India sends out doves, China sends in copter

TENSE Chopper enters Indian territory; govt seeks third meeting

NEW DELHI: A Chinese helicopter on Wednesday brazenly flew over an Indian military base in Ladakh’s Chumar area, worsening the border impasse.

This comes a day after the failed flag meeting in which the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) officers hinted to their Indian counterparts that the current face-off at Ladakh’s Depsang Plains could be resolved if road construction and military activity in Chumar was stopped. Chumar, close to the Himachal Pradesh border, is a day’s mountainous drive from Depsang.

It is evident from the two flag meetings that PLA is totally opposed to India beefing up its defences along the Line of Actual Control.

India has requested for a third flag meeting, the date of which would be communicated by Beijing earliest by Thursday.

Top government sources said that face-off between Indian and Chinese troops entered the 10th day with both sides pitching tents only in the night to take shelter from the elements.

On Wednesday morning, a PLA helicopter conducted reconnaissance between the old and new patrol bases in the Chumar sector as well as the track junction area between Chushul and Demchok. Incidentally, it is at Demchok that the Chinese have built a huge observation post to monitor the Indian Army’s activities.

In a bid to end the deadlock diplomatically and get Chinese premier Li Keqiang to visit India, external affairs minister Salman Khurshid will make a preparatory visit to Beijing next month. However, the situation is “in flux, and no dates have been decided yet”, a source told HT. >> CONTINUED ON P9 >> KNOW WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE, P10