CHINA AND INDIA DISPUTE BHUTAN BORDER: INDIAN SOLDIERS MOVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KOLKATA 000376

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR CH IN
SUBJECT: CHINA AND INDIA DISPUTE BHUTAN BORDER: INDIAN SOLDIERS MOVE
FROM KASHMIR TO WEST BENGAL


1. (SBU) Summary: Against the backdrop of efforts to improve
bilateral relations, India and China continue to jostle over
territory along India's northeast border with China. On
December 12, India relocated 6,000 soldiers of the 27th Mountain
Division (units of the 164 Mountain Brigade) from Jammu and
Kashmir back to the unit's headquarters in Kalimpong, West
Bengal. The media reported the deployment was a response to
China's latest move into the Dolam Plateau in Bhutan. However,
some post contacts believed that the move was more related to
the reduced tensions in Kashmir allowing for troops to be
shifted back to West Bengal. ConGen spoke with Kolkata-based
Chinese Consul General Siwei Mao, who said that he believed that
the Chinese forces have moved into Bhutan but that the border is
not well demarcated and from the Chinese perspective it was not
an intrusion. Mao also lamented the lack of Chinese diplomatic
relations with Bhutan. The deployment of additional troops to
West Bengal is not an indication of increasing tensions between
India and China but does highlight the continued dispute over a
poorly delineated border. End Summary.


2. (U) Since late July, Indian Army and Peoples' Liberation
Army (PLA) of China have been involved in border disputes near
the Dolam Plateau, the tri-junction of Sikkim (India),Bhutan
and China. On July 27, the 17 Mountain Division of Indian Army,
headquartered in Gangtok, Sikkim, received a letter from the
Chinese troops asking for the immediate removal of two Indian
Army bunkers in Batangla, Bhutan. The letter stated that
failure to do so would lead to "adverse consequences." Local
commanders from both sides met in a series of meetings (August
6, 15 and September 15) to resolve this issue. India asked
China to soften its stance in light of the December 15 joint
military exercise and argued that the fight over bunkers would
go against the spirit of the joint exercise.


3. (SBU) In November, the PLA moved into Bhutan's Dolam Plateau
and demolished a hut close to the bunkers. The hut was a rest
house used by the Indian Army. Indian Army officials have kept
the matter quiet as the bunkers are located in Bhutan but manned
by Indian Army personnel. According to a Consulate source, the
Indian Army does have a presence in Bhutan.


4. (SBU) Regarding the politics of the border dispute, the
civilian government and the Army clearly have conflicting
perspectives. The Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPM) and
other Left front partners have pressured the United Progressive
Alliance (UPA),the Congress-led coalition government, to
develop broader ties with Beijing. The CPM favors increased
engagement with China -- military and commercial. However, the
Indian Army is not enthusiastic about softening border security
in order to facilitate trade with China. If the border trade
does develop, the paramilitary Indo-Tibetan border police would
likely replace the Army in Nathu La and surrounding areas. The
Army remains opposed to this prospect. Post contacts point out
that China has completed work on the 300 mile railway line from
Lhasa right up to Yatung which is 20 miles from Nathu La. This
gives the Chinese greater maneuverability vis-`-vis India in the
border region. The Indian Army is highlighting the improved
Chinese infrastructure to justify its continued presence along
the border.


5. (SBU) Despite the Indian Army's concern over the border with
China, military sources commented that recent media reports on
Indian troop movement into the northeast had been hyped. The
troop movement is not a sudden new development, they said. D.
Mitra, Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence) in
West Bengal returned from the region yesterday and said that
Thursday's troop movement was part of an ongoing process to
bring the 27th Mountain Division back to their base in northern
West Bengal. The division was moved to Jammu and Kashmir
following the 2001 terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament as
part of India's largest military mobilization since the 1971
Indo-Pakistani War.


6. (SBU) ConGen asked Chinese Consul General Mao what he
thought of the redeployment of the 6,000 Indian soldiers to the
Bhutan border and he conceded he had been following develops in
the media but had little additional information. He confirmed
that the PLA had moved into the Dolam Plateau but said that the
border was not well demarcated and that the Chinese considered

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the area to be part of China. He said that because his
consulate only just opened that presently he has no direct
communication link with Beijing. Mao also expressed frustration
that Bhutan did not have full diplomatic relations with China.


7. (SBU) Comment: The India-China border region continues to
be subject to dispute and the boundaries are not clearly
delineated. Chinese presence in the Dolam Plateau is an effort
to push its claim to the region and may also be an effort to
pressure the Bhutanese to establish more formal diplomatic
relations with China. Bhutan is more closely aligned with India
and at times allows the Indian military to operate in Bhutan.
As the Chinese develop their infrastructure and presence in
Tibet and southwest China, China will likely increase its
pressure on Bhutan to be more receptive to Chinese regional
engagement. The redeployment of 6,000 troops to northern West
Bengal appears to have been part of a general draw down of
troops in Jammu and Kashmir but also presents an opportunity for
India to signal its resolve to maintain its borders. It is
unlikely that there will be any escalation of tension along the
border area as both India and China want to maintain positive
relations.


8. (U) This message was coordinated with AmEmbassy New Delhi.
JARDINE