Did Chinese soldiers (PLA) recently crossed the Indian border and prevent the local Tibetan residents from hosting the annual birthday celebration for the Dalai Lama? According to the US-based Epoch Times, the Chinese army crossed the border and stopped the celebrations.
Karmapa Lama and The Power + Money Struggle in Tibetan Buddhism
Epoch Times quoting the Economic Times states that the incident occurred on July 6. At that time, about 11 Chinese soldiers wearing plain clothes were accused of crossing the line of actual control and entered the Ladakh area. At the time, the local residents were holding the 84th birthday celebration for the Dalai Lama.
Chinese government sources said that the PLA soldiers only protested near the line of actual control, held a banner with the words “All activities to separate Tibet are prohibited,” and also did not cross the line.
However, the residents of the Ladakh region of India refuted the statement. In a Facebook page that Urgain Chodon, head of Koyul Village, posted, she shared photos of the soldiers standing next to their vehicle and the five-star flag and banner.
Delhi Looking to Improve India-China Ties while Sidelining Dalai Lama & the Tibetan Cause
She said that the village residents have been holding birthday celebration ceremonies for the Dalai Lama for a number of years. This year, for the first time, Chinese soldiers crossed the border and entered 6 kilometers into India. Not only did they put up the five-star flag representing China, but they also told them that they could not put up the Tibetan flag, claiming that it was inciting the villagers. This is believed to be the first large-scale invasion of Chinese soldiers since the confrontation between the Chinese and Indian troops in 2017.
India Denies The Claims
Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat stated that there has been no intrusion by the Chinese in Ladakh’s Demchok sector amid reports of Chinese soldiers crossing the Line of Actual Control (LAC) last week after some Tibetans hoisted Tibetan flags on the Dalai Lama’s birthday.
There is no intrusion. The matter was taken up at a flag meeting and sorted. We have a very good working relationship with the Chinese, General Bipin Rawat said on Saturday.
According to Experts that EurAsian Times talked to, It is impossible for the Chinese forces to enter the Indian territory and go back without any retaliation from the Indian security forces and the border guards. If the Chinese did enter, they must have stationed themselves at the no man’s land where Indian and Chinese soldiers often come face-to-face.
