Chinese troops intrude into eastern Ladakh, set up camp

Chinese troops have intruded deep into Indian territory in Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) sector in eastern Ladakh and erected a post, in yet another brazen show of power and utter disregard for any negotiated settlement of border disputes.

Daulat Beg Oldi is among the forward locations, where the Indian air Force plans to loacate an airbase in a bid to secure the country's border with China.

A 50-strong platoon contingent of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops intruded 10 km deep into Indian territory, in eastern Ladakh and erected a tented post in Burthe in DBO sector, reports said.

The PLA personnel intruded into Ladakh on the night of 15 April, highly placed sources said, adding that the area is at an altitude of about 17,000 feet.

Although troops from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) have also established a camp approximately 300 metres opposite the location, Indian Army officials are not perturbed by the Chinese peresence as they say these are daily occurrences due to the undemarcated border between the two countries.

The Ladakh Scouts, an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, has also moved towards the area.

DBO, in northern Ladakh, is a historic camp site on an ancient trade route connecting Ladakh to Yarkand in Xinjiang, China.

The area also has an advanced landing ground for IAF. There are, however, no permanent civilian population and the nearest inhabited, Murgo to the south, has a small population of Baltis who live on apricot farming and yak rearing.

DOB lies at the easternmost point of the Karakoram Range in a cold desert region in the far north of India, just 8 km south of the Chinese border and 9 km of the Aksai Chin LAC between China and India.