New Delhi: Amid an ongoing stand-off with China over Doklam in Sikkim, the Indian Army on Thursday ordered immediate evacuation of a village close to the India-Bhutan-China tri-junction.
About a hundred villagers living in Nathang village have been asked to vacate their houses, reliable sources in defence ministry told Gulf News.
Nathang is 35 kilometres away from Doklam — the site of the two-month old serious conflict between Indian and Chinese troops.
However, it is still not clear if the evacuation order had been issued in the wake of constant war threats from China or to accommodate Indian soldiers belonging to the 33 Corp who have been ordered to move towards Doklam.
The standoff started in mid-June when Indian troops stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the disputed area. China said the road was within its own territory. Bhutan has formally objected to China’s road construction.
Since then, India has been seeking dialogue with China but Beijing has demanded immediate withdrawal of Indian troops before a peace process is initiated.
Meanwhile, Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama said the ongoing conflict between India and China was “not very serious.”
“I don’t think it is very serious. Don’t worry. Both sides’ tone carries big words. Eventually, it is Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai (Indians and Chinese are brothers). That is the only way,” he said while delivering a lecture on peace in South Asia.
Stating that both India and China were big nations, he said that neither side has the ability to eliminate the other one.
“You have to live side by side,” he added.
Doklam is an area with a plateau and a valley, lying between China’s Chumbi Valley to the north, Bhutan’s Ha Valley to the east and India’s Sikkim state to the west. It has been depicted as part of Bhutan in Bhutanese maps since 1961, but it is also claimed by China.
