Chinese threat real: Antony
>From Sanjoy Ray Assam Tribune
TAWANG (Arunachal Pradesh), April 6 Indicating that the threat from China on
the Arunachal Pradesh border cannot be ruled out, Union Defence Minister AK
Antony said that the Central Government is giving top priority to improving
the standard of the infrastructure of the armed forces in the North-East,
especially in areas like Tawang, which is very much vaulnerable to the Chinese
threat from the neighbouring country. The Union Minister, who made a whirlwind
visit to the Armys Kameng sector in Arunchal Pradesh this morning, was
replying to a question on the recent conroversial China claim over Arunachal
Pradesh. We are keeping a close eye on the developments here on the Indo-China
border and a slew of development measures for the armed forces, based in this
part of the country, is in the Defence Ministrys scheme of things to combat
the possible threat from the other side of the border, the Union Defence
Minister said.
Last time, there were some hiccups which we do not want to repeat. We want the
armed forces to be on their toes all the time to fight out any kind of threat,
be it from outside or within, and a slew of modernisation plans would be soon
be put into place in this regard, he claimed.
The Government of India is consistently trying to ensure that the best of
equipment and arms and ammunition is provoided to the security forces, he
pointed out.
Antony further asserted that devlopment of this part of the region has become a
dire necessity not only from the strategic and security point of view of the
armed forces but also for the overall development of the region.
Antony also conceded that for some reasons the North-East has been deprived of
its due but the Government is now trying to ensure that the development and
welfare moves at a fast pace in the region. When asked about NEs insurgency
problem, the Minister claimed that the insurgency problem in the region is
under control.
Earlier today, the Minister offered his tributes to the martyrs of Indo-China
war of 1962.
Meanwhile, another senior Army officilal stated that due to the threat from
China, the Kameng sector in particular and Arunachal Pradesh in genreal has
emerged as a issue of national interest.
The Union Minister was accompanied by Chief of the Army Staff Deepak Kapoor,
Chief of Eastern Command of Indian Army VK Singh, and GOC 4 Corps Lt General BS
Jaiswal along with a host of other senior officials.
Visit cut short: Meanwhile, Antony today had to cut short his visit after he
complained of some respiratory problems at the Armys West Kameng sector. Army
sources said that the Minister was given oxygen immediately and his condition
is stated to be stable. There is nothing very serious. It happens in the
high-altitude area, the sources said. The Minister had to skip the interaction
with the media and some other scheduled programme as well.
Our Tezpur Correspondent adds: Yesterday, the Union Defence Minister arived at
the Tezpur GOC/4 Corps headquarter on a two-day Assam-Arunachal visit. At the
Army airport, he was welcomed by the State Education Minister Ripun Bora,
ex-MLA, Rabin Goswami, DC Sonitpur Kamal Goswami, SP Sonitpur, MP Gupta and top
officials of the GOC/4 Corps.
Later, the Minsiter had a closed-door meeting with the top officials of the
Army.
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