Howrah News Service -  Latest news and headlines on Howrah,West Bengal and World: India rejects China claim

India rejects China claim
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NewsByte on 23 May, 2008 07:05:39
 
By MANOJ ANAND
Guwahati, May 23: Union minister of state for defence M.M. Pallam Raju said
here on Friday that India would not accept China’s claims in any form over
Indian territory in Arunachal Pradesh or Sikkim and admitted that infiltration
from neighbouring Bangladesh was posing a serious threat to the internal
security of the country.
Stressing the need of strengthening the international border with Bangladesh,
he told reporters: "Infiltration by anti-national elements from the Bangladeshi
side is creating a threat to our country. The recent Jaipur and Hyderabad blasts
are fallouts of this infiltration."
Mr Raju was in the city of inaugurate a defence pension adalat at the Narnegi
Military Station.
He also stressed on the need to strengthening the intelligence agencies to
fight this threat, adding that incomplete border fencing due to difficult
terrain along the Indo-Bangla border was abetting infiltration. He, however,
asserted that the country was well equipped to face any possible situation. In
reference to the Chinese claim on Indian territory, the minister said: "Our
country will never agree to any claims made over our territory by China."
Pointing out that the McMahon Line, demarcating the Indo-China border, was
disputed, the minister said: "India had never agreed to it nor would ever agree
to any claims made by China."
He informed that the national security adviser was engaged in dialogue with his
Chinese counterpart to resolve the border dispute amicably. The minister also
advised the state governments of the region to recruit more than three lakh
retired defence personnel of the region as special police officers. He said that
retired Army personnel could be of great help to the state governments fighting
against the militancy.