India infrastructure drive counters ChinaAFP, ZEMITHANG, IndiaFreshly laid roads, bridges, upgraded military camps and new civilian infrastructure dot the winding high Himalayan route to the Indian frontier village of Zemithang — which China last month renamed to press its claim to the area. Indian army soldiers display arms at a camp near Pankang Teng Tso Lake in the Tawang District of India’s Arunachal Pradesh state on April 3. Photo: AFPCulturally largely Tibetan, Arunachal Pradesh is savage territory for battle, with mountain passes as high as 4,750m still covered in snowdrifts as late as May, and thickly forested slopes lower down. The Indian army officer charged with preventing a repetition is Brigadier N.M. Bendigeri, who commands thousands of troops in Tawang. “India wants peace with everyone,” Shah said at Kibithoo, one of the first Arunachal Pradesh villages overrun in 1962.

Source: Taipei Times May 05, 2023 03:43 UTC