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India, China working on Ladakh peace formula: Alternate week patrolling after disengagement
BY S VENKAT NARAYAN
Our Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI, September 29:
India and China are working on a formula wherein their troops will patrol forward locations every alternate week so as to avoid violent face-offs between soldiers on the ground.
Top government sources said this has been the established practice on the countries’ border in Northeast India, and has worked well barring the occasional face-off. However, the border infrastructure development along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, as planned by India, will continue since the activities are well within territory it controls.
“In the Northeast, both sides patrol every week to their patrolling points. We know when the Chinese are coming, and they know when we are coming. This ensures that the troops don’t come face-to-face. This is something that can be done in the forward areas of Ladakh too,” ThePrint news portal quoted an Indian source as saying.
Local commanders in the Northeast speak to each other regularly — a practice that has continued even during the Ladakh stand-off, with the Chinese even saying that both sides must ensure that what happened in the northern sector (Ladakh) should not be allowed to develop there.
“However, we are not leaving anything to chance. Our strict vigil continues all along the LAC. There has not been any kind of aggressive deployment by the Chinese in the Northeast,” the source said.
However, the sources underlined that the formula being worked out will come into effect only when disengagement at the LAC is completed.
India insists that China needs to take steps for disengagement first, since it was the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) that moved in.
According to previous India-China agreements, each side is supposed to have a patrol strength of 15-20 troopers.
However, since the 2017 Doklam stand-off, when India stepped into Bhutanese territory and blocked China’s illegal road construction activity, the PLA started bringing in bigger patrols along the LAC.
“From 15-20, the number increased to 30 and so on. It has been happening over a period of time. It came to such a point that they started coming en masse and surrounding our troops.
This resulted in scuffles, and that led to stone-throwing. Then, the Chinese started bringing in clubs and sharp weapons like machetes,” a source said.
This is what happened on 15 June in the Galwan Valley. “It was a melee. We could not open fire because the bullets could have hit our own,” the source said.
India has made it clear to China that its soldiers will open fire to defend themselves, and Chinese tactics of “using mass” will not be tolerated.
China has more than doubled its air bases, air defence positions, and heliports near the LAC since the Doklam crisis.
“The 2017 Doklam crisis appears to have shifted China’s strategic objectives, with China more than doubling its total number of air bases, air defence positions, and heliports near the Indian border over the past three years,” a report by leading global geopolitical intelligence platform Stratfor had said.
Addressing the 58th Annual General Meeting of The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) held on Monday (27) at Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo, President Ranil Wickremesinghe outlined a comprehensive strategy to propel the country’s tourism sector to new heights. Focused on surpassing the target of 5 million tourists and redefining traditional approaches, the President’s vision extends to achieving 7.5 million visitors in the coming years. The President emphasized the need for innovative thinking and collaboration within the industry to ensure sustainable growth.
“When I took over the government, I realized that sustainability alone is not sufficient. How are we going to earn foreign exchange? How are we going to have a positive balance of trade? In that, there were many suggestions. But what is the low-hanging fruit? And one of the low-hanging fruits was tourism. Let’s promote tourism fully,” President Wickremesinghe declared.
The President acknowledged the need to move beyond the existing framework and embrace competition to elevate Sri Lanka’s standing in the global tourism market. Drawing parallels with countries like Vietnam, he questioned why they had more tourists despite being in the industry for a shorter period. President Wickremesinghe stressed the importance of increasing the number of tourists to 2.5 million in the upcoming year and subsequently expanding on this figure.
(PMD)
Business
Free visas for nationals of China, India, Indonesia, Russsia, Thailand, Malaysia and Japan from Monday (27)
The Controller General of Immigration and Emigration has stated that nationals of China, India, Indonesia, Russsia, Thailand, Malaysia and Japan will be granted free visas from Monday 27-11-2023 to 31-03-2024 as a pilot program to rebuild the tourism industry.
Nationals of the above nominated countries possessing, Diplomatic, Official, Public Affairs, Services and Ordinary Passports are eligible to enjoy a visa free regime under this scheme.
The above mentioned nationals should apply for Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) before arriving in Sri Lanka subject to granting / issuing free of charge up to 31-03-2024.
Under this scheme tourists can enjoy a 30 days free visa period and a double entry facility is permitted within 30 days from the date of first arrival in Sri Lanka.
Free ETA under this scheme can be applied up to 31-03-2024.
The free ETA cannot be extended further and is limited only to thirty (30) days. In case the free ETA period of 30 days expires after 31-03-2024, an extension of visa could be applied subject to paying the appropriate fee.
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