Last village before Doklam lives in shadow of IndiaChina row
month-long standoff over a dispute triggered by Beijing’s claim over the territory. Both India and its ally Bhutan dispute the claim.
As the last Indian habitation high up in the Himalayas on the way to Doklam, Kuppup has a ringside view of the festering dispute. As tensions ratchet up on the international border, residents of Kuppup — a hamlet of 200-odd tin-roofed huts — have decided to stay tight-lipped.
“There is enough trouble nearby. We don’t need more trouble,” says a 54-year-old housewife who runs a tea stall from her roadside home.
Overshadowed by giant peaks dotted with outposts of the Chinese army, Kuppup villagers are reminded of the Chinese presence even in normal times. Around a corner of the road leading to Doklam that is heavily patrolled by Indian troops of the 17 Mountain Division, a signboard reads: “Caution: Chinese observation starts”.
Local officials have also told the villagers not to speak out of turn, particularly to any outsider adventurous enough to undertake the arduous, sevenkilometre trek to Kuppup from the Nathula border pass.
The media, in particular, is unwelcome.
“We have a magisterial order to detain media persons here,” explains a local Sikkim police official while escorting out this correspondent.
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