WHAT’S THE COST OF ARUNACHAL?

-by Roto Chobin

A game of ping-pong has been playing between India and China since the first half of 20th century, in which the state of Arunachal is being used as a ball. The British, being a judge to this game, made a mess by crushing the ball and rushed out of this game in haste, leaving behind two ambivalent countries to play with deformed ball. The so-called border talks are being held at the expense of Arunachal. The debate on border issue seems incredibly long and the outcome is not on the horizon. And if today the Arunachal is being treated as a whore, the British and Tibetan must share a part of blame. The Tibetan, who had some sway over certain part, didn’t took care of the maiden, the British broke its virginity and passed it to India, and then the India kept the state like a mistress and now China wants to have it.

Let’s take a look at the historical records to unravel if Arunachal really were a territory of China or an integral part of India. The starting place of border dispute extends back into the 19th Century, when both China and British India asserted claims to remote mountain areas between China and India. But the people of Arunachal unknown to the doom, existed as a sovereign state. In the second half of the nineteenth century, the tide of development was lapping into the foot-hills. So the British drew a line along the foot of the hills which was to be called the “Inner Line” and the “Outer Line” under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation of 1873. The Inner Line was an administrative line, in the Assam tribal areas, to keep hunters and traders out of the Assam tribal areas; no taxes were collected beyond the Inner Line. The Outer Line was the international boundary of British India. However, little publicity was given to the demarcation of the Outer Line. On March 30, 1911, Noel Williamson, Assistant Political Officer of Sadiya, and a tea estate doctor were attacked and killed by Adi tribesmen in Komsing. Williamson was formally warned not to cross the Inner Line without expressed permission. Williamson’s death provided for the revision of the tribal policy for which Williamson himself had argued for years. A British expedition, headed by Major General Hamilton Bower, was mounted in late 1911; the mission continued until 1913. The alleged purpose of the expedition was punitive; indeed, the Adis were punished for slaying Williamson. However, the ultimate objective of the expedition was to define a new border and to inform the Chinese of the new limits of British sovereignty. While the British were exploring Assam, the 1911 Chinese Revolution erupted. By 1912, Chinese influence in Tibet had fallen drastically. As Chinese power in Tibet waned, Chinese pressure on the Assam border ceased to exist. The British now endeavored to secure the Assam Himalayas from any future Chinese intervention.

The fall of Chinese power in Tibet led to negotiations between British Indian, Chinese, and Tibetan delegates to the Simla Conference of 1913-14. The British had decided to make Tibet a genuine buffer state. The British chief delegate, Sir Henry McMahon, introduced the idea of a second buffer into the long Sino-Tibetan debates over the boundary between Chinese control and the Tibetan buffer. The Chinese government immediately repudiated the agreement. The Chinese rejection was a blow to McMahon’s buffer scheme. However, McMahon had meanwhile negotiated another buffer and zone of defense for the Himalayas. He had made a separate agreement with the chief Tibetan delegate; this agreement defined the frontier line along the crest of the Assam Himalayas, based on the 1911-13 Abor Expedition. The line was marked on a large-scale (eight miles to the inch) map; however, this map and the details of the McMahon-Tibetan agreement were not communicated to the Chinese. The task of making good the McMahon Line was given to J.P.Mills, the government’s adviser on tribal affairs, who was to say that: “the tribes to be incorporated (in India) belong naturally more to Tibet than to India. In race and in language they are mongoloid. They all speak Tibeto-Burmese languages which have nothing in common with the Assamesse of the Aryans of the plains. It follows therefore that what one might call the cultural and social pull is towards Tibet …. The McMahon Line therefore suffers from the disability that though it may look well on the map … it is in fact not the natural boundary, whereas the frontier along the plains is the natural one.” The Indian government also recognized that the population along the north-east frontier was ethnically and culturally closer to Tibet than to India, but due to the strategic and geopolitical considerations that had formed Britain’s approach to the north-east border applied with equal force for the new (Indian) government. One of the last acts of the Chinese nationalist ambassador in New Delhi was to remind the Indian government in February 1947 that china did not recognize the McMahon Line, and held the simla convention invalid.

In the early1950s, a strong Assam Rifles patrol moving up the Subansiri River was warmly welcomed by one of the tribes, feasted and given shelter – and then massacred almost to a man. Under Nehru’s order, no punitive action had been taken. In 1952, G.S. Bajpai, then the governor of Bombay urges that India should take the initiative in raising the question of McMahon Line with the Chinese government, only to be told by K.M.Panikkar that the Prime Minister (Nehru) had decided that it was not in India’s interest to raise the question of the McMahon Line. By 1958, the Indians had completed the work left unfinished by the British and made good the McMahon Line. In December 26th 1959, the china implied that the Indian maps are ‘cutting deep into Chinese territory’ in the western sector, while of the eastern sector it is said that ‘the whole boundary line is pushed northward, including an area of about 90,000 sq km which originally belonged to China. In 1986, differences raise again over the McMahon line in the Sumdorung Chu area of Arunachal. After Rajiv Gandhi’s visit to china in 1988, a Joint Working Group (JWG) forum was formed to find a real solution to boundary problems and thence, the delegates from both side debated on this issue from time to time. Ironically, the JWG forum has focused more on peace along the border than on a real solution to the boundary problem. And so far umpteen JWG meeting was conducted without making much headway, and so far not even a single representative of Arunachal was invited to participate in the border talk.

The natives of Arunachal not only resisted Indian occupation when Indian officials moved into inner line, but were equally intimidated by Chinese troops when they entered in Arunachal during 1962 war. The peoples of this region never had a direct contact with China nor with India which makes the state more or less a sovereign state. But from the day Arunachal Pradesh was lifted up into the category of ‘Indian states’ from Union Territory in 1986, she has worked diligently with Indian constitution. And in these 60 years, from the Independence Day till today, the development of infrastructure is not worth mentioning which leads to grave doubt that India’s incapability to develop physical infrastructure in Arunachal lays in the reason that India cannot hold on to Arunachal for a long time. On the contrary, the Chinese has developed Tibet beyond recognition, even laid a rail tracks up to Lhasa which is situated 3,600 meters above sea level, and which, I anticipate, will bind Tibet more close to the mainland. Apart from development of infrastructure issue; if we analyze the statement made by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee during his visit to Chandigarh last year and in a recent parliament session- 1. “Some adjustments will take place here and there on Arunachal Pradesh and J&K at the conclusion of the ongoing talks with China and Pakistan respectively.” 2. “India and china are exploring the framework of a final package settlement covering all sectors of the India-China boundary (May 10, 2007 Arunachal Times),” it corroborate the doubts enormously. On the other hand, China left no stone unturned to remind the people of Arunachal that they are Chinese citizen. For instance, lately, Chinese embassy refused to grant visa to an IAS officer, Ganesh Koyu who hails from Arunachal, because he comes from a disputed area and which didn’t come as a shock to me as this kind of denial had happened in late 1990’s to then the chief minister, Gegong Apang, when he sought a visa to visit China but was told by Chinese embassy that he doesn’t need a visa to visit his own country.

However, most of the people of Arunachal are of the opinion that the Arunachal would do better under Indian constitution. But the question still refused to subdue is: does the Indian Government and Indians are ready to assimilate the state within its republic. The ‘flip-flop’ attitude of federal government and their vague opinion on Arunachal not only perplex us but also steer us into dark alley. Besides, We (Arunachal along with Mizoram and Nagaland) were accused of being a parasite state by substantial section of the populations that claims that we survives on the flesh of Indians who allegedly labours night and day at IT industry et al to make Indian economy bullish. And we have been blamed for the lack of infrastructure in their state, for the potholes, etc. as well because their money has been pumped into these three states. Perhaps, they may be right in pointing out this. And if this view is defended by Indian government and Indians, then the privilege to call Arunachal an integral part of India is wholly invalid. And the Arunachal should have been given back their earlier status of sovereign state. Furthermore, the Indians are not happy with reservation (reservation in job and educational institution for scheduled tribe and caste), and we (the youth who have been to metropolis and influenced by it) are not happy about being ‘scheduled’ tribe (ST) for so long and to be called ST makes us a part of highly caste ridden and feudal society of Aryans.

At long last, considering the dealings of the centre with our state, it does indicate that the federal government of India, who is directly responsible for corrupting our state government by fattening the wallets of our politician and their enforcement arm, will never be able to oversee our state efficiently. The failure of Indian government to administer competently must not suggest that the whole of Arunachal is for bargain. And the Arunachal and its people shouldn’t be used as pawn in order to strengthen the bilateral ties between India and China. The talk show of two giant goliaths must go on and, but, let the Arunachal be a buffer state – free from Indian and Chinese influence.

Popularity: 40% [?]

June 15th, 2007 Posted by AG in Arunachal Pradesh, Cho's Take, Indo-China row over Arunachal Pradesh |

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60 Responses to “WHAT’S THE COST OF ARUNACHAL?”

Anonymous says:

April 1, 2008 at 4:36 pm

Recently saw ‘Rambo 4′ which though dramatised shows whats going on in Burma and Karens(Btw the ‘Tatmadaw’ does not even spare Burmese). Thanks to Mr Stallone and the world is taking notice. Think that takes care of the effectiveness of media in todays modern world. Its a war of stronger group “Burmese Junta” versus Karens. Karens are suffering because they are not independent. They were promised that by the British but the promise was not honoured – same as our Nagas. Today its more to do with economic independence. Of course in Burma its still old fashioned ‘Gestapo type’ military oppression. So if Rambo wipes out an entire Burmese battalion what can the US army do?

Anyway what is important that all peoples in this region like Arunachal gain political independence so that they can develop and become economically independent too. Amalgamating with either India or China is disastrous. Look at the Yunnan province tribes in China assimilated forcibly into Han culture under Mao’s policies. And you know about the bloodbath in Tibet.
India will not accept us because we are different from its majority people and its not in our best interest. So I guess political freedom is the first step and unfortunately that does not come without some violence even though we are in the space and knowledge age today. Human minds are still primitively wired!

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yasiyalow says:

April 1, 2008 at 5:06 pm

Rabble rouser !!! BE AWAY. We Arunachalees are happy, peaceful and contented lot and judging by the pace of development, I can confidently say that we caught up 5000 years of civilisation in one generation only because of peace and stability that was provided to us and also which has been hallmark of our society. We may trip sometimes, falter somewhere, slip somewherelse, but by God we are moving ahead. Violence begets violence, strife begets strife, peace begets peace. So,BE AWAY my dear ANONYMOUS, Be AWAY. Do not sow seeds of strife and violence among our peacefull and progressive people.

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Buru says:

April 2, 2008 at 7:11 am

Yasiyalow,
mr/ms anonymous is entitled to his/her views–the www is a true democracy in that sense.To each person their opinion is nothing but the truth–and one cant bully them into submission but need to understand why they say so .Except for some peace and stability I dont think your other statements hold water.
The contentment & happiness of the ignorant is what defines Arunachal–being one of the least literate among all Indian states.And how will you bother going to school if there are no roads ,no books, no mass media, no FOOD. Unbeleivable to many, a large number of Arunachalis eat only (i.e. no rice to eat)Tachi, Yam, Taro ,Sweet potato,wild vegetables, wild animals and the like for a large part of the year.Apparently some old people in remote areas are yet to see an automobile in their lifetime.Of those who get to eat rice, it is usually the rejected CPO rice.These people have no time to fill their stomach, less to study.And the GoI by keeping us caged inside three International Borders and putting secret legislations banning road building has created the perfect conditions for such misery.

I am not sure what pace of development you are talking about? Other than our corrupt babus and politicians how many of our people have enough food to eat, safe water to drink, roads to travel on, schools with books and desks,access to independent newspapers and internet, safe modes of travel, connectivity within and outside state,health facilities of any sort, a proper house to live on , a productive occupation? Every year people in the roadless interior die in swarms like flies from common diseases like Diarrea, whooping cough ,measles etc etc because of non-existent hospitals and non-existent roads. This situation in turn has given rise to a curious but tragic consequence–Christian Missionaries from Kerala, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya , Tamil Nadu etc have filled in the vaccum left by the GoI –do you know these missionaries eat, sleep and live among these abandoned and isolated people in inaccessible areas like Kabak/ Parsiparlo/Tali/Koloriang/Sarli/Nacho/Tato/Yapuik/you name it ,providing them ‘eductation’(we all know what),food, monetary help and Medical care.Consequently even as we pat ourselves on the back for ‘development’ the whole GoI-abandoned upper tract from Sarli to Upper Siang is now overwhelmingly Christian. If these missionaries preach politics tomorrow (as they are supposed to have done in insurgency-affected NE states) who is to blame for such a condition?Of course we are partly responsible, but the GoI has made sure that we cant elevate ourselves even if we try to .
As they say man does not live by bread alone. So also man does not live by ‘democracy’ alone.Nor by sugary statements like ‘our land of rising sun’ when acts dont match words.
I do however agree with you fully on the need to escape violence, even if means being ignorant of your rights.But it may not remain so forever–e.g.I have seen an Arunachalis blog who has made a clearcut agenda for independence.

To Anonymous,

I am not sure you are an Arunachali or from NE.I believe in the right of every nation to secede by referendum , but it may not be a wise decision at this stage .Small nations ,if from NE would become a dirty playground for the larger nations and will never be truly independent.Not to talk about economic viability. An increased amount of autonomy within India may be a good idea.

If you are talking about AP–forget the idea of independence. Because the big powers India & China wont let you be. Besides it wont be viable at this moment.The only ‘option’ we have is to be with the side who holds it in territorial control–presently India but who knows what the future holds? But as Arunachalis our job is to make sure we are not made the sacrificial goats to Indian(or Chinese)strategic interests but ask what is due to us.This wont come about unless we get out of our ignorant stupor and false patriotism and make our voice heard .Otherwise the GoI will continue sacrificing us for ‘national interst’or ‘national security’.

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rome says:

April 2, 2008 at 12:34 pm

@Yasiyalow…
Your comments perfectly fits in the aspirations any Arunachali would keep, maybe for, sustained development much on the utopic reflections. But, can we really rate the developments we’ve seen in few last decades, sufficient enough for atleast the majority of arunachali?

As for the view I had been keeping for years,(infact I still keep)the so much lauded developments has always been a localized one, utter impoverishment for many and abundance for the few.

I felt, some part of your statements pertinent to paced developments, were indeed true, but that would be again in the context of comparatively few super rich people.

Well, amassing wealth was a thing which was very humane, centuries ago and so is it now. So I don’t see where or in which parameters our developments have been significant one.

As one can see through the nature of comments in most of the arunachali blogs; they are vitriolic and much more on the anger side, maybe, our inability and imposed disabilities to change or contribute to the changing of system equation(in healthier context) seems to oversweep the sugary words one could keep for AP system of governance and the developments it has bargained us with.

I agree with you, being peaceful in every actions of ours will get us peace, so much obvious… but still sounds elusive.

Struggle for Independence, seems to me like a vague concept.

Lets see how the drum rolls when we get the mantle to bring in some changes.

Lets bring in social changes within the social circumference we’ve influence over.

Rest will take its own course….

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sangos says:

April 2, 2008 at 6:53 pm

Wops first off I profoundly apologise if I said something completely audacious as some of the reactions above..that was not my intention..Ok you can call me sangos..(i dont want to picked up by indian security forces huh!..they cant neway am in europe ..btw way they look like sesame street barbie dolls compared to the Tatmadaw – Rambo again hey guys see that movie kinda mind blowing especially since its set in Burma)..ok am from the NE..so dudes I know very well where you are coming from…and i agree that currently we dont have many options..Angry dragon to the north..Crazy junta to the east..cant understand Bangladesh neway whether friend or foe..most importantly we are not much in the development thingy right..just google ‘Chengdu’ and see the images of that city..well folks thats under 300 km from arunachal border..dont blame india..we only got ourselves ’smart asses’ to blame if we’r still in “stone ages”..i recently had my friends from norway and the usa to Ledo..(that is famous for WW2 and stilwell)..i cant believe that things are still like when the British left or worse as in 1942-45. What have we been doing for 60 years..it is so embarrassing! Dude i dont care which state you belong…its the same story all over this region(mind you I dont say NE…thats Indian terminology). Dont you think its ridiculous that we have absolutely zero trade and commmerce and other relations with countries with whom we share 99% of 4300 kms international boundary and are totally dependent on people who care two hoots connected by a chicken’s neck. Seriously man if we continue in this screwed up fashion we would cut a sorry figure in the region. I am no China lover but they are moving like champs. India is doing ok too. You cant compare the two as they have different national mind sets. But forget others lets seriously look at ourselves today when the world has become small and see what is the best way for us. I may sound very aggressive and harsh…my apologies again.. but then my friends its important to make the right effort at least!

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Buru says:

April 3, 2008 at 12:05 pm

Sangos,
“btw way they look like sesame street barbie dolls compared to the Tatmadaw “

maybe, but they do kill civilians just as happily(under AFSPA laws).

“i recently had my friends from norway and the usa to Ledo..(that is famous for WW2 and stilwell)..i cant believe that things are still like when the British left or worse as in 1942-45. What have we been doing for 60 years..it is so embarrassing!”
True enough. May I tell you that Ledo is one of the more ‘developed’ areas and you gotta see the interiors to see what is ‘not developed’–provided you can walk on foot in leech and dam-dim fly infested forests for 1-2weeks continuosly–courtesy the Government of India.

“Dont you think its ridiculous that we have absolutely zero trade and commmerce and other relations with countries with whom we share 99% of 4300 kms international boundary and are totally dependent on people who care two hoots connected by a chicken’s neck”

Absolutely pal! This has been my contention all along .For generations our ancestors have been doing commerce and social interaction with the neighbouring societies till one fine day a new country popped up and prevented us from any interaction with our sister societies at the pain of death–thus impoverishing us economically, socially, culturally and politically. To add insult to injury we are derided for our backwardness when we venture beyond the ‘Chickens Neck’ ,not to mention the racial treatment.

“Seriously man if we continue in this screwed up fashion we would cut a sorry figure in the region.”

NE in general and AP in particular has already become sorry figures pal.

***
On a related note, did you fellows see this bad joke in papers played by our Governor?
>K.P. Narayana Kumar
New Delhi: If they can’t travel in trains, they should at least be able to look at them.
That would appear to be the reasoning of Arunachal Pradesh governor J.J. Singh, who has asked railway minister Lalu Prasad for some heritage locomotives and coaches that can be displayed at public parks in the state.
It’s about time the man (or woman) in the street in Arunachal sees what trains look like, says Singh. <
This reminds me of the infamous Marie-Antoinette statement: “If they cannot have bread, let them have cakes”>

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sangos says:

April 3, 2008 at 3:18 pm

This is so F***ING frustrating! The only way out I see is the capabilities of the super cool,educated and talented youth of this region. And we got to find a way to achieve our full potential considering our resources, by using the means at our disposal. Such as the media and world awareness. We already have a leverage because this region was in WW2…India was not. Many westerners know where we are coming from because of this fact. We got to have the attitude of Col Lewis A. Pick 1943,the American who built Stilwell Road quote “I have heard the same story all the way from the States; it’s always the same; the Ledo Road can’t be built. Too much mud, too much rain, too much malaria. From now on, we are forgetting this defeatist attitude; the Ledo Road is going to be built mud, rain and malaria be damned!” Thats the stuff our forefathers had when they toiled in this difficult region…lets bring that spirit back.

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Abotani's Daughter says:

April 3, 2008 at 5:32 pm

A catch 22 situation, you either stay with the Chinese. They are developing a lot faster than the Indians and subject yourself to sunjugation like the tibetans or other ethnic minorities in a communist country.

Not a better situation with the Indians either. Why would you want to cosy up to someone who considers you a chink, if you ask anyone in Northern India. They wouldn’t know where Arunachal Pradesh is AP? Who lives there? They are still under the impression that it is inhabited by Neanderthals.

Pros and Cons to both but I don’t think rambo style violence is encouraging to developement of any kind. Most people are just too busy getting on with their daily life and not having to deal with such issues. That is the mindset of most arunachalis and yasiyalow has voiced that.

” If you don’t get to travel in trains the average arunachali should at least have a look at what they are”

That is ironic and unfortunate to say the least considering that we have come out from the industrial age a long time ago and fast forwarded to the IT age.

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Sangos says:

April 17, 2008 at 5:06 pm

My heart goes out to Arunachal. Till China gives up its claims especially Tawang the hearts of the people will always be gripped in fear..because anything could happen in the future. Arunachal will continue to suffer uncertainity which itself blocks human progress. Meantime there are major good news for the rest of NE. 1. Stilwell Road to be operational in two years joining up with entire SE Asia Highway 2. Railway link through Manipur to SE Asia Railway. 3. Road/River accces through Mizoram to Sittwe seaport for World Trade.
Its a mixed bag for NE. But we have to continue pushing for the good stuff including complete settlement of Arunachal status…Cheers!

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Sangos says:

April 23, 2008 at 4:41 pm

Am just back from a reality check tour vis-a-vis the claims made above and I would like to post my findings here with your permission. The situation of Arunachal is still very unclear because of the unsettled boundary issue between India and China. The game of incursions cat and mouse is still going on and this does not do any good to the relations between the two countries notwithstanding the increasing trade volumes. Really it must be tough to be an Arunachalee with such an added burden of psychological pressure.
Moving on to the NE no 1. the Stilwell road is unlikely to happen because of security fears of India and Burma from insurgent groups and Kachins. The road in India side is NH 153 but Burma side is in very bad shape – just a dirt track! ESCAP will have to fund millions of dollars to make it an international highway.No. 2 the Railway link through Manipur is not happening because of the very bad security experience of India after opening the road through Moreh-Tamu to Kalewa. No 3. The Mizoram to Sittwe port link is running into rough weather because of Chinese interference. They want Sittwe for pumping oil to China. And Bangladesh has refused any transit to NE.
The situation is very bleak and grim as usual for us. If you agree I think this is the time to examine ourselves to introspect what we did wrong. It very difficult to survive in the modern world cut-off from all our neighbours without any economic co-operation. But we have to be strong like our forefathers and find a way. We will have to find solutions to our own problems. We cannot expect outsiders to do things for us. Btw its fortunate that we have WW2 history in our home where men from faraway lands came here and turned ‘Defeat into Victory’. When I told some American friends about the most amazing ‘Stilwell Road’ they were very surprised and inspired and want to know more. There are enormous challenges in this region of the world and though I dont like Stallone’s way of solving them, I think I still like when John Rambo says “Live for nothing and die for something”.

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