In the past few days tension has been boiling up on the borders of Sikkim between India and China. China has threatened India army to move out of the territory, which they claim to be theirs.
The issue originated at a place called Dokalam, area near the Bhutan, Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region. Some Chinese troops came in the Dokalam, area to build a road and Indian troops trying to stop them also entered the region.
China alleged the Indian troops on crossing the border line and interrupting the work of the Chinese troops, which was just a routine work for them.
Looking at the recent tensions between the two nations, a event from the past was bought into notice, saying that China has always been looking for petty reasons to charge a war with India. The incident goes back during 1965, when India and China had faced similar problems on the borders of Sikkim.
China had accused the Indian troops of stealing 800 sheep and 59 yaks from Tibetan herdsmen near the Sikkim border. There were exchange of interesting letters between the two nation and China demanding for the animals back or they would lodge a war against India. Responding to this the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was then only a MP, drove a herd of sheep to the Chinese embassy in Delhi carrying placards reading, “Eat me but save the world.”
Angered by the peaceful protest carried by Vajpayee, China wrote a letter to Indian embassy in China, alleging that the protest was backed by the Indian government. The Indian government responded to the letter saying that it was just a peaceful protest carried out by the Indian expressing their feelings and the government had nothing to do with it and as far as the animals were concerned, they had no clue about the yaks regards the sheep it is up to the two herdsmen concerned to take them to Tibet if and when they choose to go back to their homelan.
These small quarrels were later considered as the warm up before the war which was fought between India and China in 1967. With India being victorious a loosing 80 of its soldiers, while China lost the battle with a loss of 300-400 soldiers.
Now the tensions are aging growing between the two nations as both India and China claim that, a lot has changed since 1967 and none of them are weak to back off if the situation of war arose now. Chinese media today officially published editorials asking India to move out of the Dokalam area in Sikkim sector with dignity or they will be kicked out.
China’s nationalistic tabloid Global Times said India should be taught a “bitter lesson”, another official newspaper, China Daily, said India should look in the mirror. The Global Times said in its editorial that India will suffer “greater losses” than in 1962 if it “incites” border clashes with China.