DEVELOPMENT IN INDIA'S NORTHEAST STATE OF ARUNACHAL PRADESH

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 KOLKATA 000098

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT PLEASE PASS USAID

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PREF PREL EAGR EAID SENV SNAR CH IN
SUBJECT: DEVELOPMENT IN INDIA'S NORTHEAST STATE OF ARUNACHAL PRADESH
TO COUNTER CHINA THREATENS LOCAL CULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT

REF: KOLKATA 0050

KOLKATA 00000098 001.2 OF 004



1. (SBU) March 4-11, ConGen visited the remote northeastern
Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh (AP) to assess the area's
regional security, social and economic development issues. India
continues to dispute China's claims to AP and is now seeking to
develop the state's infrastructure to integrate it with the rest
of India. However, the GOI's development efforts threaten the
many indigenous tribes' distinct cultures and communities. In
addition, little consideration has been given by the GOI and
state planners as to preserving the environment in this unique
bio-diversity hotspot of the eastern Himalayan foothills.
Rather, development plans reflect the GOI's broader strategic
interest and the corrupt local politicians' aspirations for more
graft. The GOI's large infrastructure development plans will
likely accelerate the erosion of local tribal cultures and the
environmental degradation, with only marginal improvements in
the overall quality of life for the local people of Arunachal
Pradesh. Post will seek to leverage its limited resources to
support initiatives in preserving local culture and the
environment. End Summary.
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Background
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2. (U) AP is located at the easternmost corner of India and
shares borders with China's Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR),
Bhutan and Burma. The state stretches from the Himalayan ranges
in the north to the plains of the Brahmaputra river valley in
the south, and has five major rivers - Kameng, Subansiri, Siang,
Lohit and Tirap. With an area of 83,743 square km and a
population of 1.1 million, it has the lowest population density
in India. The state's 26 tribes, all with distinct cultural
traditions, range in characteristics from the more Tibetan
Monpas in the west to the Burmese-influenced Nagas in the east.
The tribes constitute about 70 percent of the population and a
steady influx of outsiders, many from Assam and Bangladesh, make
up the remaining approximately 30 percent.
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Conflict With China
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3. (U) China neither formally recognizes AP's status as an
Indian state nor accepts the "McMahon Line" set by the British
with the Tibetans in 1914 as the 1,030 km. international border
between India and Tibet. Chinese troops crossed the McMahon
Line on August 1959, and captured an Indian outpost at Longju, a
few miles south of the line. They abandoned it in 1961 but in
October 1962 attacked again in the Indo-Chinese War and seized
much of the state. The Chinese later agreed to withdraw
approximately to the McMahon Line and in 1963 returned Indian
prisoners of war. In 1986, tension again flared up with Indian
and Chinese forces clashing in the Sumdorong Chu valley over the
Chinese construction of a helipad in the valley.


4. (U) In 2003, Beijing gave up its territorial claim over the
Himalayan Indian state of Sikkim, but continues to assert that a
vast stretch of Arunachal Pradesh - 90,000 sq.kms. - belongs to
China. The AP government has from time to time warned the GOI
about Chinese troops making regular forays across the highly
sensitive international borders.
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Development, Not Just a Buffer
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5. (U) Until recently, the GOI maintained a policy of keeping
the state undeveloped to create a buffer with China and to
preserve to some extent the indigenous cultures. India's first
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on the advice of noted British
anthropologist Dr. Verrier Elwin opposed "over-administering"
the area to limit outside influences on the tribal communities.
As a result, basic social indicators, such as literacy, health
and life expectancy are very low. Infrastructure was not
developed because of the anxiety over possible Chinese intrusion
into the state and so it is impossible to travel by road from
east to west in the state. All east-west travel by road must go
through neighboring Assam.


6. (U) AP legislators have noted in Parliament that lack of
infrastructure has in fact made access to the Chinese border

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very difficult from the Indian side, while the Chinese have
built infrastructure to facilitate movement for their military
and people. Marking a significant change in policy in January,
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went to AP for the first Prime
Ministerial tour of the state in a decade and announced series
of development plans valued at around USD 2.5 billion (reftel).
The trip was notable, coming just two weeks after Singh's visit
to Beijing, possibly reflecting difficult border negotiations
with the Chinese. Singh announced plans for a 1,840-kilometer,
four-lane trans-Arunachal highway connecting the district
headquarters in the state; a new airport for the state capital
Itanagar; the reopening of four non-operational airports at
Tezu, Pasighat, Daporijo and Along; and the connecting of
Itanagar to the nearest railhead at Harmuti in Assam. Singh
also laid the foundation stone of the National Hydro-Electric
Power Corporation's 3,000 megawatt Dibang Multipurpose Project
and the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation's 110 megawatt
Pare Hydroelectric project. (Note: Arunachal has five major
rivers with the potential to generate 50,000 megawatts of power.
End Note.) For social development, he outlined an
"electricity-for-every-home" scheme and flood relief initiatives.


7. (SBU) Former Chief of Army Staff and newly-appointed AP
Governor J.J. Singh told ConGen that his priority was to ensure
progress on the proposed infrastructure and development
projects. Singh also observed that what is generally termed as
"incursions" by the Chinese into Indian territory is a result of
"difference in perception." He said that there was no clear
demarcated border and sometimes, for example, India may regard
one side of a mountain ridge as the border while the Chinese may
think the other side of the ridge is the dividing line. On the
issue of Chinese claims over AP, Singh felt that perhaps
eventually Aksai Chin on India's western border might go to
China but not Tawang, the area close to Tibet that China most
desires in AP.
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Corrosive Social Problems
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8. (SBU) The GOI's development plans have raised concerns about
the broader social and environmental implications. Because the
tribal communities are primarily agrarian and unwilling to do
the manual labor on the road and hydro-power projects, much of
the labor has been brought in from other parts of India,
primarily Assam and according to locals, the Assamese are in
fact often Bangladeshis with false documents. The influx of
outsiders has resulted in a demographic shift and they now
constitute a third of the state population and appear to be
growing. Resentment against the outsiders has increased among
the tribal groups. The tribal Nyishi student group has posted
signs throughout Itanagar, including in front of the state
Secretariat, calling for "Bangladeshis" to leave the state.

SIPDIS


9. (U) According to the Executive Director of the Center for
Cultural Research and Documentation (CCRD) Moji Riba, tribal
communities are seeing a steady erosion of their traditions due
to outside influences. ConGen saw this while participating in a
local animist Donyi Polo (Sun and Moon worship) ceremony, which
had adopted many Christian aspects, with new prayer books and a
temple modeled on some of the Baptist and evangelical churches
that have made inroads into the local communities. Christian
missionaries from Nagaland and Mizoram have been especially
active in AP.


10. (U) In the eastern districts of Lohit, Changlang, and Tirap,
bordering Nagaland, traditional use of opium has given way to
expanded cultivation of poppy for production of illicit opium.
According to Speaker Setong Sena and former Home Minister L.
Wanglat, who come from AP's eastern region, the opium is
produced extensively throughout those districts and is sold to
Assamese middle-men, who then move the product to New Delhi and
beyond. Secretary of the National Alliance of Women Jarjum Ete
told ConGen that opium addiction among young men in the Lohit
district has increased to alarming levels.


11. (SBU) Violence from Naga separatists has also become a
problem in the eastern districts. Wanglat noted that in

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December 2007 his cousin, former Member of Parliament Wangsha
Rajkumar was shot dead while he was playing badminton. Wanglat
said he believed that the National Socialist Council of Nagaland
- Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM) killed his cousin for his opposition to
their activities. Wanglat and others said that NSCN-IM operates
extensively in the Naga-dominated eastern districts, extorting
money, killing opposition, kidnapping and recruiting youth.
NSCN-IM hopes to include the Naga AP districts into a greater
independent Nagaland.


12. (U) Another persistent issue is the presence of about 50,000
Buddhist Chakma refugees, who settled in the state over three
decades ago after being displaced from Bangladesh due to the
flooding of their land by the Kaptai Dam reservoir in the
Chittagong Hill Tracts. Arunachalees, particulary student
unions, demand that the refugees be relocated elsewhere to
preserve the ethnic identity of local people, but the refugees
are demanding citizenship rights. Jarjum Ete and other local
NGO representatives blame USAID's assistance in financing the
Kaptai Dam project in 1964 for the exodus of the Chakmas to
Arunachal Pradesh. The Supreme Court of India has ruled against
relocating the Chakmas elsewhere, but Arunachalese leaders and
agitators insist that their sometimes violent anti-Chakma
campaign will continue. The GOI has appointed a committee to
review the situation but facing local opposition to granting any
resident status, the Chakmas will likely remain indefinitely in
legal limbo as refugees.
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Environmental Impact
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13. (U) Executive Director of the sustainable development NGO
Future Generations Dr. Tage Kanno commented to ConGen that
announced plans for new roads and large hydro-power project will
also have a significant impact on the state's unique
biodiversity. AP is home to over 5,000 plant species, 85
terrestrial mammals and over 500 birds. It has four major cats,
including the tiger, leopard, clouded leopard and the snow
leopard as well as the lesser cats such as the golden, leopard
and marbled cats. Forests include five broad forest types and a
sixth secondary forest. The state's biodiversity results from
it being at the junction of the Paloearctic, Indo-Chinese and
Indo-Malayan bio-geographic regions. 80 percent of the state,
according to the state government is forested.


14. (SBU) Kanno related problems with the one completed
hydro-power project in the state, 405 Megawatt (MW) Ranganadi
Hydro Electric Project State I, commissioned in 2002. According
to Kanno and others, water flows from the dam have been erratic
with periods of dry spells, killing the fish stocks, and sudden
floods, which have washed away downstream farm fields and
animals. ConGen saw the dam site and extensive staff housing
and cleared areas. Local NGO's have been concerned that no
environmental impact has been done for the planned 3,000 MW
Dibang multi-purpose project for which PM laid the foundation
stone on January 31. Kanno and Asia Development Bank Consultant
Geoff Mills commented in separate conversations that rather than
large mega-hydro power projects, the GOI should fund numerous
smaller hydro-power projects. The smaller projects collectively
could generate the same levels of power as the large projects,
but would have less environmental impact, be easier to maintain
and have wider benefit. However, they and even local Members of
the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) said that the state government
officials were keen to have the larger projects as they
represented greater opportunities for graft and corruption.
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Rampant Corruption
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15. (SBU) Rampant corruption is a significant impediment to
effectively managing the state's development. ConGen visited
the home of several local state assembly MLAs, which were
palatial in comparison to the rustic homes of most villagers.
MLA Kipababu (protect) openly related to ConGen how the Chief
Ministers have maintained support and party loyalty by using
public project funds to distribute to MLA's for their votes. He
said that the CM "might get a 40 crore (USD 10 million) project;

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he'll take some of it and then give about 2 crore each to the
MLA's and have them sign a paper saying that they support his
government." Deputy Commissioner Sadhana Deori (protect)
commented that the authorities of the Public Distribution System
(PDS) for basic food staples intended for the state's poor have
made millions of dollars along with state Youth Congress
President Likha Saya, a contractor appointed to distribute food
in remote areas. Rations were diverted and sold on the black
market. Flaunting his new found wealth, Saya has been seen
driving around Itanagar's narrow and potholed streets in a
convertible Jaguar sports car.
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Consulate's Efforts
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16. (U) To help in efforts for cultural and environmental
preservation, the Consulate has used its limited resources to
promote local initiatives. For instance, it has recommended key
local contacts for the International Visitor Program (IVP) to
look at Native American communities in the United States to see
approaches that they have taken for retaining their culture and
creating economic opportunity. IVs from AP include Chairman
NEFA Indigenous Human Rights Organization Tado Karlo, President
of Northeast Students' Organization Gumjum Haider, Congress MLA
(former Union Minister) Omak Apang, Secretary of National
Women's Alliance Jarjun Ete and Editor of Dawnlit Post Gabriel
Wangtsu. In addition, Post's Foreign Commercial Service (FCS)
office hosted a delegation of renewable power companies to
Kolkata in January and arranged for hydro-power business
representatives to talk to AP officials about U.S. hydro-power
technologies that could help the state's environment. Post is
also now in contact with community colleges in the U.S. to
identify institutions serving tribal communities which could
cooperate with educational institutions in AP and share efforts
at providing culturally sensitive curriculum. Post will also
seek possible proposals in the state to nominate for the
Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation.
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COMMENT
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17. (SBU) Arunachal Pradesh is a region in transition. Long a
quiet corner of India, the country's general economic and
geo-political rise is bringing greater attention to the state.
As India seeks to better mark its turf in the face of China
consolidating its hold in TAR, more money and people will be
funneled into Arunachal Pradesh to develop its infrastructure
and to integrate it with the rest of India. However, the GOI
and local officials' apparent failure to consider the social and
environmental impact of their development plans will likely
undermine the unique local tribal cultures and the state's
biodiversity.
JARDINE