Chinese army asks for flag meeting with Indian Army

NEW DELHI: In the midst of a border face off, the Chinese army has asked for a flag meeting even as the Indian army has been asked to be on the alert along the Line of Actual Control ( LAC) where Chinese troops have intruded for the last more than 10 days.

The Chinese side has asked for the meeting and their request is under consideration, army sources said here.

The army is keeping an eye on the movement of Chinese troops in the area and the units in the adjoining areas have also been asked to remain on alert, they said.

The two flag meetings in the last ten days had made no progress in resolving the crisis.

Against this backdrop, army Chief Dalbir Singh Suhag had cancelled his four-day trip to Bhutan yesterday.

Chinese troops have pitched their tents in the area and Chinese helicopters were seen dropping food packets for the soldiers, although none of them violated the air space. The food packets were later collected by the PLA personnel.

Tension in the area erupted on Sunday when some Chinese workers, who were constructing a road on their side, crossed into the Indian side and also claimed that they had orders to build a road up to Tible, 5-km deep inside Indian territory.

Chumar was at the centre of the fortnight-long stand-off last year in Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) as the Chinese side had objected to overhead bunkers erected by the Indian side.

As part of an agreement reached at the flag meeting to end that impasse in April-May 2013 at DBO, the Indian side had to dismantle some overhead bunkers in the Chumar area.

During winter this year, Chinese soldiers attempted to enter the area riding on horses. The area has witnessed frequent incursion attempts by Chinese troops.