China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was planning to set up an Observation Post on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at Yangste in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, an Indian Army officer said.
The Army officer claimed that as extreme winter is approaching the Chinese side wants to get information about the preparations of Indian troops deployed at the forward posts at the LAC.
The Army officer said that the Indian soldiers were taken by surprise by the suden movement of the PLA troops in Galwan Valley in 2020. However, this time the Indian soldiers were prepared and thwatrted the attempts of Chinese who were trying to access higher ground to set up the Observation Post but were stopped and forced to return.
“It is already extremely cold there. Within the next couple of weeks, all areas close to the LAC will be under several feet of snow. On the Indian side, final preparations are being made to stock our forward positions with adequate supplies. There is a lot of troop movement as well. The PLA is certainly interested to learn more about our preparations for the winter, hence the decision to set up the Observation Post,” the army officer was quoted by IANS as saying.
Locals at Tsechu have expressed unhappiness over China’s attempted transgression in the area.
The Indian Army thwarted an attempt by China’s PLA to “unilaterally” change the status quo in the Yangtse area of Arunachal Pradesh on December 9.
Following Tawang clash, the Indian Air Force (IAF) scrambled fighter aircraft last week following China’s increasing air activities on its side of the LAC in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh.
