P Stobdan’s Article on China’s Intrusion in Ladakh Published in The Indian Express
April 26, 2013
Senior Fellow, IDSA, Ambassador P Stobdan’s article on Chinese Intrusion in Ladakh, titled, ‘The Ladakh drift’ was published in the Indian Express on April 26, 2013.
Excerpt
Since 1986, China has taken land in the Skakjung area in the Demchok-Kuyul sector in Eastern Ladakh. Now, it has moved to the Chip Chap area in Northeastern Ladakh. As in Kargil, India has been lax in patrolling. Unlike the lowlands in Eastern Ladakh, the Chip Chap valley is extremely cold and inhospitable. Until end-March, it remains inaccessible, and after mid-May, water streams impede vehicles moving across the Shyok River. This leaves only a month and a half for effective patrolling by the Indian side. For China, accessibility to Chip Chap is easier. No human beings inhabit the area. No agencies except the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the army have a presence there. And both are locked in inter-departmental disputes.
