete accommodation for its troops. The difference between India and China’s infrastructure is glaring in these parts of the LAC. The Chinese efforts are visible as one looks across the Indus that runs along the LAC. The Chinese watch towers at Domshele and Demchok are triple-storeyed concrete structures and are visibly well-protected and insulated.

Only now has India ramped up facilities for its jawans at Chushul and provided them with the latest DRDO-built accommodation where inside temperatures can be controlled even if it’s snowing outside.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20111101/main2.htm

The Tribune – on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) Part 1 – India lags far behind Chinese preparedness

Despite surface calm, Delhi can’t afford to lower its guard

Ajay Banerjee writes from Demchok in Ladakh

The bluish-green waters of the Indus flow sluggishly as it cuts a wide swath over the plateau of Ladakh. The river divides India and China. Unlike the volatile Indo-Pak border, the tension between the two countries is not visible here.

There are no barbed wire fences or gun-toting soldiers patrolling with a finger on the trigger.

Amidst craggy mountains, the two edgy neighbours keep a hawk eye on each other. The entire operation from the Indian side is largely invisible with the emphasis more on keeping an eye. Faced with an aggressive China across the Himalayas, India has been steadily ramping up its defences along the eastern fringes of the Ladakh plateau that forms the contentious Line of Actual Control (LAC) with its neighbour.

Recent efforts by India include creation of roads and airfields besides setting up top-of-the-line surveillance equipment like radars, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and long-range observation and reconnaissance systems (LORROS). There are hundreds of trained Army personnel – serving and retired – deployed to watch any suspicious movement. One of the concerns is transgression by the Chinese into Ladakh on account of “differing perceptions” of the LAC.

New Delhi’s efforts are, however, languid when compared with Beijing’s blistering pace. China started setting up its military posts along this segment of the LAC in 2008 and has marched ahead. It has built metalled roads right till the LAC on its side, created six new airfields in Xinjiang and western Tibet coupled with massive accommodations for its Army’s comfort. From Demchok, the Chinese fortifications, including a glass and concrete watchtower, are an impressive sight.

On the other hand, India struggles with road clearances typical of a democracy. Important approaches to LAC on the Indian-side are dirt tracks. One of its new airfields at Nyoma is just coming up while another at Kargil will be expanded. There are only two full-fledged airbases at Leh and Thoise. Accommodation for its forces has only started changing in small pockets. General Officer Commanding (GoC) of the Leh-based 14 crops Lt-Gen Ravi Dastane says, “We are watching their capability as it develops.” Intentions can change very fast, he added in a subdued tone that conveyed extreme caution.

Of late, though, India has been making an effort to counter any possible Chinese threat or adventure. Indian manpower is backed by latest sophisticated gadgetry. Placed on mountain tops on the Indian side of the LAC is equipment that relays real-time data and pictures to commanders at three separate places. Vital posts atop mountains overlooking China operate the LORROS. This is an electronic visual aid that provides pictures and videos of approaching threats and movement up to 15 km across the LAC. At one of such posts located at 16,000 feet, movement of Chinese vehicles in the valley down below is clearly visible on the computer screen of the machine. This has been fitted with a hand-held thermal imager that allows capturing of data and images at night.

The Army also has specialised Unmanned Ariel Vehicles (UAVs) that look behind each and every nook and cranny in this tree-less expanse. On its side, India has also set up radars on possible ingress routes. These capture any intrusions made by the Chinese through the air, however, the standard procedure remains “no shooting” even at UAVs.

The last of the efforts is thousands of human eyes. Besides the Army and the ITBP, a large part of the information network comprises retired soldiers of the Ladakh scouts. Hony Capt Cherring Stobdan, a gallantry awardee of 1999, says, “All former soldiers keep in regular touch with local Army units and inform them of any unusual activity across the border.” Indian soldiers from crack divisions like the para-commandos regularly practise in the area to get a feel of the terrain and to keep themselves acclimatised for these altitudes. Yet it is apparent that India needs to do much more if it needs to feel secure against China on this sensitive border.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20111031/main3.htm