Remembering India’s capitulation on Tibet

Prime Minister Nehru, the current Dalai Lama, President Rajendra Prasad and the 10th Panchen Lama in 1956 at New Delhi at the 2500th anniversary of the birth of the Buddha

Ajai Shukla

Business Standard, 9th Aug 11

An article in The New York Times last Saturday speculated that Beijing would try to legitimise its hand-selected (and therefore illegitimate) Panchen Lama, Gyaltsen Norbu, by sending him to study in the Labrang Monastery in Xiahe at the somewhat advanced age of 21. Xiahe is in China’s Gansu province, but in the Amdo region of traditional Tibet, which the communists carved up between five Chinese provinces bordering the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). Gyaltsen Norbu badly needs the credibility of Labrang Monastery; he was declared the 11th Panchen Lama by Chinese authorities, six months after they arrested the 11-year-old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, who had been declared the 11th Panchen Lama by the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, following traditional Tibetan practice. Most Tibetans believe Gedhun Choekyi Nyima (often called “the youngest political prisoner in the world”) is the legitimate 11th Panchen Lama, while Gyaltsen Norbu is disparaged as “the Chinese Panchen Lama”.

This typically clumsy Chinese manoeuvre is a mere sideshow to the big story in Tibet, which is a six-month long security lockdown that has gone largely unreported in the world press. The lockdown, which has involved mass repression of Tibetans and hundreds of preventive arrests, was triggered by Beijing’s determination to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the “peaceful liberation of Tibet”, which took the form of the 17-Point Agreement (full form: Agreement of the Central People's Government and the Local Government of Tibet on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet).

The 17-Point Agreement, through which Lhasa bowed to Beijing’s sovereignty on 23rd May 1951, was India’s capitulation more than Tibet’s. After the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) marched into Tibet in October 1950 and destroyed the Tibetan army, India’s army chief, General (later Field Marshall) KM Cariappa declared that India could spare no more than a battalion (800 men) to block the Chinese invasion alongside the Tibetans. Then New Delhi refused to back Lhasa’s request for the United Nations to adopt a resolution against the Communist invasion. With global attention focused on the Korean War, and with India hoping to mediate between China and the US-led coalition, India feared that sponsoring Tibet’s reference to the UN would damage its leverage with China. And with Washington and London allowing New Delhi to take the lead on this issue (India, after all, was most affected by events in Tibet) China was allowed to subjugate Tibet unopposed.

New Delhi’s submissiveness obtained even less for India than it did for Tibet. The first words of the first clause of the 17-Point Agreement (“The Tibetan people shall unite and drive out imperialist aggressive forces from Tibet”) directly targeted India. New Delhi was the “imperialist” force that maintained --- continuing British practice since 1903 --- a military garrison in Gyantse, Tibet, across the Himalayas from Sikkim. Three years later India formalised its capitulation to Beijing. The Panchsheela Agreement of 1954, which recognised Chinese sovereignty over Tibet, bound India to withdraw its entire presence from Tibet.

Some of the ground ceded in that diplomatic blunder has been gradually clawed back by India. This began in 1959, when India granted refuge to the Dalai Lama and permitted the setting up of a Tibetan government-in-exile. Tens of thousands of Tibetan refugees that have trickled in over the years and continue to do so even today have set up a support base for an alternative government to the Beijing dominated one in Lhasa. Hundreds of Tibetan monks have been allowed to set up an ecclesiastical eco-system, central to Tibetan politico-religious belief, which parallels the Tibetan system that they left behind. In and around Bangalore and Mysore are the mirror images of the mighty monasteries --- Sera, Ganden and Drebung --- that were smashed during China’s “democratic reforms” and the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. Not least, India retains a core of Tibetan fighting capability in the secretive Establishment 22, manned by Tibetan volunteers who would be more than happy to be unleashed against the Chinese in their homeland.

These steps, though, are just enough to annoy China without doing what would be necessary to seriously worry Beijing. India’s reluctance to flash its teeth, and to instead keep reassuring Beijing that the Tibetan exiles are on tight leash, does little to keep alive the sense of hope that Tibetans here need for continuing their fight. New Delhi’s willingness to carry out preventive arrests of Tibetans on the eve of Chinese visits creates apprehension that India can be pressured in the same way as Nepal, which China pressures into brutal police repression of Tibetan exiles.

Nor has Tibet’s global icon, the Dalai Lama, struck any strategic notes in his quest for international support. Brushed off by New Delhi like a distant relative who has stayed too long, and avoided by foreign leaders as a political minefield, His Holiness has been reduced to engagement with second-rung celebrities like Richard Gere and support from dodgy divas like Paris Hilton and Sharon Stone. His marginalisation has been carefully orchestrated by Beijing, which reacts ferociously whenever any head of government proposes meeting the Dalai Lama. And when anyone risks Beijing’s ire, as President Obama did in meeting the Dalai Lama last month, the conversation always begins with a careful public repudiation of Tibetan independence. Sadly, India, despite all the levers it holds in Tibet, follows that same cautious path.

The hopelessness that has seeped through the Tibetan exile community in India manifests itself in a growing rejection of the Dalai Lama’s “Middle Path”, which involves a non-violent engagement with Beijing about Tibetan autonomy rather than independence. India’s many angry Tibetan youngsters are held back for now by their enormous respect for the 14th Dalai Lama, but his passing on will create a problem for China that will be far more potent than the legitimacy of the 11th Panchen Lama. If New Delhi looks ahead and calibrates its response inventively, it may go some way towards recreating the leverage in Tibet that it lost in the 1950s.

2006 ARTICLE ON Nathu La : handshake over the Himalayas

by Ajai Shukla

Business Standard: 6th June 2006

Dateline: Nathu La, Sikkim

The road starts winding upwards even before leaving Gangtok. We will climb more than 8000 feet in the 55 kilometers that separate Sikkim’s capital from the towering 14,000 foot border post of Nathu La. There was little army visible in Gangtok, but the road to the border is full of military signposts. Nathu La has long been one of the most heavily defended borders of India. It was here, in 1967, five years after the 1962 humiliation, that India signalled that it could stand up to China. When a party of Indian jawans, who were fencing the Nathu La pass, came under Chinese fire, India struck back, killing over 200 Chinese soldiers in six days of full-scale battle. The same strand of wire over which that battle was fought still separates two of the world’s major armies.

But Nathu La is increasingly a symbol of cooperation, rather than confrontation. The young Chinese post commander on the pass smilingly posed for photographs with us. A few yards away, history was being created: a single bulldozer knocked away a slim wall of frozen earth between the brand new roads that both countries had taken up to the pass, creating in one blade sweep the first road connection between India and China. Gangs of workers are fencing the 7 kilometres stretch from Nathu La to India’s newly built border trading post of Sherathang. Work has already begun on a new two-lane highway from Nathu La to Sherathang that will carry truckloads of goods to and from the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). Actual trading at Sherathang is scheduled to begin in July 2006.

Sherathang Border Trading Post, perched beside the high-altitude Manju Lake, was born out of China’s first concession to India on the border dispute, during Prime Minster Vajpayee’s visit to Beijing in June 2003. With typical Chinese obliqueness, Beijing proposed a trading point at Nathu La, in effect admitting that it was the border between India and China. Sikkim, thus, was recognised as a part of India. But a trading post at Sherathang had to overcome entrenched prejudices. The Indian army has long opposed the construction of roads from the Sino-Indian border into the interior. The logic: China could use them as logistics arteries for invading India. Nor has Beijing been historically enthusiastic about opening up sensitive areas like Tibet and Xinjiang to foreign trade and, by extension, meddling. 

But China, under the pragmatic Deng Xiao-ping, first saw the inevitability of border trade for these regions. Deng’s philosophy of zhoubian zhengce (periphery policy) envisaged the development of the China hinterland by developing trade linkages with the countries with whom they shared borders (zhoubian guojia, or periphery countries) rather than relying on prosperity trickling across thousands of kilometres from the prosperous eastern seaboard of China. First implemented through the South China Growth Triangle and the Greater Mekong Basin Growth Triangle, this policy is now being embraced for its western provinces --- Xinjiang and Tibet --- as well.

There was little choice for Beijing but to allow those provinces to look outwards for trade and growth. A breakdown of FDI that flowed into China from 1987-97 indicates that the inland provinces in the west got only 12.4% of the total, with a per capita FDI of just USD 3.8. Compare that with the coastal provinces that garnered as much as USD 33.5 in per capita FDI. There was clearly more danger in poverty-fuelled unrest in the inland provinces than from opening out to neighbouring countries. 

Any residual reluctance in Beijing or New Delhi was over-ridden by Gangtok’s enthusiasm. A study team constituted by the Sikkim government has projected that trade through Nathu La could cross Rs 200 crores by 2007, Rs 2200 crores by 2010, and Rs 12,000 crores by 2015. For local economies, short of manufacturing and production resources, this trade flow would have a transformative effect on both revenue and employment. And so, Gangtok has created, in a four month burst of construction, all the infrastructure required for trading to begin. In 29 spanking new administrative blocks are the immigration and customs facilities, bonded warehouses, quarantine facilities, offices for chambers of commerce, display shops, a branch of the State Bank of India, a post office, and what is touted as the highest cybercafé in the world. And RITES has been given the consultancy for planning a permanent infrastructure.

Gangtok believes that trading through Nathu La is in a different league from the other local trade agreements that India has with countries like Myanmar and Bangladesh. The only other road, the Lhasa-Kathmandu highway, is 500 km longer than the Nathu La route to the plains of India. And when trade linkages shake off the shackles of xenophobic nationalism, the road to Sherathang will also become for Lhasa, the road to Kolkata, providing the Tibet Autonomous Region with a port connection. And for the north-eastern states of India, an increasingly prosperous Tibet will be a closer and more lucrative trading market than the north Indian markets. A similar logic drives Beijing’s support for the Stillwell Road that could someday connect Kunming in China with Assam, through Myanmar.

The 1962 war had destroyed centuries-old trade linkages carrying benefits across these borders. Now, if New Delhi and Beijing handle their border areas with the confidence of major powers, these linkages could come alive again.

Chidambaram cited the example given by the State Bank Chairman that car sales picked up momentum after the reduction of EMIs. SBI was selling 400 cars per day when the EMI was Rs 1,766 per lakh per month for seven years loan. The sales jumped to 700 cars per day, when the EMI was brought down to Rs 1,725. It shot up further to 1,200 cars, once the EMI was further reduced to Rs 1,699.

15 AUG, 2012, 06.41AM IST, SWAMINATHAN S ANKLESARIA AIYAR,ET BUREAU 

Independence Day: Why Partition was a good thing for India

source: Economic Times

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Utopians wish Partition had never happened. Supposed realists say Partition was inevitable. I would go a step further and say it was desirable.

Today we celebrate the 65th anniversary of India's independence. Some mourn it as the 65th anniversary of India's partition, which killed a million people and forced 10 million to flee across borders for safety.

Utopians wish Partition had never happened. Supposed realists say Partition was inevitable. I would go a step further and say it was desirable.

Had the British left without Partition, Hindu-Muslim antagonism would have escalated into civil war, leading ultimately to an even bloodier Partition. The civil war would have converted India into a hotbed of Hindu communalism and violence, with secularists sidelined as traitors or worse. Partition, warts and all, has been a better outcome.

Some well-meaning Hindus want the two countries to unite again. They have no idea how utterly insulting the suggestion seems to Pakistanis. For Pakistan, Independence Day celebrates independence from Hindu dominance no less than British dominance. To suggest returning to an undivided India means, to them, a return to Hindu dominance. This is as insulting to most Pakistanis as suggesting a return to the British Raj would be to Indians.

Partition was not inevitable. One myth fed to youngsters is that Britain forced Partition on India. That's wrong. After arguing for years that Hindus and Muslims could work together, Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabhbhai Patel failed the acid test of working with the Muslim League when the British put them together in the interim Cabinet of 1946-47.

Muslim League finance minister Liaqat Ali riled Congress ministers by holding up financial sanctions for even minor things they proposed. Liaqat then presented a high-tax budget in 1947 to soak businesses that had made huge profits in World War II. Congressmen interpreted this as an attack on Hindu businessmen by a Muslim finance minister.

This was an unwarranted, communal interpretation: the high taxes fell equally on Hindu and Muslim businesses. Yet, Congress stalwarts concluded it was impossible to work with Jinnah, and that a clean Partition would be better. That's how Partition happened, through the voluntary agreement of both the Congress and the Muslim League.

Today, we are used to coalition governments kowtowing to minority partners. Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi kowtowed to the Left Front in 2004-09 and to Mamata Banerjee after 2009. In retrospect, it seems amazing that Nehru and Patel could not put up with Liaqat's needling. If only they had kept their cool and accommodated the Muslim League, some people argue, Partition would have been avoided, and the subcontinent would have been a far better, more peaceful place.

Sorry, but this totally ignores the desire of Muslims for a nation of their own, and their willing to make great sacrifices for that end. A Pakistani once told me that every time they hear of a communal riot in India, they thank Allah that they achieved liberation from Hindu domination and hypocritical crap about secularism.

Editorial The Hindu:Please come back

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Howsoever intangible the source or origin of rumours, their effect on normal, everyday life can be devastatingly real. As students and workers from Assam and other north-eastern States flee south Indian cities fearing ethnically-targeted violence, India’s tenuous social fabric is once again under severe strain. Mysterious calls and text messages about impending attacks in retaliation for the violence against Muslims in Assam have spread panic among people from the northeast working or studying in south Indian cities. Apart from a handful of minor incidents in Bangalore, there was no violence on the ground there or in any south Indian city that saw thousands of people from the northeast quit jobs and leave their studies midway to return home. That rumours could set off such panic speaks to the sense of insecurity that the young migrants lived under. While people from the northeast had no difficulty in getting jobs and gaining admission to educational institutions in the south, they have discovered that their distinctive physical features always marked them out as outsiders. They filled a gap in the market economy, but found no social acceptance beyond their immediate environment. A few months ago, Richard Loitam, a student from Manipur, died under mysterious circumstances after he was assaulted by college mates over a trivial issue. Well before the current crisis, his death caught the headlines and unsettled migrants from the northeast in cosmopolitan Bangalore.

For all the technical means at their disposal, the authorities concerned do not appear to have expended much energy in trying to trace the source of this sinister rumour-mongering. Many of the SMSs circulating contain fabricated information about attacks by Muslims on people from the northeast, including killings, suggesting there are unknown individuals and groups out there actively trying to create panic and drive a wedge between these two minority groups. The intelligence agencies must spare no effort to identify these elements. Reassurances of security aside, what the panic-stricken people need are immediate, evident steps on the ground that enhance security and ensure peace. Over the long-term, ‘mainland’ India needs to be more welcoming toward its fellow-citizens from the northeast. Discrimination and harassment at the workplace and at educational institutions can breed deep insecurity, which could then, at the slightest trigger, lead to panic situations. There should be zero-tolerance of prejudice against ethnic or other minorities. This is the assurance with which every effort must be made to bring all those who have fled in the last 72 hours back to their homes, jobs and studies in the south. 

Railway facilitates lives in Tibet

By Da Qiong in Lhasa and Li Yao in Beijing (China Daily)

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway has passed safety and environmental tests and brought economic prosperity to formerly inaccessible Tibetan areas.

Around 550 kilometers of the 1,956-km railway on the world's highest plateau is laid on permafrost. Linking Xining, capital of Qinghai province, and Lhasa, capital of the Tibet autonomous region, it has transported more than 52 million people and 240 million metric tons of goods since it became fully operational in July 2006.

In 2011, Tibet received 8.6 million tourists, up from 1.8 million visitors in 2005. Tibet's tourism industry generated 9.7 billion yuan ($1.53 billion) in revenue in 2011, five times the amount in 2005.
Qinghai attracted 60 million tourists, bringing revenue of 35 billion yuan, in the past six years.
Tibetan nomads and farmers are benefiting from businesses such as home inns, restaurants and tour guide services. More than 236,000 people work for the tourism industry in 1,363 companies in Tibet.
Pasang Dondrub, a Lhasa resident, makes a living by accompanying tourists during their tours of Tibet. His business has boomed because of the increasing number of tourists brought by the railway.
He earned 60,000 yuan from May to October 2011, three times his yearly income before 2006. With 20 years' experience, he is frequently recommended to new clients, and sometimes the number of calls is overwhelming.

His nephews, Purbunamgyl, Dradul and Gunganamgyl, have joined the car rental business and each earned about 50,000 yuan during the six-month peak season last year.

They often pick up guests at Lhasa Railway Station. "Each time I see a train arriving, I tell myself the railway has brought me friends from across the country and a good income," Pasang Dondrub said.
Purbu Dondrub, head of Liuwu village, which is separated from Lhasa by a river, said villagers used to take ferries or climb mountains to go to the city. Now the village is included in the new Liuwu district where Lhasa Railway Station is located. Participating in the construction of both the station and the new district, Purbu Dondrub said his household income has jumped to 50,000 yuan from 2,000 yuan before 2006.

The railway also facilitates communication and exchange of goods between Tibet and other parts of China. Specialty goods, such as barley wine, mineral water and yak meat, as well as Tibetan medicine, incense and carpets, are popular outside the region.

"The railway ended the era of supply shortages in Tibet," said Liang Chunming, a solar power businessman in Tibet.
Liang, from Xi'an, Shaanxi province, used to worry about shipping goods to Tibet. Without the railway line, shipment could only be done on a small scale and took a long time.
Since the railway was completed, transportation costs and the damage rate have been reduced and the sales volume significantly increased, allowing his business to continue to boom, he said.
Geleg, 23, from Lhasa's rural suburbs, is a third-year student at the University of Science and Technology Beijing. After a summer vacation at home, he took the train back to school on Aug 13, a 42-hour trip costing 180 yuan at the student discount rate.
Ten years ago, it took him more than four days when he traveled to study in East China's Zhejiang province. His father drove a truck and dropped him off in Lhasa, where he took a bus to the airport and flew to Chengdu, Sichuan province. He then traveled by train to Zhejiang province.
For years, he did not go back home during the winter and summer vacations because he could not afford such trips.

"The Qinghai-Tibet Railway has greatly helped students like me," Geleg said.
During the construction of the railway, planners and construction companies worked hard to protect the plateau's fragile ecology, biodiversity and rich ethnic traditions.
To ensure the normal migration of wild animals, 33 special passages were built along the railway. All passenger trains leaving or entering Tibet are equipped with an advanced system to collect waste and sewage to prevent pollution.
Contact the writers at liyao@chinadaily.com.cn and daqiong@chinadaily.com.cn

Of the 90,000 Tibetans taking refuge in India, 30,000 live in different settlements in Karnataka. The Bylakuppe settlement in Kodagu district alone is home to over 20,000 Tibetans

Tibetan Plateau much older than though

Tibetan Plateau much older than thought, new study finds

Researchers' radioactive dating finds high topography began maybe 30 million years ago





The rise of one of the highest, flattest places on Earth, the Tibetan Plateau in China's Sichuan province, began much earlier than thought, according to a new study.

"Our study suggests that high topography began to develop as early as 30 million years ago, and perhaps was present even earlier," Penn State researcher Eric Kirby said in a statement.
Most researchers believe the high mountains in eastern Tibet developed during the past 10 million to 15 million years as deep crust beneath the central Tibetan Plateau flowed to the surface, thickening the Earth's crust and causing the area to rise, Kirby said. But Kirby and his colleagues used radioactive dating to find the uplift began twice as early.

The study may help scientists better understand the complicated processes going on beneath the Himalayan Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau.

The Tibetan Plateau, with an average elevation of about 16,000 feet (4,900 meters), lies at the intersection of the most vigorous collision of continental plates on the planet, where the Indian continental plate rams into the Eurasian plate and dives beneath it.

Kirby looked at samples taken from the hanging wall of the Yingxiu-Beichuan fault, the primary fault responsible for the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan. The researchers used a variety of dating methods, including uranium-thorium radiometric dating, to tease out the ages of the rocks, which tells when they formed and gives clues to when they lifted. This method determines the age of a material by measuring the relative abundance of uranium-234 and thorium-230. The former decays into the latter at a known rate, and by looking at relative levels of each in a given rock layer, scientists can guess the age of the rocks.

The results of the testing, detailed Aug. 5 in the online edition of the journal Nature Geoscience, suggest rocks in the area formed about 30 million to 50 million years ago while undergoing intense erosion. After the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates began about 50 million years ago, portions of the Tibetan plateau began to lift.  As the collision progressed, material from the lithosphere (the solid outer shell of the planet) below the surface crust was pushed toward the east, toward modern-day China. But exactly how and when this happened is a matter of debate. This study suggests this process started earlier than some have assumed.
"These results challenge the idea that the topographic relief along the margin of the plateau developed entirely in the Late Miocene, 5 to 10 million years ago," Kirby said. "The period of rapid erosion between 25 to 30 million years ago could only be sustained if the mountains were not only present but actively growing at this time."
source: msnbc.msn.com

“India will be poverty free if it adopts the idea of Sikkim”

Source: iSikkim & Sikkim Mail 

Gangtok, August 17, 2012:

The Chief Minister, Pawan Chamling announced introduction of e-textbooks and teaching materials from the next academic session, free education to the orphans and the physically challenged children belonging to BPL families, seat reservation for primitive tribes in higher education from the next academic session and pension for unmarried women above 45 year during the occasion of the 66^th Independence Day celebrations organized at Palzor Stadium.
Further, some of the major announcements made by the CM on the day was the formation of Primitive Tribe Development Board, Employment Security Commission and Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry Development Board, enhancement of the daily wages of the laborers from April 2013 and enhancement of existing monthly financial assistance of Rs. 800 and Rs. 1500 to Rs.3000 per month to Worls War veterans and widows of two World Wars are some of the major announcements made by the CM.
Likewise, the CM in his address also announced of cash award of Rs. 1 lakh, Rs. 75,000 and Rs. 50,000 to the State toppers in the CBSE class X and XII board examinations, enhanced incentives for undergoing PhD and Post Doctorate courses, conduction of aptitude test for children, introduction of pre-primary classes in all Government primary Schools from the next academic session, specialized coaching for local Sikkimese graduates for IAS and allied services coaching in renowned coaching centers in the country, banking probationary services, Defense service in the country, banking probationary offices services, Defense services officers cadre, Aeronautical Engineering, Space Engineering and Aerospace engineering, Music, Dance and Sports etc every year, additional cash incentives of Rs. 2 crore, Rs. 1 crore and Rs. 50 Lakhs to the local Sikkimese winning Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in the Olympics, in addition, those securing Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in the Olympics shall also be appointed in the Lowest Gazetted post in the State Government, establishment of sports academy for archery, boxing and football, training to the youths in the different sectors in order to develop marketable skills and professional expertise among them, upgrading the existing Capacity Building Institute and Livelihood Schools into world class training centres like the Finishing Schools in the developed nations, implementation of CATCH programme in all the schools across the state to assess health status of the children and carry out preventive medication, upgrading the Hotel Management Institute in the state and strengthening it for facilitating training of Sikkimese youths at larger scale, enhancement of the daily wages of laborers from April 2013, pension for unmarried women above 45 years of age as part of social security measures, and, enhancement of existing monthly financial assistance of Rs. 800 and Rs. 1500 to veterans and widows of two World Wars to Rs. 3000 per month.
Adding further, the CM also listed the most backward and remotest villages of the State which he announced to develop together with other developed villages to make Sikkim a totally developed state. The list includes 30 villages of west, 22 of south, 21 of east and 10 of north Sikkim.  In total, 83 villages of the state will be developed. Highlighting the developments Sikkim has witnessed under the SDF government and remarkable achievements CM Chamling threw an essay writing competition among the students on Sikkim and announced of awarding Rs 1 lakh, Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000 to the top 3 essay writers along with 4 consolation prize of Rs. 10,000.
Similarly, preparation of State and District disaster management plans, formation of State Disaster Response Force and transforming all the schools in the state as disaster safe structure are the prominent features of the proposed Road Map and strengthening of Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority as announced by the CM. As affirmed by the CM, some of the other proposed Road Map and Strengthening of Sikkim State Management Authority are Sikkim State Disaster Management Policy, Sikkim State Disaster Management Plan, District Disaster Management Plans for four Districts, Gangtok Urban Disaster Management Plan, City Disaster Management Plans for all cities, using the Gangtok Urban Disaster Management Plan as a model, setting up an effective “Fire Safety System”, Model Village Disaster Management Plans, subsequently to be implemented across all villages of the state,  formation of Sikkim State Disaster Response Force, and, State School Safety Programme, making all schools disaster safe structurally as well as through capacity building activities. In addition, National Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction Management shall be organized on 17^th-18^th September this year which shall also mark the first anniversary of the devastating earthquake last year.
Adding further, the CM also called on the students to develop a sense of ownership towards the state and at the same time urged the people of Sikkim to contribute  towards progress and prosperity of the Nation at large. The State government desires to give equal, best and standard education to all the students of the state. Academic degrees are not sufficient for leading a good quality life but the knowledge on life and living is the essence of good living. Fundamental Rights do not give the right of parallel standard of living thus we need to improve our living standard by ourselves said the CM and also assured of 100 percent electrification, drinking water provision and housing scheme across the state.
Likewise, he notified that the State Government is working for upliftment of the underprivileged people of the State through various initiatives and said that India will be a poverty free country if it adopts the idea of Sikkim. “We know there are challenges ahead. The global scenario is likely to upset our 12^th Plan projection in Sikkim and also nationally. As free citizens, left to our own destiny, we must devise ways to power up the economy through our collective commitment. Like we enjoy equal rights and privileges as citizens of this great nation, we also shoulder great responsibility towards progress and prosperity of the Nation,” he asserted.
“Through our hard work and our unwavering commitment, we can transform India into the most developed Nation. And I am confident that based on our historical legacy, the people of Sikkim as part of the larger Indian entity, will contribute immensely towards progress and prosperity of the Nation at large”, the CM said.
During the occasion, the CM after unfurling the Indian Tricolor received the Independence Day salute. The 66^th Independence Day Celebration saw parade by Platoons of Indo Tibetan Border Police, Seema Shasastra Bal, Sikkim Armed Police, Indian Reserve Battalion, Sikkim Police, Sikkim Home Guard, NCC Platoons from Sir Tashi Namgyal SSS, Tashi Namgyal Academy, West Point SSS, Brihaspati Parsai SSS, PNG School, Bharat Scouts and Guides and Brass and Pipe Bands from Indian Army, Sikkim Police and TNA.
The ITBP Platoon walked away with the best Platoon Trophy while PNG School walked away with the best NCC/ Scouts and Guides Trophy. Likewise, the Sikkim Police Band was handed over with Consolation Trophy.
The State Level 66th Independence Day Celebration in the capital also witnessed Band display by Indian Army and Sikkim Police along with drill display by the students of Modern SS, West Point SSS, Burtuk JHS, Rongay JHS, Upper Syari JHS and Enchey SSS. Colourful cultural programmes were also presented by the artistes from the Department of Cultural Affairs and Heritage and the students of Deorali Girls Senior Secondary School, Tadong Senior Secondary School, PNG School and Livelihood School.
Ten government employees  were conferred with the State Meritorious Service Award for their dedicated and exemplary services, while Sub – Fire Officer of Singtam Fire Station, ST Lepcha was presented the Fire Service Medal for Meritorious Service which was conferred on him on the occasion of Independence Day, 2011.
Similarly, the CM also  released Sikkim Biodiversity Action Plan published by Forest, Environment and Wildlife Management Department, Village Development Action Plan and MGNREGA-Building Sikkim published by the Rural Management and Development and Booklets on Dairy Farming, Piggery Farming and Poultry Farming-Layer and Broiler-published by Animal Husbandry Livestock Fisheries and Veterinary Services Department. The official website of Animal Husbandry Department, www.sikkim-ahvs.gov.in was also launched during the occasion.
Sikkim Mail

PM said miscreants spreading rumours that have led to people belonging to North East flee from Bangalore, Pune and other parts of the country, should be brought to book and noted that at stake is not just unity and integrity of the country, but also communal harmony.

Officials estimate the number of people from the North East, including students, residing in Bangalore in the range of 2.5 lakh and 2.75 lakh.

"...The mischief mongers and anti-national elements behind the electronic campaign to create panic should be urgently investigated by the authorities," the resolution read out by Chairman Hamid Ansari said.

• 

On Wednesday night, 6,900 passengers headed home in two special trains and the Guwahati Express. Depending on the demand, two more special trains are likely to be run on Friday. Thanks to the rumours (about natives of the Northeast being under threat), security firms, BPOs, restaurants and hotels, beauty parlours, colleges and schools, where they can be found in substantial numbers, wore a deserted look on Thursday. This, despite assurances from the Karnataka government, police, concerned citizens and representatives of Muslims, that they need not be scared.

Lalrokhuma Pachau, Karnataka DGP who hails from the Northeast, also appealed to people not to listen to rumours.

RSS workers in all localities in the city to reach out to people from the Northeast and to assure them security

Calling people from the Northeast among the “most pleasant tempered” in the service sector, Tabrez Ahmed Iqbal, who is part of a group of owners of a Chinese restaurant chain with as many as 30 outlets in the city, said 90 per cent of his 1,400 employees belonged to the region.

“Out of the 1,200 employees in our hotel chain, as many as 400 are from the Northeast... They are central to our operations and now they are leaving,” said Junaiz K, COO and general manager of the Empire Group of Hotels that has properties all around Bangalore.

Thursday, 16 August 2012 7:11 PM

 

PRESS RELEASE

            The Sikkim  Government has taken a very serious view over the situation arising over the reported news of attack on the North Eastern people residing in Bengaluru and Pune.

            In order to ensure safety of Sikkimese residing in these cities,  the Chief Secretary of Sikkim, Mr. Karma Gyatso, IAS, spoke to Mr. S.V. Ranganath, IAS, the Chief Secretary of Karnataka.  Mr. Gyatso conveyed the Sikkim Government’s concern about the safety of Sikkimese to his counterpart.  In response the Chief Secretary of Karnataka gave full assurance as regards the safety of Sikkimese in Bengaluru.  He also assured the State Government of Sikkim that the law and order  in Karnataka was under control and therefore there was no reason to worry or panic as regards to safety of life and limb.

            Shri Karma Gyatso has also requested the Hon’ble Speaker, Shri K.T. Gyaltsen to take up the issue with the Karnataka Government during his visit to the State which is scheduled for 18^th of September, 2012.

( K.S. Tobgay ),

                                                                                         Secretary, IPR.

Data source: The Financial Times *First quarter of 2011

Stick to the basic of value investing.

What industry will be the next growth driver in the 21st century and what do you see that supports that? " legendary value investor Warren Buffett was once asked. Can you guess what answer he must have given? He simply said, "We don't worry too much about that." He went on to elaborate with the example of the automobile and the airplane industry. It was impossible back in the 1930s how much these two industries would impact the world. They have indeed been a great boon for society. However, for investors both these sectors have been absolute disasters. Of the 2,000 automobile companies that had mushroomed during that period, only a handful have survived. The fate of the airline industry has been even worse, with perpetual losses of billions of dollars.

The fate of a much-touted emerging sector has reaffirmed that Mr Buffett's wisdom has no expiry date. We are referring to the solar energy equipment sector. It goes without doubt that the world has little choice but to gradually switch towards sustainable and renewable energy sources. And solar energy is definitely a sector with very high potential. But does a high growth sector necessary translate into shareholder wealth? In this case, the answer seems to be no.

The global solar photovoltaic demand surged from a little over 7,000 megawatts (MW) to nearly 20,000 MW in 2010. And as per certain estimates, the current global demand stands at about 30,000 MW. But you would be surprised to know that the Indian solar manufacturing sector is on the verge of collapse with over 80% of the units shut down. In fact, not just India, the sector is facing severe headwinds across the globe. What's the reason? The answer is extreme optimism. Currently, the manufacturing capacity is two times the demand. Over enthusiasm about the industry's high growth prospects led players to set up huge capacities. But in recent times, the sector has been facing the brunt of the crisis in the Eurozone, one of the main markets. Dormant demand in India coupled with intense competition from Chinese counterparts made matters only worse.

Whatever be the fate of the solar equipment manufacturing industry, there is one very crucial lesson that investors need to take home. Be very careful while putting your money in the so-called 'new age' sectors purely on basis of huge growth potential. At best, avoid investing in sectors that do not have a sufficiently long operating history. Another important lesson is to let go of the urge to predict the future. Stick to the basic of value investing. Invest in stocks with strong fundamentals, solid past track record and sufficient future growth visibility
By J Mulraj

REINVENT THE TOILET- THE SOLAR WAY

Poo power celebrated as solar toilet wins prize

by Mark Tran

Source: The Hindu   

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AP NOT DIRTY: Sanitation is a sensitive and unpopular subject, one that Bill Gates has attempted to relook at. The picture is of him touring the “Reinventing the Toilet” Fair in Seattle on Tuesday.

Human waste attracts less funding than other development projects but ‘Reinvent the Toilet’ challenge recognises that better hygiene can cut health-care costs and prevent early deaths

A solar powered toilet that breaks down water and human waste into hydrogen gas for use in fuel cells has won first prize in a competition for next-generation toilets to improve sanitation in the developing world.

The California Institute of Technology in the United States received the $100,000 first prize for its design. Loughborough University in the United Kingdom took the $60,000 second prize for a toilet that produces biological charcoal, minerals and clean water, and Canada’s University of Toronto came third, winning $40,000 for a toilet that sanitises faeces and urine, and recovers resources and clean water.

The winners took part in a “Reinvent the Toilet” challenge set by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which asked designers to break with a sanitation model that has changed little since it was developed by Alexander Cummings more than 200 years ago. It is a model that depends on piped water, sewer or electrical connections that poor countries can ill afford.

A year ago, the Gates Foundation issued a challenge to universities to design toilets that can capture and process waste without piped waster and transform human waste into useful resources such as energy and water.

Millennium goals

“Imagine what’s possible if we continue to collaborate, stimulate new investment in this sector, and apply our ingenuity in the years ahead,” said Bill Gates as he announced the winners on Tuesday, August 14, in Seattle, Washington state. “Many of these innovations will not only revolutionise sanitation in the developing world, but also help transform our dependence on traditional flush toilets in wealthy nations.” Sanitation and hygiene are the laggards in the millennium development goals (MDGs) of reducing extreme poverty. Basic sanitation, covering toilets, latrines, handwashing and waste, is not an MDG but a target under MDG seven on ensuring environmental sustainability.

Sanitation and hygiene have been the poor cousins in the global water, sanitation and hygiene work and programmes, outfunded by as much as 13 to one, even though most water-related diseases are really sanitation-related diseases.

In March, the U.N. announced that the world had reached the goal of halving the number of people without access to safe drinking water, well ahead of the 2015 deadline. However, the world is still far from meeting the MDG target for sanitation, and is unlikely to do so by 2015.

Only 63 per cent of the world population has access to improved sanitation, a figure projected to increase to only 67 per cent by 2015, well below the 75 per cent target in the MDGs. Currently 2.5 billion people lack access to an “improved sanitation facility”, which hygienically separates human waste from human contact.

Not high-profile

As Ban Ki-moon, the U.N. Secretary General, has acknowledged, sanitation is a sensitive and unpopular subject. It is not a high-profile issue, although the UN declared access to water and sanitation a fundamental right in 2010 and there is a U.N. rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation.

At the current rate, the world will miss the sanitation MDG target by 13 percentage points, meaning there will be 2.6 billion people without access to improved sanitation, according to the 2010 report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Unicef joint monitoring programme for water supply and sanitation. . If things carry on as they are, the MDG target will not be met until 2049.

As many as 1.2 billion people practice what the U.N. describes as “open defecation.” They go to the toilet behind bushes, in fields, in plastic bags or along railway tracks. The practice poses particular problems for women and girls, who can be subject to physical and verbal abuse or humiliation.

According to the WHO, improved sanitation delivers up to $9 in social and economic benefits for every $1 invested because it increases productivity, reduces healthcare costs, and prevents illness, disability, and early death. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2012 

Gangtok, Aug 16: 

Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling today announced that students topping standard X and XII examinations in any stream would be awarded Rs 1.75 lakh and Rs 50,000 respectively henceforth.

The highest scoring student would also be entitled to the Chief Minister’s Merit Scholarship Scheme under which he would have the opportunity to study in the top ten best universities and colleges in the world, Pawan Chamling said at the Paljor Stadium in his Independence Day speech.

If the student was selected in admission tests then the state government would bear the entire expense of their study anywhere.

For sports enthusiasts, Pawan Chamling announced cash incentives of Rs 2 crore, Rs 1 crore and Rs 50 lakh for winning gold, silver or bronze medals in any Olympics.

The state government would also honour the sports person with a gazette post, he said, adding that more sports academies for boxing, football and archery would be established in the state.

China plans tourist hub close to Arunachal

China plans tourist hub close to disputed areas near Arunachal Pradesh border

by Saibal DasguptaSaibal Dasgupta, TNN | Jun 24, 2012,

BEIJING: China is building a "golden" tourist complex in Nyingchi prefecture in Tibet, close to the disputed areas on the India-China border in Ar.

The move is bound to affect the border talks between India and China because Beijing claims that Arunachal Pradesh is part of Nyingchi prefecture.

Beijing's plans may involve attracting well-off Han Chinese from mainland China to settle in the border region to strengthen its claims over parts of Arunachal Pradesh, sources said.

The announcement comes within a day of a meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese premier Wen Jiabao on the sidelines of the Rio+20 summit in Brazil.

South China's Guangdong province will invest 400 million yuan ($63.5 million), apparently on the orders of the central government in Beijing. An additional investment of two billion yuan ($317 million) is expected to flow into Nyingchi from different enterprises once it develops as a tourist destination, Guangdong officials said.

Nyingchi can be a "potential golden tourism resource" because of its abundant virgin forests, snow mountains, rivers and pastures, according to a Guangdong official. The central government has assigned the relatively prosperous Guangdong the role of Tibet's partner province.

Beijing's plans may involve attracting well-off Han Chinese from mainland China to settle in the border region to strengthen its claims over parts of Arunachal Pradesh, sources said.

India boring border tunnels to take on China, Pakistan.

byRajat Pandit, TNN | Aug 16, 2012, 03.49AM IST

The construction of 11 more tunnels in Jammu & Kashmir, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh is now on the drawing board after “a strong endorsement’’ by the Army.NEW DELHI: India is finally kick-starting the plan to build as many as 18 tunnels along the borders with Pakistan and China for faster troop mobility as well as storage of critical war-fighting assets like missiles, without the threat of detection by enemy satellites and spy drones.

While preliminary work on seven tunnels is underway after requisite approvals, the construction of 11 more tunnels in Jammu & Kashmir, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh is now on the drawing board after "a strong endorsement'' by the Army.

With China resorting to "tunnelling in a big way'' to store important military equipment, the Army wants the tunnel construction plans in the mountains in J&K and north-east to be fast-tracked. "The tunnels will provide shelter to troops and ammunition from both enemy shelling and extreme weather. They can also be used for NBC (nuclear, chemical, biological) protection and establishing command and control centres,'' said a top official.

Actual construction work is underway only in one of the 18 proposed tunnels. But, this long-delayed 8.82-km long horse-shoe shaped tunnel under the 13,400-feet Rohtang Pass, on the Manali-Sarchu-Leh axis, is unlikely to meet its completion deadline of February, 2015. Feasibility studies and preparation of detailed project reports (DPRs) for three more tunnels at Zozila, Z-Morh and Razdhan Pass in J&K are in progress, while similar work is planned for Khardungla and Sadhana Pass in J&K and Theng in Sikkim. The other proposed tunnels include Rangpo in Sikkim and on the Balipara-Charduar-Tawang axis in Arunachal Pradesh.

The Army is anxious the existing large gaps in border infrastructure — in terms of all-weather roads, tunnels, strategic railway lines, "permanent defences'' and the like — are plugged as fast as possible. China, for instance, can move around 30 divisions (each with over 15,000 soldiers) to the borders within 30 days to outnumber Indian forces by at least 3:1 after undertaking massive infrastructure development all along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control, as earlier reported by TOI. An empowered committee under defence secretary Shashikant Sharma is scrutinizing DPRs for the proposed overall "capability development plan on the northern borders'' worth Rs 26,155 crore. While this is slated is slated for completion by 2020-2021, there is an ongoing Rs 9,243 crore project for "infrastructure development in the eastern theatre'' by 2016-2017.

The Army hopes the projects are not hit by huge time overruns like the 73 all-weather roads earmarked for construction along the three sectors of LAC close to a decade ago. Defence minister A K Antony admitted in LS this week that just 16 of those roads have been finished till now, with another 26 slated for completion by 2013, and 19 more by 2016.

Sikkim: Chinese army personnel join I-Day celebrations

Sikkim: Chinese army personnel join I-Day celebrations

August 15, 2012 17:05 IST

Giving thrust to bilateral confidence building measures on the Sino-India border, a delegation of Chinese army on Wednesday joined their Indian counterparts in celebrating India's [ Images ] Independence Day at the border post in Nathu La.

 Led by Senior Colonel Wang Ji Ping, the Chinese delegation crossed over to the Indian border post at a height of 14,130 feet and participated in the ceremony in which flags of both the nations were hoisted and national anthems sung.

The ceremony was held close to the zero border on the Nathu La pass in Sikkim.

"This action is conducive to peace and tranquility and will maintain the trust between Chinese and Indian people." Chinese delegation leader Wang Ji Ping said.

The flag hosting ceremony was followed by an interaction between Indian and Chinese delegations. Several Chinese officers had also brought their family members and children along for the celebrations.

The interaction, in which the camaraderie was clearly visible, went on for nearly two hours. As the Indian side performed bhangra and sang folk songs to entertain the visitors, the Chinese too participated enthusiastically and danced along with the hosts.

"The annual feature started after the confidence building measures which were put in place in 1993 after the treaty for border peace and tranquility," Brigadier Ravi Jhaldiyal, Commander 63 mountain brigade said.

Jhaldiyal led the Indian delegation in welcoming Chinese officers and their families.

"We have three types of activities here. First is the one which takes place on 15th of May on Chinese side and on 15th September on the Indian side. Along with that if there is any issue on the border then we have special flag meetings," he added.

"Then there are the national days of India and China where we have special meet. The intention is to basically know them and interact with them so that you have some kind of friendship with them," Jhaldiyal said.

He said these interactions and the resulting friendship helped in resolving a lot of issues on the border. "It also sorts out lots of local border issues. Minor issues, before they could escalate, are also sorted out," he said.

The interaction, in which the camaraderie was clearly visible, went on for nearly two hours during which the Indian side performed bhangra and sang folk songs to entertain the visitors. The Chinese on their part participated enthusiastically and danced along with the hosts.

Gifts were also exchanged between the two sides and the army officials said they had chosen artefacts depicting Indian culture as presents for the Chinese.

China would be now be celebrating its national day on October 1 and plans are being made for a similar participation by the Indian side, army officials said.

Anshuman G Dutta in Nathu La, Sikkim

Aye mere watan ke logon

Aye mere watan ke logon
tum khub lagaa lo naaraa
ye shubh din hai hum sab kaa
leharaa lo tirangaa pyaaraa
par mat bhulo siimaa par
veeron ne hai praan ganwaae
kuchh yaad unhein bhi kar lo
kuchh yaad unhein bhi kar lo
jo lauT ke ghar na aaye
jo lauT ke ghar na aaye

Aye mere watan ke logon
zaraa aankh mein bhar lo paani
jo shahid hue hain unki
zaraa yaad karo qurbaani

jab ghaayal hua himaalay
khatare mein padi aazaadi
jab tak thi saans ladhe wo
phir apani laash bichhaa dii
sangiin pe dhar kar maathaa
so gaye amar balidaani
jo shahid hue hain unki
zaraa yaad karo qurbaani

jab desh mein thi diwaali
wo khel rahe the holi
jab hum baithe the gharon mein
wo jhel rahe the goli
the dhanya jawaan wo aapane
thi dhanya wo unki jawaani
jo shahid hue hain unki
zaraa yaad karo qurbaani

koi sikh koi jaat maraatha
koi gorkhaa koi madaraasi
sarhad pe marane waalaa
har veer thaa bhaaratvaasi
jo khoon giraa parvat par
Wo khoon thaa Hindustaani
jo shahid hue hain unki
zaraa yaad karo qurbaani

thi khoon se lath pat kaayaa
phir bhi bandhuk uthaake
dus dus ko ek ne maaraa
phir gir gaye hosh ganwaa ke
jab ant samay aayaa to
keh gaye ke ab marte hain
khush rehanaa desh ke pyaaron
ab hum to safar karte hain
kyaa log the wo deewaane
kyaa log the wo abhimaani
jo shahid hue hain unki
zaraa yaad karo qurbaani

tum bhool naa jaao unko
is liye kahi ye kahaani
jo shahid hue hain unki
zaraa yaad karo qurbaani
jay hind... jay hind ki senaa
jay hind... jay hind ki senaa
jay hind, jay hind, jay hind

Our Parliament stands as a unique representation of the values that created our Republic – of Unity in Diversity, of Secularism, of Pluralism and of the Rule of Law.

Mustafa Quraishi/Associated Press
Boxer Mary Kom was felicitated by the Minister of Tribal Affairs in New Delhi. Ms. Kom returned to India Tuesday after winning a bronze medal in the women’s flyweight boxing event at the London Olympics

Chinese Inroads into Bhutan: Diplomatic Gimmick or Strategic Reality?

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by Medha Bisht

August 14, 2012

The past few months have been an exciting phase in Bhutan’s foreign policy. Some political analysts are questioning Bhutan’s resistance to establishing diplomatic ties with China, while others have asserted publicly that Bhutan-China relations are inevitable and would become a diplomatic reality in the years to come. Amidst these competing voices, Bhutan, for its part, has officially maintained silence over the issue. An obvious pointer to this was the way Bhutan chose silence in the wake of media reports in China and India about the interaction on developing Sino-Bhutan relations between the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigme Thinley at the sidelines of the Rio+20 summit. Significantly, the official mouth piece of Bhutan, The Kuensel, totally ignored the issue. However, a popular daily, The Bhutanese, mentioned categorically, on the basis of a Press Release issued by the Prime Minister’s office, that the “local Chinese media had misreported that Bhutan and China will establish diplomatic ties.”

Even as the dust was settling on this episode, a controversy about certain tenders being qualified to procure Chinese buses brought the China factor to the fore. According to a media source, in July 2012, a tender was given to Global Traders and Gangjung (GT), which is a supplier of Chinese vehicles. Significantly, the company’s owner is the Bhutanese Prime Minister’s son-in-law. While there has been some controversy about the transparency of the tendering process, the mandated authority, Bhutan Post Corporation Limited (BPCL), has publicly stated in a clarification letter that TATA city buses— imported from India by Samden Vehicles (SV)—had started giving problems in their first year of operation. Though SV has challenged the final decision of BPCL, the episode is however symbolic of Bhutan’s interest in Chinese goods and also speaks of China’s influence on various stakeholders in Bhutan’s domestic politics. However, this is not the first time that such linkages have come out in the public domain.

In 2010, the fifth National Assembly debate in Bhutan had noted that China had already offered to invest in projects related to health and education services. Some scholars have even written about the growing domestic interest in Bhutan to engage with China. Caroline Brassard, for instance, has mentioned the growing pressure put by the private sector, including the Bhutan Chambers of Commerce, on the government to resolve the boundary dispute.1 It can be said that the undercurrent for this pressure is to facilitate the aim of establishing economic relations with China. This became evident during the author’s interaction with the Vice President of Bhutan Chambers of Commerce and Industry who argued that a limited transactional status with China would benefit the Bhutanese economy since at present all the goods imported from China have to pass through the Calcutta port, which adds to the transactional issues and thus increases the costs of imported Chinese goods.2 Further, while local shopkeepers in Thimpu publicly deny that Chinese goods are being smuggled into Bhutan, it was found that Chinese goods are already filtering in through the North-Western borders in an informal (illegal) manner.3 Thus, while the interest to engage with China is very much present in Bhutan, the caveat of an unsettled boundary dispute remains.

Tsering Tobgay, the opposition leader in Bhutan and President of the People’s Democratic Party believes that the demarcation of the boundary is a precondition for establishing diplomatic and economic ties with China. Tobgay, who represents the Haa constituency, argues that for Bhutan, demarcation of the boundary is akin to gaining a respectful place in the international comity. He also believes that the demarcation of the boundary is a precondition for a peaceful neighbourhood since, in the absence of a settled boundary, Bhutan could become a potential flashpoint for the two nuclear Asian powers—India and China.4

Some of these sentiments were recently reiterated by Fu Ying, the Vice Foreign Minister of China. During his visit to Bhutan for the 20th round of the Sino-Bhutan boundary talks, the Chinese minister stated:

“We (China) are willing to work with Bhutan towards early establishment of diplomatic relations. The border dispute between the two countries does not cover a wide area. The two sides should speed up border talks in the spirit of mutual understanding and accommodation, with a view to arriving at a fair and reasonable and mutually acceptable solution. This will contribute to peace and stability in our border areas. We are ready to encourage Chinese businesses to expand their exports to Bhutan and welcome more people-to-people exchanges and tourism, which will help increase the mutual knowledge and friendship between our two people. We believe that Bhutan is well-placed to grasp the opportunity of the development of China and India and benefit from the great historical renaissance of Asia. Maximizing these opportunities will help Bhutan open up a new era of development.”5

Instructive as this statement is about the keen interest in China to engage Bhutan, it also in many ways reveals the confidence and the readiness of the Chinese to settle the boundary dispute with Bhutan.

While Bhutan-China relations are a matter of bilateral concern and should not be filtered through the Indian prism, the nature of the boundary dispute perhaps needs elaboration. This is because a settled boundary dispute is a precondition for facilitating diplomatic ties between China and Bhutan. The very fact that the boundary talks have been prolonged for almost four decades speaks a lot about the nature and the tradeoffs embedded in the dispute. If the dispute were to be settled along the lines of the package deal6 proposed by the Chinese, China could move further South thus occupying the Doklam plateau and attain strategic leverage and an offensive advantage over the Chumbi Valley. This, in the long term, could make the Siliguri corridor—the choke point that connects mainland India to its North East—vulnerable.

The question of Sino-Bhutan diplomatic relations, which is essentially linked to a settled boundary line, thus becomes a matter of strategic choice for Bhutan. The question to be asked therefore is whether Bhutan is prepared to make the strategic bargain. It would not be an exaggeration to state that with huge Indian investments in Bhutan’s economy, such a choice could be difficult at least until 2020 primarily due to the nature of hydel cooperation between India and Bhutan. If China seeks to replace India, is Bhutan ready to be flooded with Chinese goods, more so when its industrial belt essentially lies in the South. Some experts claim that China has interests in the timber resources of Bhutan.7 Will Bhutan be ready to make a ‘green’ sacrifice, given that preservation of natural resources has been a policy priority for Bhutan.

These are some tough questions which Bhutan’s policy makers will have to address. The question of Bhutan engaging China thus needs to be addressed at two levels. First, what will be the nature of a settled boundary dispute and is there a perceived middle way to resolve it? Second, what will be the nature and magnitude of Bhutan’s economic engagement with China and how will this equation impact upon Bhutan’s interaction with India? Addressing these two questions and finding a balance are essential before anything definitive can be said about the inevitability of Bhutan-China diplomatic relations.

Dr. Medha Bisht is Assistant Professor at the Department of International Relations, South Asian University, New Delhi. She can be contacted at medha.bisht@gmail.com.

source:INSTITUTE FOR DEFENCE STUDIES AND ANALYSES