Twitter on Wednesday apologised to a parliamentary panel in a letter, stating that it will fix the issue of geo-tagging Ladakh as part of China by the end of this month and Ladakh will be added as a region administered by India as a union territory.
According to reliable sources, the micro-blogging platform sent the letter to the panel’s chairperson Meenakshi Lekhi and apologised for the geo-tag error.
A joint committee of Parliament led by BJP MP Lekhi which has 20 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha, last month issued summons to Twitter, seeking an explanation in form of an affidavit.
“Earning and maintaining the trust of the people on our service is of the utmost importance. Twitter remains committed to serving and protecting the public conversation and partnering with the government of India,” a Twitter spokesperson told IANS.
Taking strong exception to the “misrepresentation” of India’s map, the government wrote a stern letter to the Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey last month, saying that any attempt by the platform to disrespect the sovereignty and integrity of India, which is also reflected by the maps, was totally unacceptable.
Representatives of Twitter India had apologised but were told by the panel that showing Ladakh as part of China was a criminal offence.
In a separate incident, after courting controversy for wrongly showing Jammu and Kashmir as part of China, Twitter last month said it has resolved this particular geo-tag issue.
The issue was first brought to attention by national security analyst Nitin Gokhale after he went live on Twitter from the Hall of Fame, a war memorial at Leh.
The matter was later also raised by Kanchan Gupta, Distinguished Fellow, Observer Research Foundation (ORF) after tweets showed J&K as a part of China.
Several netizens also asked Prasad and the government to take action against Twitter India.
The controversy erupted amid India’s border standoff with China in Ladakh.
Amid border stand-off with China, Indian Army will hold a four-day commanders’ conference starting from Monday where all strategic and human resources will be deliberated upon…reports India Daily News. Indian Army Commanders’ Conference is an apex level biannual event, which formulates important policy decisions through collegiate deliberations. It is being held in New Delhi from October 26-29, 2020.
The conference will be attended by senior officers of the Army including the vice chief of army staff, all commanders, principal staff officers (PSOs) of the Army Headquarters and other senior officers.
“The first day will be spent deliberating on matters related to Human Resource Management,” a source said.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will address the conference on October 27 but prior to that the conference will be addressed by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and all the three Service Chiefs.
On October 28, Army Commanders will hold in-depth discussions on the various agenda and an important update will be given by Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN). This will be followed by brief updates on various issues by the various PSOs.
On the last day of the conference, Director General of Border Roads (DGBR) will update the forces on the various infrastructure development projects being undertaken by Border Roads Organisation and allied formations.
“Automation initiatives to optimise utilisation of manpower at various levels of the Army will also be discussed,” said the source.
The conference will close with the presentation of Sports Trophy and Flight Safety Trophy, followed by the closing address by the Army Chief M. M. Naravane.
Light Candles For Soldiers
Urging the countrymen to honour the armed forces guarding the Indian borders by lighting candles at homes this festive season, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday stressed the need for unity among indians and cautioned them about divisive forces.
Addressing the nation in his monthly radio programme ‘Mann ki Baat’, he also urged the citizens to light candles in homes this festive season to honour the brave hearts guarding India’s borders.
“Unity is power, unity is strength, unity empowers, united we will scale new heights. However, there are elements who try to plant the seed of suspicion among us, divide us. The nation too has given apt answers each time,” the Prime Minister said ahead of ‘National Unity Day’ on October 31.
Urging the Indians to honour the armed forces deployed on borders, Modi said: “Friends, we must also think of our brave-heart soldiers who are firmly stationed on our borders in the line of duty, even during this festive time, all in service and security of Mother India. We have to light a lamp each at our homes in honour of these brave sons and daughters of Mother India.”
“We have to constantly try through our creativity and love to bring out beautiful colours of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ even in the smallest of our tasks,” he added, while speaking on the theme of unity.
Kevadia (Gujarat): The ‘Statue of Unity’ that was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in honour of country’s first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Kevadia, Gujarat on Oct 31, 2018. (Photo: IANS/BJP)
The Prime Minister will attend public events in and around the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, also known as Statue of Unity, on October 31 at Kevadiya in Gujarat.
Stressing on the need for maintaining unity, for which Sardar Patel fought so hard, the PM asked the people to carry forward the entire spectrum of values that unite us to inculcate a sense of ease and belongingness among people living across the country.
He added that Patel devoted his entire life for the unity of the country and integrated the Indian people with the freedom movement. The birthday of Sardar Patel is now celebrated as the ‘National Unity Day’.
He also paid tribute to then PM Indira Gandhi who was assassinated on October 31, 1984.
Siachen: Chief of Army Staff General M.M. Naravane during his maiden visit to the forward posts in Siachen sector, after assuming charge, on Jan 9, 2020. He was accompanied by Lieutenant General YK Joshi, Chief of Staff, HQ Northern Command and Lieutenant General Harinder Singh, General Officer Commanding, âFire & Furyâ Corps. He was briefed on the operational readiness being maintained in the Sector by Commander, Siachen Brigade. (Photo: IANS)
Amid the standoff with China which has necessitated deployment of augmented army presence at the Line of Actual Control, India has gone for urgent purchase of additional high-altitude winter clothing from the US for troops deployed at forward locations in eastern Ladakh…writes Suman Sharma.
The winter clothing has been purchased under the Logistics Exchange Memorandum Agreement (LEMOA) between India and US. The agreement facilitates logistical support, supplies and services between the armed forces of the two countries, and includes clothing, food, lubricants, spare parts, medical services, among other essentials.
Do we need another Mountain Strike Corps against Chinese aggression on Indian border (IANS)
India is also looking to European markets to get more winter clothing for immediate requirements as its soldiers are braving temperatures of minus 25 degrees Celsius as they occupy 13 critical heights in south of Pangong Lake in Ladakh.
The seventh round of India-China military talks on October 12 at Chushul to resolve the border dispute in eastern Ladakh ended in deadlock, after around 11 hours of deliberations. The de-escalation of forces at the LAC during the winter is highly unlikely now and India has to set up a huge logistical arrangement.
On August 30, India occupied critical mountain heights like Rechin La, Rezang La, Mukpari, and Tabletop, that were unmanned till now, on the southern bank of the Pangong Lake. It also made some deployments near Blacktop also.
The deployment came after the Chinese tried to make a provocative military move. Now, dominance at these 13 peaks allows India to dominate Spangur Gap under Chinese control and also the Moldo garrison on the Chinese side.
The Indian Army now has to stock up winter items for around 35,000 extra troops deployed at the forward locations. Most of the friction points in Ladakh like Pangong Lake and Galwan Valley where the face-offs have occurred are 15,000 feet above the sea level.
Indian Air Force chief, Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria had, earlier this month, stated that India sees China digging in for the winter along the disputed border, and that India is taking action based on the ground realities.
For China, reaching out to the Taliban has many strategic advantages. For one it will be able to extend its sphere of influence in South Asia and the Middle East. Secondly, and equally important, it will ensure that the teeming Islamic terror organizations in the region do not make efforts to reach out to Xinjiang and breed terror or an independence movement there…writes RAHUL KUMAR
Ughurs in Chinese detention camps. (Image Courtesy: @ETAwakening/Twitter)
The magic of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is such that even the Taliban, which carries on with jihad to protect Islam, has turned its face away from the Uyghur genocide and the ethnic cleansing of Muslims by China.
The Chinese influence, which is now extending into Afghanistan through iron-brother Pakistan, has ensured that even die-hard terror groups like the Taliban keep quiet on the Chinese campaign to culturally, ethnically and ideologically change the Uyghurs-the people of East Turkistan province, renamed Xinjiang by China.
With the Americans under President Donald Trump clear about withdrawing from Afghanistan, possibly by year-end itself, China has sensed opportunity to fill up the vacuum. The Doha agreement between the Americans and the Taliban, minus the Afghan government, was a catalyst for China to jump into the Af-Pak region.
Workers sit outside a collapsed coal mine in Pir Ismail, Marwar area near Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan. (Xinhua/Stringer/IANS)
For China, reaching out to the Taliban has many strategic advantages. For one it will be able to extend its sphere of influence in South Asia and the Middle East. Secondly, and equally important, it will ensure that the teeming Islamic terror organizations in the region do not make efforts to reach out to Xinjiang and breed terror or an independence movement there.
To ensure that the Taliban takes the Chinese offer seriously, it made an offer to the group through Pakistan to extend the super-sized China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)-the marquee project of the BRI-to Afghanistan. The Chinese offer to the Taliban is to make highways and connect all Afghan cities to each other. Other offers include energy projects to develop Afghanistan while the Taliban has to promise peace in return.
China is also eyeing Afghanistan’s considerable mineral riches. Chinese companies had won contracts to mine copper and explore oil but could not do so due to the internal strife in the country. China would be keenly looking at re-working on the contracts.
Afghanistan’s geographical location as a connecting point between South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East too is tempting for China to step in.
With so much to gain, thanks to the Pakistani influence, China has not overlooked its relations with the Afghan government. Besides talking to the Taliban, it has been engaging with the Afghan government as well. China has been able to persuade the government over a border agreement to allow Chinese troops to patrol the border in the Wakhan region with a view to ensuring that no cross-border movement takes place between the independence-seeking Uyghurs and the militants that flourish on Afghan soil.
Sporadic news reports have come out over China trying to set up a military base in the northern parts of Afghanistan, again with a view to keeping a check on Xinjiang.
The US presence in Afghanistan was a military one-to keep terrorism at bay, and also nurture democratic forces in the country and society. With China, democracy is not going to be a bother. Its interest will be confined to keeping militancy out of Xinjiang and getting away with the ethnic cleaning of Muslims while demolishing their religion and culture. The other interests will be to extend CPEC into Afghanistan, open up trade routes to Central Asia and the Middle East and lastly, get space for its boots on Afghan ground.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan with Chinese Preisident Xi Jinping
All of this is possible once the Americans bid adieu. To ensure this, Pakistan is pulling out all stops to bring the Taliban and China to the negotiating table. A few months back, China had invited Afghanistan to join the BRI, and partake in its benefits just as Pakistan and Nepal had done.
West to Afghanistan lies Iran, which is developing closer relations with China due to the unending American pressure over its support for terrorism and nuclear issues. With a depleting economy and much financial strife, Iran signed a massive deal with China for oil, after which it also invited the Chinese to invest in rail networks linking the Chabahar port-which ironically India had built.
For China, netting Afghanistan will mean a large swathe of contiguous area in the form of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran with access to many ports in Pakistan and Iran, allowing it to bypass South East Asia for its oil supplies.
For India, Chinese presence in Afghanistan will be an added headache considering that the duo of Pakistan and China have not left any table unturned-terrorism, cross-border infiltration, shelling, supporting terror networks in various regions, salami-slicing and even creating a war-like situation-to marginalize India. For most part, it has been effective as well.
The implications for India are enormous. Looking at this complex matrix, it slowly opened up to talks with the Taliban. The group’s spokesperson, Suhail Shaheen, invited Indian participation in the intra-Afghan peace talks during a web-session with an Indian think tank. Significantly, Shaheen added that the group will not interfere in India’s internal issues including Kashmir. Experts interpret this as realization among the Taliban that India’s presence in Afghanistan has been benign and based entirely on development and reconstruction; therefore, India cannot be kept out of the talks. In fact, Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar even addressed the first face-to-face intra-Afghan talks that eventually took place in Doha last month, stressing upon all parties to find an all-Afghan solution.
Afghanistan has remained an unpredictable place. It is a quagmire. Once the Americans move out, things will change rapidly-something which the common Afghan fears. Despite the intra-Afghan peace talks, violence and bloodshed have continued unabated violating the spirit of the talks.
At another level, all Afghan governments in the last two decades have maintained positive relations with India. Despite the overtures by China in Afghanistan, it would not be easy to dislodge India from the landlocked country. With the current low in the relations between the two Asian giants, India has to look at China in the eye and take it on. Or, be read to accept irrelevance in the South Asian region, and consequently the world.
The new chief of the MI5 Ken McCallum directly specified “the differing national security challenges presented by Russian, Chinese, Iranian and other actors” were “growing in severity and in complexity – while terrorist threats persist at scale”…reports Hitesh Tikoo
MI5 Director General Ken McCallum. (Photo Credit: mi5.gov.uk)
The new chief of the MI5, the UK’s domestic counter-intelligence and security agency, has said that spy threats posed by Russia and China against the country were “growing in severity and complexity”, while the terror threats from the Islamic State (IS) and the far right “persists at scale”.
In his first speech since he was announced as the new MI5 Director General at the end of March, Ken McCallum focused on risks from hostile states, including undermining “the integrity of UK research” on a Covid-19 vaccine.
McCallum said the UK faced threats “up to and including assassinations, as the (Russian opposition figure) Alexei Navalny poisoning reminds us; threats to our economy, our academic research, our infrastructure and, much discussed, threats to our democracy”.
He directly specified “the differing national security challenges presented by Russian, Chinese, Iranian and other actors” were “growing in severity and in complexity – while terrorist threats persist at scale”.
The intelligence agency, whose work has been dominated by counter-terrorism in the past two decades, said in its last update that it had thwarted 27 terrorist plots in the past four years, including eight from the far right.
McCallum said the threat posed by the far right was “sadly rising” and that the agency was concerned about young people being attracted to far-right thinking “which does tend to suggest this threat will be with us for some years to come”.
But the MI5 boss said that, unlike with Islamist terrorism, the far right remained fragmented.
“We’re not yet seeing a coherent global movement, we don’t see the same kind of thing we’ve previously seen with Al Qaeda or IS,” he added, although the agency remained alive to the possibility the far right could become “more structured and coherent”.
However, some in Westminster have argued that the agency needs to refocus on countering Russia and China.
Over the summer, parliament’s watchdog intelligence and security committee accused the spy agencies of “taking their eye off the ball” when it came to Russian activities in the UK.
In July, Security Minister James Brokenshire had said that the UK was “more than 95 per cent” sure that Russian state-sponsored hackers targeted the UK, US and Canadian organisations involved in developing a Covid-19 vaccine.
Referring to that, McCallum said MI5 was watching out for “attempts to steal unique intellectual property” or in some way “interfere with what is happening”.
The changing threat includes claims that China tried to spy on the European Union (EU) by targeting a former MI6 officer, Fraser Cameron, who allegedly sold classified information to Chinese undercover operatives.
Cameron had denied the allegations.
China, McCallum added, was beginning to engage in an “interference in politics”.
However, McCallum said the UK needed to proceed carefully on China because of the economic impact of total disengagement.
He said the UK needed “a broad conversation across government and, crucially, beyond, to reach wise judgments around how the UK interacts with China on both opportunities and risks”.
McCallum said the Black Lives Matter protests, which swept across the UK after the death of the African-American man George Floyd in the US, had had an effect within MI5 and vowed to modernise the agency.
He pledged the domestic intelligence service would increase the number of minority ethnic people employed as analysts, agent runners and in other sensitive posts.
Although by a smaller margin, China won despite its human rights record, especially its treatment of the Uighur Muslim minority, and the opposition of several countries and human rights groups…reports Arul Louis
The United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. (File Photo: UN/IANS)
Pakistan and Nepal have been re-elected to the UN Human Rights Council, while China won a seat by the smallest margin showing a drastic drop in standing.
In Tuesday’s voting at the General Assembly China received only 139 votes compared to the 180 it received in 2016, the last time it was elected to the Council and its tally of votes was the lowest of the 15 countries elected.
Human Rights Watch’s UN Director Louis Charbonneau tweeted that it “shows more states are disturbed by China’s abysmal rights record.”
Saudi Arabia was defeated in the elections for the four seats up for vote to represent Asian and Pacific countries getting only 90 votes, seven shy of the 97 required for election.
Its popularity also showed a drastic fall because it had won 152 votes in 2016 when it was last elected to the Council.
Russia, which was defeated in 2016 by two votes having received only 112, made a comeback getting 158 votes, although technically it ran unopposed this time for one of the two East Europe seats. Ukraine, its regional adversary, ran unopposed for the other seat.
Pakistan got 169 votes in the election held by secret paper ballot with COVID-19 precautions, and Nepal 150.
The two South Asian countries are members of the council with their current terms ending on December 31 and will now serve for three more years.
Uzbekistan was the fourth country elected from the Asia Pacific region with 169 votes.
India and Bangladesh are also a member of the council last elected in 2018 to the term starting in 2019 and running out at the end of next year.
France, Britain, Cuba and Mexico were among the 15 countries elected on Tuesday to represent other regions at the 47-member council based in Geneva.
Saudi Arabia’s defeat was a surprise and although its human rights record has been criticised, it is considered to have broad support having received 152 votes in 2016 when it was last elected.
Chinese President Xi Jinping
Although by a smaller margin, China won despite its human rights record, especially its treatment of the Uighur Muslim minority, and the opposition of several countries and human rights groups.
The critics cite the resolution set up in 2006, which said, “Human Rights Council members shall uphold the highest standards in the promotion of human rights.”
A group of 39 countries led by Germany issued a strong criticism of China last week at the UN.
The statement said they were “gravely concerned about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and the recent developments in Hong Kong.”
The seventh round of India and China military talks to resolve border disputes in Eastern Ladakh have ended in a deadlock...reports India Daily News,
The de-escalation of forces at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) during winter is highly unlikely and both the countries have to provide huge logistics.
The military commander-level meeting between India and China took place for around 11 hours at Chushul on Sunday.
The Indian Army has issued a statement saying the two sides had a sincere, in-depth and constructive exchange of views on disengagement along the LAC in the western sector of India-China border areas.
India, China military-level talks end on positive trajectory.
“They were of the view that these discussions were positive, constructive and had enhanced understanding of each other’s positions,” the Indian Army said.
The force also said that both sides agreed to maintain dialogue and communication through military and diplomatic channels, and arrive at a mutually acceptable solution for disengagement as early as possible.
“Both sides agreed to earnestly implement the important understandings reached by the leaders of the two countries, not to turn differences into disputes, and jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the border areas,” the force said.
It was the seventh round of deliberations between both the countries’ Corps Commander level officials.
From the Indian side, Lieutenant General Harinder Singh, whose tenure ended as 14 Corps Commander on Monday, and his successor Lieutenant General P.G.K. Menon led the discussion. The Joint Secretary from the Ministry of External Affairs, Navin Srivastava, also attended the meeting.
Temperatures at critical mountain peaks and passes along the disputed India-China border have dropped to minus 20-degree Celsius, throwing up a fresh challenge to the thousands of troops amassed by both the sides.
On August 30, India had occupied critical mountain heights on the southern bank of the Pangong Lake like Rechin La, Rezang La, Mukpari and Tabletop that were unmanned till now. India has also made some deployments near the Blacktop. The movement was carried out after the Chinese side tried to make a provocative military move.
Dominance at these 13 peaks now allows India to dominate the Spangur Gap under Chinese control and also the Moldo garrison on the Chinese side.
PLA troops are adamant to resolve the situation first on the southern bank where Indian troops are in a position of strength tactically, but India wants a roadmap for de-escalation across Ladakh. India had strongly asserted that the LAC should be drawn out.
India and China are engaged in a six-month-long standoff along the LAC. Despite several levels of dialogue, there has not been any breakthrough and the deadlock continues.
On the eve of October 1st, when China was celebrating its National day, commemorating 71years of Communist Party rule, Indian security and strategic affairs think tank Usanas Foundation had organized a Webinar to bring the global attention to the lost and forgotten Tibetan cause, also pertinent to the current turn of events in the global arena. The focus of the Webinar was on the ‘Tibet Policy and Support Act of 2019’, its impact on the future course of the United States of America’s policy directives towards Tibet, and the possible spillover effect on New Delhi’s ‘One China policy’ and the Tibetan resistance movement.
Dr. Michael Kugelman, Deputy Director, Asia Program, Woodrow Wilson Center, made the opening remarks reflecting on the profound impact the Tibet cause had on Hollywood and Popular pop culture in the United States. He said that the Trump Administration’s China strategy is not directed at the Chinese people or their culture but the Communist Party of China. According to Mr. Kugelman, the downward spiral of the US-Sina relations started with Beijing’s failure in mediating the ‘North Korea Nuclear and Peace Negotiations,’ and Beijing’s pursuit of a muscular foreign policy which not well received in Washington D.C. He asserted that if Democrats’ presidential Candidate Joe Biden ascends to power, the USA’s strategy towards China might explore avenues of cooperation and tone down on the tough stand but overall, there is a consensus about disciplining China as opposed to complete reversal of existing China Policy. China’s abusive behavior of border spat with India, Taiwan, the South China Sea, and the unilateral imposition of New National Security law in Hong Kong, coupled with the wolf warrior style of diplomacy, could impact the U.S’s national security strategy with robust support to Tibet. Push back the wolf warrior diplomacy, which flags strength.
Dr. Kugelman further added that the two important documents defining and guiding the U.S.’s foreign policy objects are the 2017 ‘National Security Strategy’ and the May 2020’s document titled ‘United States Strategic Approach to the people’s Republic of China.’ In these two essential documents, the emphasis is laid on ‘countering the China threat’ and not ‘containing.’ It is also argued that the U.S has a moral responsibility to ‘counter’ China’s continued threat. He also brought attention to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s statement calling the Chinese claims in the South China Sea are ‘Unlawful’ which indicates the policy shift. In his concluding remarks, Dr. Michael Kugelman said, ‘although the U.S and China are partners in counter-terrorism and infrastructure building, he believes that the U.S’s interests are better served in ‘countering China’ and cant go soft; Joe Biden might not soften the U.S strategy but soften diplomacy. Policymakers view the belt and road initiative as a military expansionist trojan horse.
The second speaker of the Webinar, Dr. Rajeswari Rajgopalan, Distinguished Fellow, ORF and Head, Nuclear and Space Policy Initiative-The U.S Bill will certainly impact India. Post Galwan conflict, India has become more antagonistic towards China. She alluded to the elite public opinion makers in India who call for a strong response and support to Tibet, Dalai Lama, and not merely use Tibet as a ‘card’ when needed to antagonize China. She demanded the Indian Government to stand a stand on Tibet and Taiwan and review of the One China Policy. There is a wave of public anger with the policy proposal to rename the Indo-China border to the ‘Indo-Tibet border,’ highlighted by Arunachal Pradesh’s Chief Minister Pema Khandu calling the Line of Actual Control as Indo-Tibet border during his interaction with Jawans at the border. Referring to a Hindustan Times article on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s proposal to recalibrate the ties with China and reappraisal of Tibet policy, re-examine and challenge the legitimacy of ‘Tibet claims’ of China.
Dr. Rajeswari citing the article noted that Tibet’s independence is intertwined with the values of India and whether the growing sentiment will be gratified as a policy is to be seen. Dr. Rajgopalan drew attention to conferring India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, to His Highness Dalai Lama and the people of Tibet for the remarkable and longest peaceful resistance of our times. She also pointed out the consensus among the Indian diplomatic community to acknowledge the failure of the two informal summits between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping. In referring to China’s consistent irritation and opposition to the Indian ministerial and His Holiness Dalai Lama’s visit to Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, she remarked that New Delhi had been soft and downplayed the Tibet issue. She called for a consistent, serious, and carefully curated Tibet policy than merely activate ‘Tibet cause’ as a ‘card’ to irk the Chinese.
The third speaker was a Tibetan Writer and activist who was jailed by the Indian Government several times for peaceful assembly and protesting against China Mr. Tenzin Tsundue. Mr. Tsundue and the co-panelist Tenzin Dorjee(Tendor), a Senior Researcher at Tibet Action Institute, expressed their transcending gratitude to the Indian Government and the people of India for welcoming and hosting Tibetan refuges. As the repression under Xi’s new ‘Tibet Sinicization’ is the cause of greater concern for the Tibetan community living in the Tibet Autonomous region, occupied by China in 1950, the two activists jointly placed a request for the Government of India to allow and accept the new Tibetan refugees who are fleeing the cultural genocide.
Mr. Tsundue’s views are that of a Tibetan activist expressed the collective Tibetan yearning for liberation from the cultural genocide. Referring to President Nixon’s trip to China in 1972, he said, ‘the U.S.’s support for Tibetan liberation, CIA’s assistance in aiding and training armed rebellion was to contain the ideological opponent Communist China, the support to the guerilla rebellion diminished after the Sino-American rapprochement,.’ He said India went into a ‘freeze mode,’ i.e., ‘let us not talk about Tibet’ mode, after recognizing the Tibet Autonomous Region as part of China. Mr. Tsunde alluded to the recent Chinese aggressions at Galwan as Xi backstabbing PM Modi, and unmasking of Beijing’s ‘façade relationship.’ He made some recommendations for the Indian Government, such as to use the nomenclature ‘Indo-Tibetan Border’ replacing Indo-China Border, to add Tibetan history and cultural links with India in schools&colleges textbooks, and perceive the Tibetan cause as ‘India’s civilizational responsibility’ and in toto India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Both the Tibetan activists noted that Tibetans accepted the ‘Middle way approach’ of His Holiness Lama, only to sustain the movement for a while, and believe that now the time has come for ‘Tibet’s independence.’
The fourth and last speaker of the Webinar, Mr. Tenzin Dorjee, made some insightful commentary on China’s deep-seated paranoia, emanating from the Covid19 crisis’s test of the CCP’s performance legitimacy( economic prosperity) which the party has been boasting for years, propagating a Chinese governance model. He added that for Tibetans to rekindle the liberation movement, they need political backing from India and the U.S. He said Tibetans regard highly of India’s independence movement and feel that ‘Swaraj’ is their birth-right and ape for the support of the civilizational big brother. He said China’s aggressions at Ladhak, Arunachal, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, occupation villages in Nepal, and the cultural genocide in TAR would persist as long as Tibet is under China. The speaker also emphasized preventing genocide is inclusive of the nomenclature, evoking ‘responsibility to protect’ to stop the cultural genocide in Tibet(TAR), East Turkestan( Xinjiang autonomous region), and Inner Mongolia. He said China is a surveillance state, and it is a threat to the global community and liberty across the globe.
The academic community, even in the U.S, is becoming more and more closed and cautious of airing opinions even in classrooms due to Chinese snooping and possible repercussions. He also said China uses visas as bait for Tibetans living outside of TAR, and open entry, the immigration officers, collect all the contact details (relationship/personal /official) and use it for intimation, torture, and blackmail. China has held many Tibetans in TAR as hostages for the actions of those relatives living in exile as refugees. Most importantly, Mr. Doorje reinstated China’s mendacity towards multilateralism; and that China pushes Bilateral dialogue to resolve any squabble /conflict to weaken the international institutional liberal world order by employing a ‘ divide and rule’ strategy of divide the international community and preventing a consensus against China; as it did so in averting a global consensus against it on Covid19 outbreak.
It appears that India’s biggest challenge is handling paranoid Chinese leadership, which is obsessed with flagging military strength and diplomatic intimation. China is posing a threat to Tibetans’ ethnic and linguistic identities of Uyghurs, and Inner Mongolians. China is the only country sitting on occupied land, accounting for more than 60 percent of its total landmass. The Tibetan activists made concluding remarks with their profound gratitude to the host countries India and the U.S and reiterated that ‘India is a country they can trust.’ China will not cease to niggling India as India is the only Asian country that challenges the Chinese governance model, economy, and military might.
Now more than 3 million Uyghurs are detained in concentration camps because of their ethnic identity. Millions more are literal slaves in factories across China. Yes, the Chinese regime has once again normalized and glorified slavery in the modern age …. A special report by Rushan Abbas, Founder and Executive Director of Campaign for Uyghurs
My people, the Uyghurs, have lived in Central Asia for over 2000 years. Since the Chinese Communist government’s occupation in 1949, the government has relentlessly destroyed Uyghur culture and religion.
Now more than three million Uyghurs are detained in concentration camps because of their ethnic identity. Millions more are literal slaves in factories across China. Yes, the Chinese regime has once again normalized and glorified slavery in the modern age. Much of the world’s cotton comes with a cost much higher than what the literal price might indicate. Because much of the world’s cotton comes complicit with active genocide. It is hard to see beauty when the strands that make up the picture come from the blood, sweat, tears, and death of the Uyghur people.
September this year marks two years of my sister, Dr. Gulshan Abbas’s abduction by the Chinese government. She was taken because of my activism here in America. It pains me to even think that a medical doctor is held in a labor facility forced to make these products for these globally renowned companies. This just begs the question: who is the buyer of my sister’s slave labour?
Every time I look at one of these complicit brands, and each time I see their logo, I am stabbed in the heart as I wonder if my sister, a retired medical doctor who was thrown into the camps, was forced to make these products. My sister was taken 2 years ago this week. Since then I have had no word of why she was detained, where she is being held, or her condition. She is in China’s concentration camps, and quite likely being forced to make your clothing. Just two months ago, the U.S. Customs and Border Control seized thirteen tons of human hair that had been produced from Uyghur slaves. Thirteen tons…how many lives does this represent? Is this my sister’s hair?
Should China be rewarded with hosting the 2022 Winter Olympic Games while committing genocide racial motivations? The US government and civil society must let companies know that backing the 2022 Olympics is more than being a bystander to China’s genocide, its supporting it. This should lead some global companies to retreat from sponsoring Beijing 2022. The dignity of the international community and the principles of the IOC are being tested. While undermining the rule of law and international norms, China is the last country in the world fit to carry on the Olympic legacy and host the international games.
China blames faith of Uyghur Muslims for concentration camps in Xinjiang. (source:uyghurcongress.org)
The IOC must acknowledge that moving forward with Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics is complicit with genocide. The IOC claims it received assurances from Chinese government authorities “that the principles of the Olympic Charter will be respected in the context of the Games”. Should we believe the killer’s testimony in spite of the evidence against him? Sadly, we are going to see a repeat of the 1936 Munich Olympics when Adolf Hitler announced the opening of the Olympic games while running a holocaust if there is not tangible action to stop it. Chinese officials carry out genocide while they hide their money in overseas investments. Uyghurs should not merely become human collateral for short-term politics and economic benefits for some countries!
During this pandemic that was brought to the world by the totalitarian Chinese regime, China’s actions to deny, keep quiet, misinform, punish whistleblowers, and create a security crackdown, are what made this virus from Wuhan a global pandemic today. This has resulted in increased attention on China and their actions to conceal, deceive, and bribe in order to avoid any responsibility, however, requests for transparency have been continually met with threats and so-called wolf diplomacy approaches from China. At present, China is testing medications and vaccines on Uyghurs in East Turkistan and they are being used as guinea pigs to test treatments.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (Xinhua/Ju Peng, Wang Ye/IANS)
And now, Disney released its live-action version of Mulan. The beloved Disney movie first hired Chinese actress Liu Yifei, who made comments in August of last year supporting Hong Kong’s police amid criticism of their use of force against pro-democracy demonstrators. And recently, it came as a massive shock when the end credits of the film include a thank you to the Turpan Public Security Bureau (PSB), the entity that is directly responsible for the mass detention of Uyghurs in concentration camps, as well as numerous other genocidal crimes. They also thank the publicity departments of Turpan and “Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region”, which are the committees responsible for producing state propaganda about the Uyghurs. In other words, those responsible for disguising the PRC’s genocidal crimes. This is blatantly normalizing genocide.
Halal organ transplants advertised from a Chinese hospital in Arabic come from my people! During the first coronavirus outbreak, Chinese hospitals advertised performing double-lung transplants. In airports in China there are special lanes opened through airport security for organ transport. While the world has essentially ignored for years the reports that prisoners of conscience such as Falun Gong and others were used to harvest organs from, the implementation of mass mandatory DNA testing for all Uyghurs in East Turkistan adds another disturbing layer to our nightmare.
Quake-affected people have a meal at a temporary settlement in Jinghe County, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Li Jing/IANS)
China is concurrently waging its unrelenting war on religion, silencing the call to prayer, and in East Turkistan, forbidding Uyghurs from fasting during Ramadan, outlawing Muslim names for children, and even forcing Uyghurs to drink alcohol and eat pork to pass a test confirming they are not religious. They are even rewriting the Bible and the Holy Qur’an.
Our religion is being stigmatized and our ethnicity is being demonized. China outlawed all normal religious practices as “illegal religious activities”. The Mosques have been turned into karaoke bars and restaurants. The CCP has sent party cadres to live with families and “supervise” them under the euphemistically descriptive term, “double relative program”. For many of these women whose husbands are in the camps, the cadre may even sleep in their bed. This leaves them subject to sexual abuse. Many are forced into marriages with Han Chinese men. This is nothing short of government-sponsored mass rape. And most appalling of all, women are forcibly having contraceptive devices inserted, receive forced abortions, and are being forcibly sterilized. This is genocide. Where is the feminist outcry over these women’s rights?
500,000 Uyghur children have also become the main target of China’s policy of assimilation and social engineering. The Chinese government is eradicating Uyghur ethnic identity by targeting the younger generation. While parents are in the camps, Uyghur children are taken away, held hostage in Chinese government-run orphanages. They are indoctrinated, forced to abandon their Uyghur identity and swear loyalty to the CCP, and must recognize Xi Jinping as God. They are separated from their parents, and for many who may be granted brief visits, the young children do not recognize them.
More leaked documents show that children have even been asked to inform on others for religious behaviour or may even denounce them. From these atrocities to the mere separation itself, it is clear that the effects on young, developing minds are catastrophic, and the Chinese government’s willingness to do this is evil. There are three sets of leaked documents which are hard evidence of China’s crimes.
As China continues to threaten countries all around the world while they spread propaganda, bully, and manipulate, while changing the rule of law, the western democracies must hold China accountable.
Chinese authorities have made it blatantly clear to the world that they do not have a moral bottom line. Religious groups are targeted because they offer a moral alternative to the worship of the CCP, and thus are considered a threat. A country which believes that imprisoning 3 million people and forcing millions more to live in a dystopian hell is acceptable policy cannot be trusted by anyone. Look at what just happened in Hong Kong and recently what they did to India. We especially need the voices of those living in free societies to end complicity in these crimes against humanity not only to save the rest of the Uyghurs, but we are warning you to help yourself and save your society, save your country from this evil regime’s incursion.
A parent sharing their woes with BBC journalist John Sudworth (TV Grab)
Just look at our people and what they are facing today and imagine your future if you don’t take action. I am reminding you today that we, as responsible global citizens, should act upon our humanity to hold this evil government to account. I ask that India take its rightful place as a true leader by leading the charge against the demonic murderers who are running the Chinese regime. Truth and justice must prevail. We all have seen history play out. Our action to prevent “never again” is already late, what holds the international community back from preventing this massive genocide?
The archipelago nation on the Indian Ocean owes about $1.4 billion to China. It is a huge sum for a country which has a GDP of $5.7 billion, this translates to almost one-fourth…reports MAHUA VENKATESH
Prime Minister Narendra Modi felicitates Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on his assumption of office as the 7th President of Maldives in Male. (Photo: IANS/MEA)
As tourism-the most important sector for Maldives, contributing the most of the nations gross domestic product-took a huge blow with the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, concerns over debt repayment to ‘ally China are looming large.
The archipelago nation on the Indian Ocean owes about $1.4 billion to China. It is a huge sum for a country which has a GDP of $5.7 billion, this translates to almost one-fourth. What is worrisome is that, as many analysts said, the figure of $1.4 billion may not be a true representation, the actual debt feared to be much higher.
With the pandemic hitting the economy hard, amid the World Bank’s projection of an 8.5 per cent contraction in its economy, the nation is in no position to make the repayment. Besides tourism, the country’s construction activities have also come to a near halt.
“The shock to tourism adversely affects employment and household earnings, as one-third of adult males and a quarter of females are engaged in tourism-related jobs. Lower-income households that depend on fisheries are also affected as exports of raw fish have ceased due to weak demand,” a World Bank report said.
Tourism accounts for about 28 per cent of the country’s GDP and generates over 60 per cent foreign exchange receipts.
In 2018, the Maldives government had indicated that interest rates extended on concessional loans from the dragon nation constitutes only about 1.5 per cent to 2 per cent, “while those on loans made under sovereign guarantee are around 6 per cent to 7 per cent”. The Nikkei Asian Review had quoted Maldivian Finance Minister Ibrahim Ameer as saying, “We are mostly looking into increasing the repayment period.”
The Chinese debt trap
Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, soon after getting elected in 2018, said that the country’s close tie-ups with China has brought about a financial crisis into the nation.
“Solih appeared to be in no doubt that the country’s financial crisis was brought about by the previous administration’s overly-close relationship with China. The implication is that China, as it has done in Sri Lanka, has used financial loans to manipulate the Maldives into a position of indebtedness to Beijing,” Futuredirections.org.au said.
The Maldives-India Relationship: From Frying Pan to Fire?
Just after Maldives celebrated its 55th Independence Day on July 26, China issued a notice asking Male to repay $10 million which was backed by sovereign guarantee. This means that failure to repay would amount to a sovereign default that has serious ramifications for the country’s economy. Reports have suggested that the Xi Jinping government in August sought repayment of a larger amount, paid.
In 2017, China gave a $127 million loan to Sun Siyam Resorts Private Ltd but what is interesting is that the Maldivian government had extended sovereign guarantee for the same.
“At $1.4 billion, of which $857 million has been disbursed, most of the foreign debt is owed to China for financing former President Abdulla Yameen’s infrastructure scale-up,” Maldives Independent reported said.
According to Harvard Business Review, China with its debt diplomacy, currently is a major global lender, with outstanding claims now exceeding more than 5 per cent of global GDP. The lending is done both directly by the government and the state-controlled entities.
India and Maldives
Relations between India and Maldives ran into troubled waters under former Maldivian president Abdulla Yameen, who conceded defeat in the 2018 elections.
Thereafter, however, India-Maldives ties have started improving with Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending Solih’s swearing in ceremony. Importantly, Maldives stood by India at the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) virtual meet at a time when New Delhi had come under attack in the wake of the abrogation of Article 370 and the passing of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
“Targeting a specific country will be like side-stepping the real issue. In this light, let me state that singling out India, the largest democracy in the world and a multicultural society and home to over 200 million Muslims, alleging Islamophobia would be factually incorrect,” Maldives’ Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Thilmeeza Hussain said in the meeting.
Earlier, Solih even thanked India for rescuing Maldivians stuck at Wuhan when the coronavirus pandemic had hit the region.
